. >> rhonda anderson taught a couple of nikki's classes. she thought nikki had a sense of purpose, whether it was about her kids, her fashion, or other people's hair. >> i came in to class early one day, as i normally do. she looked up at me and said, miss anderson whaerks , what's going on with your hair? i said what? excuse me? nikki asked me this question, "do you have a hairstylist? does she know you have your hair looking like that today?" i said, "yes and no." she said, "miss anderson, i'm giving her one more chance. one more chance. if it's not right, i'm taking over." >> rhonda loved nikki, and nikki loved her girls. she put the twins in dance and music classes. at school they won awards. as almost angelic, sweet, and happy and engaged. and there's pictures of them, you know, one on each of nikki's arms. >> catie beck is a reporter at nbc affiliate wxia in atlanta. >> teachers describe t m that way, that they have a sweet demeanor in their classrooms and with their classmates. they were almost timid. >> and then as they reached thei

rhonda anderson, a church secretary, lives across the street. did you see them going and coming? >> one day the garage door was open and i thought, i'm going to go over there and say, "hi." and just as i got over there, it was really like they looked at me and closed the garage door, really, because i could still seem them standing there. talk to anybody. >> reporter: rhonda doesn't take it personally, leaving her private neighbors to themselves, until weeks later, one sunday in september she looks out the window and is shocked by what she sees. >> the coroner's van was in their driveway. a policeman said there was a death in the home. i was blown away. >> reporter: once again, death has knocked on the staudte's door. the firstborn child, shaun, gone at 26. diane tells police he had flu-like symptoms for three weeks. >> she reported she checked on him at about 6:30 in the morning, went to church, and then when she came back from church, found him not in bed anymore but on the floor without a pulse. >> reporter: she explains that her son had a history of seizures, and though like