KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A mom in Peculiar lost her barn and all of the animals inside it to a New Year's Day fire.
Staci Jefferies said she's she's still working on picking up the pieces and explaining what happened to her kids.
Jefferies says the newfound silence is the hardest part.
"You know, every day, every time I walk outside, I just get teary-eyed like this just because it's the first time living here not hearing my animals greet me," she said.
It's quiet, but far from peaceful.
Jefferies recounted what happened the night of January 1 when a neighbor called to tell her the Jefferies' barn was on fire.
"And I walked outside and it was just, I mean it was engulfed," she said.
A horse, four goats, and 20 chickens died from smoke inhalation.
The horse meant the world to her daughter.
"I grew up with horses my whole life," Jefferies said. "Yeah, so horses are a huge part of my life. My daughter was helping me train the horse and everything. It was a nice bonding experience."
The chickens laid the eggs Jefferies used in her catering business.
The goats and the horse made memories.
"My four-year-old son, he's nonverbal autistic," she said. "When I would feed the goats, he just loved to come out and watch them eat."
She says some of the only words he speaks are "horse" and "goat."
He still looks out at the barn, waiting for them.
“He definitely is looking out like, ‘Where are my buddies at?’” she said.
Jefferies says she'll rebuild and that she'll eventually get new animals.
But for now, it's quiet.
