LAURINBURG — A fundraising effort continues this week after a funeral for two young sisters who drowned last week in a Marlboro County, South Carolina swimming pool.

Kenlee Elizabeth Higgins, 2½, and 18-month-old Devyn Sue Higgins were pronounced dead on Friday at McLeod Health in Cheraw, South Carolina, according to news reports, after drowning while their mother was at work.

The sisters lived in Laurinburg with their mother, Jacklyn Smith Higgins, and three older siblings. The pool was located at a home on S.C. 79 in the unincorporated Marlboro County community of Wallace.

Marlboro County Coroner Tim Brown ruled the toddlers’ deaths as accidental on Monday following an investigation conducted by the Marlboro County Sheriff’s Office and the S.C. State Law Enforcement Division.

A funeral service was held Monday at Northview Harvest Ministries of Laurinburg. The Higgins sisters were laid to rest at Hillside Memorial Park.

An online fund drive for “Kenlee and Devyn’s Funeral Expenses” was established on Saturday, and 85 donors had given $3,505 as of Tuesday night.

The campaign on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe has a goal of $10,000. To contribute or learn more, visit http://www.gofundme.com/9hf78e7xf7.

“Jacklyn is a hardworking, single mother, with three other children to support,” the page reads. “As you can imagine, money for extras doesn’t come easy, and funerals are costly. We’re asking for anyone who may feel it in their heart to help out, to please donate what you can, in order to alleviate this one stressor from a family that is already under an immense, emotional shock.”

Contributed photo Sisters Kenlee Elizabeth Higgins, left, and Devyn Sue Higgins died on Friday in a Marlboro County accidental drowning.
https://www.yourdailyjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/web1_Higginsprint.jpgContributed photo Sisters Kenlee Elizabeth Higgins, left, and Devyn Sue Higgins died on Friday in a Marlboro County accidental drowning.

Staff reports