More Than $50K Raised For Family After Montco Baby's Death

LOWER PROVIDENCE, PA —The community rallying in a big way behind the family of a local infant who police said died after being raped and assaulted in Lower Providence.

More than $50,000 has been raised for the family of 10-month-old Zara Scruggs through a GoFundMe campaign launched last week. More than 1,600 people have donated to the cause.

"In 10 short months, she sparked so much joy," family friend Brionna Cassaundra Wise, who started the fundraiser, wrote. "She was smart. She was silly. She was sassy. She was perfect. She was a beautiful baby and brought so much beauty into hundreds of lives. She brought us together, and we will fight for her forever."

In addition to funding funeral costs for Zara and supporting her mother Erica while she is out of work, the money will go towards creating a foundation in Zara's name.

A funeral for Zara was held on Monday afternoon. Last Friday, neighbors, friends, and well-wishers gathered on Arch and Spruce streets in Norristown to let off balloons in Zara's memory.

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Zara's father, 29-year-old Austin Stevens, was arrested and charged with rape and aggravated assault in connection with her death.

A Change.org petition demanding justice for Zara's death has gained more than 4,300 signatures.

Stevens, who served as a volunteer with the Lower Providence Warriors youth football league, had just moved into a home on Germantown Pike on Oct. 1, authorities said. He had a joint custody agreement with Zara's mother.

The incident occurred in the evening hours of Saturday, Oct. 3.

After the assault, from around 9:27 p.m. to 10:22 p.m., Stevens performed numerous Google searches on his phone, including "If baby stop breathing," "What if you don't hear baby heart or beat," "My baby isn't breathing," and "How do you know if a bsby is dead," according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.

>>Father Charged In Baby's Death Was Youth Football Coach In Montco

To learn more about the GoFundMe and to donate, see here.