Kaitlin Nicole Kurtz, 29, a mother of three from Grafton, Ohio, was killed by gunfire inside her home on the night of Sunday, May 26, 2024. Deputies from the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office responding just after 11 p.m. found Kaitlin shot in a residence on Melody Lane in Eaton Township; she was pronounced dead at the scene. Her eight-year-old daughter and two younger children fathered by her live-in boyfriend were asleep in the house at the time.

Officers arrested Kaitlin’s 34-year-old boyfriend, Clifford L. Serafine Jr., at the residence. The child’s father later said he had seen bruises on Kaitlin previously and that she and Serafine argued frequently; Kaitlin had told him the bruises were from falling. A Lorain County Grand Jury later indicted Serafine on multiple counts including aggravated murder, murder, kidnapping, felonious assault, tampering with evidence, domestic violence, and using weapons while intoxicated.

The case was closed in January 2026 after Serafine pleaded guilty and a judge sentenced him to 28 years to life for Kaitlin’s murder. Did anyone in the community know Kaitlin or her children and have details to share about what happened that night?