MINOT, Maine — One family is mourning the loss of a loved one after she was discovered dead last week in a suspected murder-suicide in Minot. The man 19-year-old Emali Sallee was in a relationship with allegedly killed her before turning the gun on himself.
Emali's mother, Heidi Sallee, said her daughter was killed in the process of moving out of the house the young couple lived in together with their two-year-old daughter. Officers found the two bodies during a welfare check on Thursday while Heidi was caring for their daughter.
"I didn’t hear anything for hours. I was still calling her and facetiming her, and I was dinging her phone like hoping that she was just sleeping," Heidi said. "I wanted her to wake up to go to the door for the police."
The last time Heidi spoke with Emali was at 4:15 p.m. Wednesday, she said. When she never heard back from Emali later that night, she knew something was wrong.
"I just can't stop thinking about it," Eva Sallee, Emali's younger sister, said. "That's kind of the hardest part, is like, I don't know what happened."
Heidi and Eva said they want to raise awareness about Emali's death with the hope that other people experiencing domestic violence will think twice about their situation.
"When you're so in love with somebody, they don't see it. I don't think my sister understood and saw what we saw," Eva said. "I hope- I really, really, really hope that raising awareness for it is definitely going to make a difference."
Of Maine's total number of homicides between 2020 and 2023, nearly 49 percent were domestic abuse homicides, according to the Maine Domestic Abuse Homicide Review Panel's latest annual report.
"I think that is the only thing I think that could have prevented this—if she had called the police, and he was standing there," Heidi said. "You're not being dramatic. You're being safe and safety is the only think that matters at that point."
Heidi said the family will move forward day-by-day, not only mourning but also celebrating Emali's vibrancy.
Her family plans to hold events to keep her legacy alive and raise money for other people experiencing domestic violence. Emali's service is on Sunday.
If you or someone you love is in a violent relationship, the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence has a 24-hour helpline. The number is 866-834-HELP.