On the morning of July 22, 2018, 52-year-old Mel Ann Sullivan was fatally shot while sitting on the front porch of her home in the Red Creek community east of Millry, Alabama. The shot was fired from inside the house by her husband, 54-year-old Gary Sullivan, according to the local sheriff, and authorities ruled the incident a murder-suicide.

The gunshot alerted the couple’s two sons, who were inside the house. They heard a second shot and found their father in an upstairs bedroom where he had attempted to take his own life; the sons managed to secure firearms during a struggle. Gary then went to the kitchen, retrieved a knife, and ended his life in the yard. No arrests or trials followed.

Mel Ann, originally from Alaska, was Washington County’s director of economic development and was remembered for her vibrant personality, faith, and devotion to family and community. Did anyone in the area know Mel Ann or have information about that morning?