Fort Myers mom killed in mallet attack, community rallies to help family

FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK)—A memorial honors Nilufa Easmin outside a Fort Myers store, all for a woman taken too soon.

Samir Syed is a local business owner and president of the Bangladesh Association of Southwest Florida. He told WINK News this week that she was a devoted mother of two who worked tirelessly to provide for her daughters.

Now he says her loss has left what he calls an "unimaginable void" in their lives. The family is grieving at this time, but Syed is helping share her story.

"She was a very nice and hardworking woman in this community," Syed said.

Homeland Security Special Agent in Charge Micah McCombs spoke about Easmin, a U.S. citizen who arrived in the country six years ago. McCombs described the tragedy as senseless, noting Easmin was a Bangladeshi national who got her citizenship the right way.

Syed says the community is heartbroken and coming together to support her family. They are praying for their daughters as they try to move forward without her.

"We are very sad for that family," Syed said. "We hope they're gonna be past this kind of difficult moment."

Customers throughout the week also reflected on what happened. Jalin Floyd, a customer, acknowledged the human impact of the loss.

"That's someone's mom, daughter, sister," Floyd said. "It's a terrible situation, unfortunately."

Jovan Owens, a Fort Myers neighbor, expressed his sympathies for both the store and Easmin's family. Syed is asking everyone to help and support the family as much as they can.

People in Fort Myers say they want the community to continue rallying around her family, hoping to find strength in the days ahead.