Melanie Yates was reading the Bible to her youngest daughter when a stray bullet entered her home and struck her in the head Sunday night.
She died from her injuries Monday morning.
The Zion Police Department responded to Yates’ home around 9pm Sunday after a call about shots fired.
When police arrived at the home, they found evidence of several shots fired near the Zion, Illinois home.
The Lake & McHenry County Scanner reported that Melanie, 23, was not the intended target.
‘We miss her.’
At the time of the shooting, Melanie, who had two young children with her husband Daniel, was reading the Bible to her youngest daughter as she got her ready for bed.
“Everybody who knew Lanie knows she loved Jesus Christ with every fiber of her being. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is in heaven at this very moment. But we on earth miss her very dearly,” her brother Stephan Calderon wrote on social media.
Her family is heartbroken over the shooting.
“You totally transformed the lives of my son-in-law and my granddaughters. They will never know their mother again. It’s heartbreaking because she wasn’t out and about, she was in her own home,” her mother Lam Calderon said.
So far police do not have any suspects, and they are asking the public if they have any information to come forward.
A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Yates family with financial expenses. So far more than $80,000 has been raised.
In addition to financial help, the family has also asked for prayers while they grieve the loss of Melanie.
“We miss her passionate, powerful prayers. We miss her infectious laugh. We miss her beautiful singing voice lifting songs of worship. We miss her feisty, witty humor. We miss her dedication to being an amazing, godly mom and wife. We miss her. And we wish with every fiber of our being she was here, but we know she’s in a better place,” her brother wrote online.
My heart breaks for the Yates family. I cannot imagine the pain they are experiencing right now.
Please share this story on Facebook and continue to pray for them during this difficult time.
