Jacksonville father speaks out after wheelchair-bound daughter killed in fire

STORY: Jacksonville fire leaves mother, 5 kids with 'nothing'

The woman found dead in a burning Jacksonville last week was laid to rest Monday.

The State Fire Marshal's Office said the fire at Avesta Grande Pointe on University Blvd. did $10,000 in damage. 

The said the cause remains under investigation.

On Monday, Zeljko Gnjidic buried his beloved daughter, Bozena.

Jacksonville Fire and Rescue found the 28-year-old dead in their apartment last Wednesday. Zeljko Gnjidic said he was at work when he got the call from the property manager.

"She said that there had been a fire in my apartment, and to come back as soon as possible," Gnjidic said.

When Gnjidic arrived, authorities wouldn't allow him in the apartment for his own safety.

So he said he had to watch and hope that his daughter was OK.

“She was there, burned, and it was so much smoke,” Gnjidic said. “I was told [the fire started from] some matches on the table.”

Gnjidic and his family moved here from Croatia in 2001.

Gnjidic said Bozena saw her mother pass away after a battle with cancer, and she battled depression of her own. He said a previous suicide attempt left her confined to a wheelchair.

Woman found dead in a fire at a Jacksonville apartment complex A woman was found dead inside an apartment that caught fire, according to the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department.

“I believe God knows how much we can take.  It was probably enough for her,” Gnjidic said.

Last Wednesday, police noted the batteries to the smoke detector had been removed.

While Gnjidic believes this fire was accidental, he hopes anyone suffering their own battle sees Bozena's story — and it's tragic ending — and seeks help.

"To see my daughter suffering all the time. It was so difficult," Gnjidic said.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office continues to work its own investigation into Bozena Gnjidic’s death.

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