Crime
“Makayla was the most heartfelt, well-minded woman I’ve ever been around. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have her back.”
DeSantis and Doucette worked together at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine. Sugarloaf
A Maine man is charged with murder after he allegedly shot and killed his girlfriend, law enforcement officials said.
“My sister was shot and killed by somebody who was supposed to take care of her and remind her that she was loved every day,” Max DeSantis wrote in a GoFundMe description about her sister, Makayla Rose DeSantis.
Austin Doucette, 24, of Carrabassett Valley, was arrested Monday evening in connection with the death of Makayla Rose DeSantis, 23, of Colchester, Conn., Maine State Police said in a press release Tuesday.
At about 7:30 p.m. Sunday, the Franklin County Regional Communications Center received a 911 call reporting that DeSantis had been shot, according to State Police. First responders took her to MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington and later to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she died from her injuries.
DeSantis was shot at a residence on Left Bank in Carrabassett Valley, police said. She and Doucette both worked in the town at Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort, and the residence was a unit at a condo complex that the resort rents out to employees, WMTW reported.
“Last evening through the early morning hours, an incident occurred involving two members of our Sugarloaf team,” Jessica Sechler, Sugarloaf’s vice president of marketing, said in an email to WMTW. “Tragically, one of those individuals has passed away. The second individual involved has been asked to refrain from returning to work or being present on Sugarloaf property until the investigation is resolved.”
Doucette was arrested on a warrant issued by Farmington District Court, WMTW reported. He is currently being held without bail at Franklin County Jail.
Max DeSantis created a GoFundMe page Monday night to raise funds for her older sister’s burial. As of Tuesday night, it has received more than $10,000 in donations.
“Makayla was the most heartfelt, well-minded woman I’ve ever been around,” Max DeSantis wrote. “I never imagined I’d have her taken away from me this soon, or ever. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to have her back.”
At the time of Makayla DeSantis’ death, she and Doucette had been in a relationship for seven years, according to the fundraiser page.
State Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding DeSantis’ death and will release additional information “when it’s appropriate to do so,” the agency said.
Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
