Anena Spriggs was an affectionate two-year-old girl who greeted people with hugs and kisses. She was the youngest of five children. Her young life ended tragically on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in what authorities investigated as a murder-suicide. Anena was a female child who, along with her mother, was facing an unstable housing situation in Cobb County, Georgia.
On that Sunday morning, just before services were to begin, a devastating scene was discovered in the parking lot of Milford Baptist Church on Milford Church Road in unincorporated Marietta. At approximately 10:45 a.m., about 15 minutes before the 11 a.m. service, Cobb County Police officers responded to a call about a woman with a gunshot wound inside a vehicle. When they arrived, they found Anena and her 31-year-old mother, Abria Spriggs, inside a car parked near a woodline.
Both had sustained fatal gunshot wounds and were determined to be beyond life-saving measures.
Investigators from the Cobb County Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit quickly determined that the gunshots had come from inside the vehicle. They announced that there were no outstanding suspects and that there was no threat to the community, indicating the incident was contained within the car. While the police department did not publicly release the official cause of death, family members later confirmed that investigators told them Abria Spriggs had shot her young daughter before taking her own life.
In the days following the tragedy, family members and acquaintances painted a heartbreaking picture of the mother's struggles. Abria Spriggs had recently moved to the metro Atlanta area from Augusta and was reportedly working two jobs while trying to find stable housing for her family. A woman who knew them through a transitional housing program for single mothers run by the church said she had been with them just days before their deaths. Although the family was receiving support from the church, their vehicle was parked in the church lot, and it was later revealed that Abria and Anena had been living there.
Anena’s great-uncle, James Kennedy, expressed the family's profound shock and grief. He said that while Abria had previously mentioned thoughts of taking her own life, the family was unaware of the true depth of her despair and did not know she was homeless. He lamented that if he had known the severity of her situation, he would have immediately offered them shelter in his own home. The family is now working to bring Anena and her mother back to their hometown of Augusta to be laid to rest.
The case remains a tragic reminder of the silent battles many face. The Cobb County Police Department's Major Crimes Unit investigated the deaths. They asked anyone with information to contact them at 770-499-3945, referencing case number 26069291. In the wake of the event, the pastor of Milford Baptist Church sent a note to the congregation, urging members to seek support from mental health professionals if needed. Anena’s grieving family encouraged anyone struggling with suicidal thoughts to reach out and talk to someone who cares.
