NEWPORT, Maine — A vigil was held Thursday in remembrance of a 50-year-old woman who was found dead Monday at a Searsmont home following a domestic violence dispute.
Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said Amy Nickerson of Stockton Springs and her former boyfriend, 50-year-old Lance Lucas of Searsmont, were found with gunshot wounds after the Waldo County Sheriff's Office responded to a home on Borough Road at approximately 1:50 p.m. Monday.
Nickerson and Lucas were pronounced dead at the scene.
Moss said medical examiners ruled Nickerson's death as a homicide, and Lucas' death was ruled as a suicide.
Nickerson's family and loved ones gathered Thursday night at Anglers Maine Family Seafood restaurant in Newport where she worked to share their love for her and reminisce on the many memories they are left with.
Nickerson's parents, Bob and Barb Hall, own both Anglers restaurants in Newport and Searsport. They were in tears as they thanked their staff and members of the community for their unwavering support. Her mother encouraged people to always express love boldly.
"Tell those that you love that you love them and how dear they are to you," Barb said.
Family and friends said they knew Nickerson had been struggling to break away from her abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend. Barb said she and her husband did their best to warn their daughter about how dangerous the relationship was, but Nickerson's struggle to separate herself from the nearly seven-year abusive relationship was ongoing.
Barb said Nickerson loved the staff at Anglers.
"She kept saying, 'Oh my god. I have the best staff in the entire world,'" Barb said.
Nickerson's co-worker, Connor Grindal, who is an assistant manager at Anglers, said he will miss Nickerson's laugh and her smile the most.
"She was always happy. She was a very bright person," Grindal said. "She'd come in with the biggest smile, and she lit up the whole room."
Grindal said he worked with Nickerson for four years. He said she hired him, teaching him everything he knows. Grindal said she did everything to help him succeed.
Friends and co-workers like Angela Brown, who knew Nickerson for 18 years, said she wished she could receive one more encouraging text from her.
"She was such an inspiration to me," Brown said. "She was a beautiful, beautiful soul, and I looked up to her."
Nickerson's mother Barb said she wishes Nickerson knew how many people were rallying behind her now.
"She didn’t know in life how important she was. Only in death did she know what she meant to everyone," Barb said. "She had no idea what she meant to everybody. I wish she did."
Brown said if she could speak to Nickerson one more time, she would tell her to find a way out.
"If I could say anything to her right now, it's just—just break free," Brown said.
Nickerson leaves behind two children, Reilly and Caden Nickerson. A funeral service was scheduled to be held at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, at the Faith Temple Church of God in Belfast.
Family and friends organized a GoFundMe to raise money to support Nickerson's children in the weeks and months ahead. When last checked at 2:30 p.m. Friday, more than $15,000 had been raised. Anyone who wishes to help support can click here.