The family of two killed in a mass killing in northern Michigan’s rural Missaukee County have started a GoFundMe to raise money for the surviving person’s recovery and to support victims’ families in the coming months.
Amanda Everitt, 40, and her son Eric, 16, were shot and killed as part of a spree that spanned at least three different locations across Missaukee, a county of about 15,000 residents located 25 miles west of Houghton Lake. Everitt’s 13-year-old daughter, Bella, survived being shot four times and was able to call police.
David Everitt, the father of Amanda Everitt, confirmed the names of the victims on social media Saturday. Police have not yet confirmed the names of the victims but have released their ages and sexes.
Police said Bella was in stable condition Saturday afternoon.
The suspect, 39-year-old Chad Hickman of Lake City, was found dead in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake in Caldwell Township, police said, about 5 miles north of where Amanda and Eric were found. An unidentified 45-year-old man also was found at the home.
Kailey Kozminski, who identified herself as Amanda’s niece, said in the GoFundMe post that she started the fundraiser on behalf of David and the fathers of Bella and Eric.
“This fundraiser is being created to help Amanda, Eric, and Bella’s families with the overwhelming costs ahead,” Kozminski said. “Donations will help cover funeral expenses for Amanda and Eric, and the long-term support Bella will need for her future as she heals physically and emotionally and the costs for Bella’s dad, Michael, to stay in the Grand Rapids area during her recovery so he can be by her side.
“Their families are carrying the heavy weight of devastating loss while also trying to support Bella through the difficult road ahead, and any help will mean so much during this heartbreaking time,” she continued.
Those interested in donating can do so via GoFundMe’s website. As of Sunday afternoon, the family had raised $4,750 of their $25,000 goal.
On Sunday, community members gathered to hug and pray and try to begin the process of healing in the normally quiet town.
MSP said troopers found a fourth body, that of a 53-year-old male, at a separate home in Missaukee County, a heavily wooded area and sparsely population with about 15,200 residents. They have not disclosed the exact location or community.
The bodies of Hickman and a 29-year-old woman later were found in a wooded area near Whitlock Lake, which is around 3 miles north of Jennings, authorities said.
Police have not identified a motive or said how all of the victims may be connected to each other.
satwood@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Missaukee County mass killing victims’ family starts online fundraiser
Reporting by Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Sarah Atwood, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
