HILLIARD, Fla. – The family of three women who were shot and killed in Hilliard last week is asking for the community’s support as they grieve and care for a 5-year-old girl who witnessed the tragic incident.
Family members of Marissa Leara Rowell, 32, Sandra Gayle Fogarty, 71, and Alisha Lael Fogarty, 33, said they are seeking donations to help cover the cremation expenses and to help support Marissa’s 5-year-old daughter.
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“We are heartbroken and devastated to share the tragic news of the loss of a beloved mother, grandmother, and aunt, who were taken from us,” family members wrote in the GoFundMe.
In a news conference on Friday, Nassau County Sheriff Bill Leeper said the 5-year-old girl walked from her home to a neighbor’s home and told them Christopher Rowell had killed the three women.
Deputies entered the home and, while searching the house, they noticed a woman lying in blood in between the living room and dining room.
While rendering aid to the woman, deputies then saw Christopher Rowell lying in a puddle of blood with a gunshot wound to his head and an SKS-style rifle lying beside him. He died at the hospital on Tuesday.
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Deputies searched the rest of the home and found a dead woman in the bathroom and another dead woman in the bedroom.
“This child now faces a future without the warmth and loving support of her family, and we are committed to ensuring she receives the care and love she needs to heal from this traumatic incident,” The GoFundMe says.
The women’s family said donations will help honor the women’s memory by providing them a proper farewell, and ensure they can advocate in the best interest of the 5-year-old.
“The costs associated with this tragedy feel so overwhelming and any contribution, no matter how small, will help lay them to rest and allow us to process their passing,” the GoFundMe says.