RALEIGH -- Kathy Taft, the state Board of Education member found badly beaten in a West Raleigh home over the weekend, died shortly after noon today, police announced.
Police had mistakenly announced her death this morning, then said she remained alive. A police spokesman confirmed her death at about 1 p.m.saying they are treating it as a homicide.
Taft, who lives in Greenville, was found injured at the home of tax attorney John Geil at 2710 Cartier Drive just after 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, authorities reported.
Police immediately launched a criminal investigation, cordoning off Cartier Street and searching the two-story home for evidence of a criminal assault.
Police have not made an arrest in connection with the assault, according to police spokesman Jim Sughrue. The Taft family is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
"The family embraces and supports Kathy's long time friend, John Geil, at whose house this vicious act took place," according to a family statement released today by WakeMed.
Taft, 62, a longtime member of the state Board of Education, was first appointed to the board by former Gov. Jim Hunt in 1995. Taft was a former vice chairwoman of the Pitt County Board of Education and she was a founding member of the Pitt County Communities in Schools Program. She ran for a state Senate seat in 2008.
She was surrounded by family, including her four grown children, sister and brother.
Shortly after her death was announced, Gov. Bev Perdue issued a statement saying she "will miss her terribly."
“I have known Kathy Taft as a dear friend for more than 25 years," Perdue said. "The kindness she showed me, as a fellow woman from down east working to make a difference, is something I will never forget."
Taft, the mother of four -- two sons and two daughters -- has been described by friends and colleagues as a kind, civic-minded woman. Neighbors say was often seen in the driveway of her Greenville home playing with her grandchildren.
Her ex-husband, Tom Taft, is a former state senator from Greenville. The Tafts were longtime friends of former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper. The couples vacationed together at Figure Eight Island.
In recent years she was the companion of Geil and was frequently seen at his home, said neighbors in the West Raleigh neighborhood off Oberlin Road where she was found.
Police have had custody of the home since Taft was rushed to WakeMed Saturday.
Staff writer Leah Friedman contributed to this report
