She Was a ‘Beacon of Light’ at Her Restaurant — Then Her Ex Shot Her at Work Before Turning the Gun on Himself

A beloved restaurant worker was killed in an apparent murder-suicide by her ex-boyfriend, authorities said.

Sandra Marisol Fuentes Huaracha, 25, was found dead behind the bar at La Casita Restaurant in Berlin, N.H., by officers who responded to a 911 call around 9:45 a.m. on Sunday, July 6, according to a press release shared by the New Hampshire Department of Justice.

Later, officers discovered Michael Gleason, Jr., 50, dead inside one of the bathrooms. Authorities said the two were “in a prior domestic relationship with one another,” per the release.

A medical examiner determined Fuentes Huaracha died due to multiple gunshot wounds and ruled her death a homicide. As for Gleason, he died by suicide from gunshot wounds to the head, the agency said.

Berlin Mayor Robert Cone remembered Fuentes Huaracha as a “beloved member of our community” and a “beacon of light” in a statement shared on social media.

“I was lucky enough to call her a friend,” Cone wrote on Facebook. “From the time that I met Marisol, what struck me most was how she always made it a priority to bring the community together. Countless times she has opened her heart and the restaurant up, to allow for various fundraising efforts.”

He further called her death a “senseless act of violence” that has “shaken us all.”

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The restaurant also shared a tribute for Fuentes Huaracha and thanked the community for leaving pictures and flowers outside the business in the wake of her death.

“The La Casita family is grieving, but we are also deeply moved by the unity, compassion, and respect you have shown to her and to all of us,” a Facebook post reads. “We will never forget this beautiful act of solidarity.”

According to an obituary published by Boston.com, Fuentes Huaracha will be sent back to her hometown of Jalisco, Mexico, following a local memorial service on July 12.

If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.