Custody of Samira Frasch’s daughters, Hyrah and Skynnah, went to their father’s family after Samira was murdered in February 2014 and Adam Frasch was convicted of killing her. The girls first entered Florida state protective care, then were placed with paternal relatives in Nebraska while the criminal case and a long fight over their mother’s life insurance moved through the courts.
Why the Girls Needed a New Home
On February 22, 2014, Samira Frasch was found dead in the swimming pool of her home in Tallahassee’s Golden Eagle neighborhood. She had sole custody of the couple’s two young daughters at the time, part of ongoing divorce proceedings. Hours before her body was discovered, Adam Frasch had taken both girls roughly 100 miles away to Panama City, violating the temporary custody order.1District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Initial Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249
Police found Adam with the children that same day and arrested him for custodial interference. With Samira dead and Adam in custody, no parent was available. Child Protective Services took the girls into state care while the courts worked out where they would go.
Adam was later charged with first-degree murder. A jury convicted him after a four-day trial in 2017 and he was sentenced to life in prison. Florida’s First District Court of Appeal affirmed the conviction in 2019.2Justia. Adam Frasch vs State of Florida With Adam serving life, the question of who would raise Hyrah and Skynnah fell to the extended family.
Two Families, Two Claims
Samira’s mother, Razafisoa, pursued legal action to obtain custody of her granddaughters. She also involved herself in the related civil litigation, contesting how the wrongful death case and Samira’s life insurance were being handled and alleging she had been shut out of decisions being made in the children’s name.1District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Initial Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249
Adam Frasch’s family sought custody as well. Because his relatives lived in Nebraska, moving the girls out of Florida required going through the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. That process involves home studies, background checks, and approval from both states. Federal rules give the receiving state sixty days to complete the home study and 180 days from the initial request to issue a final decision.
The court ultimately placed Hyrah and Skynnah with Adam Frasch’s family. Florida law lets a parent, sibling, next of kin, or any other person interested in a child’s welfare petition for guardianship of a minor when neither biological parent is available, and a guardian appointed for a minor holds the same authority as a full guardian.3Florida Senate. Florida Statutes 744.3021 – Guardians of Minors
A Separate Guardian for the Children’s Money
Physical custody was only part of the picture. The court appointed Lynne Liska as guardian of the children’s property to manage their financial interests separately from where they lived.1District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Initial Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249 Florida commonly splits these roles when a minor inherits or is entitled to significant assets, so the person raising the child is not also controlling the child’s money.
The Fight Over Samira’s Life Insurance
Samira had a $1 million life insurance policy through Woodmen of the World. Florida’s slayer statute barred Adam from collecting because he had been convicted of killing her. That left three-year-old Hyrah, listed as the only alternate beneficiary, entitled to the full payout.1District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Initial Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249
According to appellate filings, a group of attorneys and a substitute personal representative gained control of both the wrongful death case and the insurance proceeds. The attorneys collected $125,000 in fees from the life insurance money. The children received some of what remained, but only in exchange for a full release of the wrongful death claim against Adam, closing off any further recovery.1District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Initial Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249
The appellate brief further alleged that Liska was depleting the remaining funds by paying her own legal fees and billing against the estate, and that some money was sent to Eric Frasch, a member of Adam’s family. The brief warned that by the time the girls turned eighteen, little would likely be left.
Does Adam Frasch Still Have Parental Rights?
Florida law treats a parent’s murder or manslaughter of the other parent as grounds for terminating parental rights under Florida Statute 39.806. The court must find a connection between the killing and the child’s welfare, and a first-degree murder conviction makes that finding straightforward. The public record in this case documents Adam’s conviction and life sentence but does not show a separate termination order.
Termination goes further than losing custody. A parent whose rights are terminated has no legal relationship with the child at all: no visitation, no access to information, no say in schooling or medical decisions. For a father serving life in prison, the practical effect on day-to-day contact is limited, but the legal distinction still matters for inheritance and any future guardianship questions.
Where the Daughters Are Now
Hyrah and Skynnah have grown up with Adam Frasch’s family, out of public view and far from the Tallahassee home where their mother died. Adam has exhausted his appeals: the Florida Supreme Court declined review in 2020 and the U.S. Supreme Court denied certiorari in 2021.4District Court of Appeal, First District, Florida. Motion to File Enlarged Brief – Case No. 1D20-3249 The civil fight over Samira’s estate and the money meant for her daughters continued in Florida’s appellate courts long after the criminal case ended, with Samira’s mother pressing claims that those managing the children’s assets were draining what should have been theirs.