Community mourns loss of mother, 3 daughters in domestic incident in NW Indiana: 'They were the light'
The Brief
A candlelight vigil was held in Lake Station, Ind., to honor Briana Payne, 27, and her three daughters, Aurorah, 7, Ava, 6, and Alayna, 4, who were tragically killed in a domestic-related murder-suicide last week.
The community is grieving, with family and school officials recalling the victims as joyful, light-filled individuals who brought happiness to others, including Briana's involvement in the school's PTO and family moments of dancing and music.
Briana's employer has set up a GoFundMe to cover funeral expenses, which has raised over $10,000 so far.
LAKE STATION, Ind. - A candlelight vigil was held in Northwest Indiana on Friday for a mother and her three children who were tragically killed in a domestic-related incident last week.
Now, community members and classmates are leaning on one another as they start to cope with their horrific deaths.
"We are all shocked, dismayed, and under disbelief as to what happened to this beautiful family, these beautiful children," said Tom Cripliver, superintendent of the Lake Station Community School Corporation.
What we know
One week after the deaths of Briana Payne, 27, and her three young daughters, the Lake Station community came together to remember the joy they brought to so many lives.
"They were the light. I mean, they were sun. They were the biggest sunshine. Ever since this happened, that's all I could think about. My light is gone, my light is gone," said Lili Owens, Briana's mom.
On Friday, Feb. 21 around 2:44 p.m., officers were dispatched to a mobile home in the 6700 block of 9th Avenue for a welfare check. There, they made the disturbing discovery.
Briana along with her daughters—Aurorah, 7, Ava, 6, and Alayna, 4—were shot and killed in their home in what officials are calling a murder-suicide.
"She was dynamite. She was a huge bang in a little bitty body," Owens said of her daughter.
The man responsible, police say, was Briana's husband—Robert Payne, 31—who was found dead at the scene with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
"Just a moment more with them, it was too soon," Owens said.
What they're saying
Now, an irreplaceable void is left in the heart of Briana's family and her daughters' classmates at Bailey Elementary School.
"Ava and Aurorah were complete opposites, but that only made them more special," said Kimberly Hayes, principal of Bailey Elementary School.
As Principal Hayes explained, Briana was a dedicated mom and member of the school's parent-teacher organization.
"It was just a few weeks ago that we saw her and the girls at our Valentine's dance, dancing the night away, laughing, and soaking in every moment of joy together," Hayes said.
Briana's mom shared that she and her girls loved music and dancing.
"And they would just spontaneously start breaking out in dances together," Owens said.
It's those moments, and the positive light she and her daughters brought, that her family will miss the most.
What's next
Briana's employer started a GoFundMe account to help cover the costs of funeral expenses, which has already raised more than $10,000.
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