Stolen Lives

Her Story

Fatima Kone was only 10 years old when her life was tragically taken in Smyrna, Delaware, in May 2026.
On May 28, 2026, Delaware State Police responded to a home on Oakwynn Circle in Smyrna after Fatima was found deceased in her bedroom. She had been the victim of severe physical abuse. According to investigators, Fatima's father, Badara Kone, had struck her repeatedly with a leather belt. During the assault, Fatima fell and is believed to have struck her head on a piece of furniture. Her siblings helped her to her bedroom, but police say that 911 was not called for an extended period of time.

An autopsy by the Delaware Division of Forensic Science determined that Fatima's death was a homicide caused by multiple blunt-force injuries. As investigators continued looking into Fatima's death, they also learned that her two brothers, ages 11 and 15, had allegedly been subjected to ongoing physical abuse. The boys were taken to a hospital for precautionary evaluations, where detectives obtained information supporting the allegations of continued abuse.

Fatima was not simply a name in a police report. She was a 10-year-old little girl who should have been growing up, going to school, making friends, laughing with her family, discovering the things she loved, and looking forward to everything life had waiting for her. Instead, her life ended inside the place where a child should have been able to feel safest—her own home. Her story is a heartbreaking reminder that children depend on the adults around them for protection, care, and safety. Fatima deserved to be protected.

Fatima's father, 49-year-old Badara Kone and stepmother, 37-year-old Adiaratou Coulibaly, were both arrested and charged with Murder by Abuse or Neglect in the Second Degree, along with multiple child-abuse charges involving Fatima's brothers. Police allege that after the incident involving Fatima's father, the abuse continued with the stepmother in other areas of the home and included the use of various objects and forced exercises.

Remembering Fatima There are no words that can undo what happened to Fatima. No court case can give her family back the years they should have had with her. No sentence can give Fatima the childhood that was taken from her. But we can remember her. We can speak her name. We can remember that behind the headlines was a 10-year-old girl whose life had value, whose future mattered, and who deserved so much more time. Fatima Kone should have had the chance to grow up. She should have had a future.
May Fatima's name never be forgotten.