A 13-year-old girl who died after being found with a gunshot wound in a running car in North Baton Rouge late Friday night is remembered by family as a βbeautiful light.β
Madison βMaddieβ Harris, 13, was found by a stranger at 11:39 p.m. Friday in the 3000 block of East Mason Avenue in north Baton Rouge, police said. She was transported to a hospital, where she died.
Harrisβ aunt, Tenishea Jolla said that she will never stop fighting for justice for her niece, who only wanted to be famous for being a good person and was kind to everyone she met.
βAt the end of the day, sheβs a beautiful light. She will always be a beautiful light. Even though itβs physically dimmed, her name is still shining,β Jolla said.
Baton Rouge Police said they currently have no suspects or motive and are reviewing surveillance footage from the area for any clues.
Harris was an eighth-grader at Inspire Charter Academy, where she loved to play flag football. In a statement, the school said they were βheartbrokenβ to hear of Harrisβ death.
Jolla said that she hopes Harrisβ death is a wake-up call to parents and young people to choose their friends wisely and keep out of trouble.
βShe was 13. She was just a baby, and they stripped away eighth-grade recognition. They stripped away her going to high school next year. They stripped away prom and graduation. They stripped all of that away, and I just want justice,β Jolla said.
Harris was known in her family as a fashionista and loved to create new ways of dressing. One day she would be a girlie girl and the next she would be a tomboy, her aunt said. She was an inspiration to her two younger siblings, 9 and 6, and Jollaβs daughter.
The last time Jolla talked to Harris was about a week ago, through FaceTime. She checked to make sure Harris was hanging out with good people.
Jolla said she knows the crisis of young people and violence in her North Baton Rouge community.
So far in 2026, there have been six young people killed by gun violence. Jolla wants the community to come together and protect their young children.
βMaybe this is my thing to get my niece's name out there and to just build a community that's really for these kids and to teach them healthy friend selections and healthy thought processes,β Jolla said.