Daughter believes mother was killed in Port Charlotte house fire

Reporter: Maddie Herron Writer: Johnathan Minehan
Published: Updated:
House Fire
Credit: WINK News


A family is holding each other close as they fear for the worst. Loved ones of 70-year-old Roseanne Cantasano told WINK News they believe she was killed in a house fire in Port Charlotte on Monday.

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron spoke with Cantasano’s daughter.

She wants her mother to be remembered for her willingness to help others through her career as an EMT.

Lauren McKendry believes her mother had been struggling since the loss of her sister last year.

“One thing I was able to tell my mother the last time we talked is that I was proud of her because she had been working hard to work through everything she was dealing with,” McKendry said.

McKendry also told WINK News about the man who was rescued from the fire. She said his name is Frank, her mother’s longtime boyfriend. He tried to save her mother.

“By the time he got the door open, smoke came pouring out,” McKendry said. “He has burns on his face, inside of his mouth, inside of his throat and from what I understand, a neighbor had to drag him away because he was determined to save her.”

McKendry said that Frank is in the hospital as of Thursday night.

She plans to be there for him just as he was there for her mother.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, as well as the identity of the body found inside.

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