Mother of 9-year-old killed in hunting accident: ‘She was a friend to all’

To order a MAGAbilly T-shirt, click this link or text “LOVE” to 98973.

Kay-K. Bowers of Colleton County, South Carolina remembers her 9-year-old daughter, the youngest of her two girls, as a bright light who had a smile for everyone.

“She met no strangers — she was a friend to all for sure,” Bowers said to KIRO Radio’s Dori Monson.

A well-rounded 9-year-old, Lauren Drawdy had a wide variety of interests that took her from the ball field to the music room in the same day.

“She was a little of everything, to be honest — she was my prissy little girl, but she was my outdoorsy one, too,” Bowers said. “She did cheerleading, softball, she sang in choir in school.”

Dori’s T-shirt fundraiser for South Carolina family mourning dad, daughter

In fact, the sometimes-tomboy, sometimes-girly-girl would carefully put on her makeup … to accompany her father hunting or fishing. In the photo above, Lauren can be seen proudly holding a fish she caught while wearing a princess-like dress.

It was while sharing one of these beloved hobbies that Lauren and her father, 30-year-old Kim Drawdy, lost their lives in a tragic hunting accident when another hunter mistook them for deer.

It was a heart-wrenching story for most people who read it — but one Seattle business owner, making a political judgment about the family based solely on the fact that they died in a hunting accident, posted a tweet celebrating their death and referring to them as “MAGAbillies.”

Bowers has largely stayed away from the story, surrounding herself with supportive people instead.

“I’m not trying to upset myself with her ignorance,” she said of the tweet.

Dori decided to take the word intended to be an insult in the cruel tweet and turn it into something positive through a T-shirt fundraiser. People wishing to support Lauren’s mother and big sister can purchase a $20 #MAGAbilly T-shirt online or by texting “LOVE” to 98973. All proceeds go to the family.

“Thank you to everybody who has helped,” Bowers said.

The Twitter incident has not soured Bower’s view of Pacific Northwesterners. Instead, she was touched to hear of the T-shirt fundraiser.

“I definitely believe that there are many good people out there,” she said.

In a way, Bowers looks at the national attention the story has garnered as one last act from heaven of a little girl who loved the spotlight.

“I knew she was amazing to me, but I wouldn’t have expected it to go nation-wide as it has,” she said. “It’s very incredible … she loved attention, so I think she’s making her way around.”

Listen to the Dori Monson Show weekday afternoons from 12-3 p.m. on KIRO Radio, 97.3 FM. Subscribe to the podcast here.