Remembering the Dunham family: Hundreds gather for memorial ceremony in Hartville

HARTVILLE ‒ Hundreds of people, many of them children, gathered Saturday evening at a vigil to remember five members of the Dunham family found dead Thursday of a suspected homicide-suicide.

Most of those who spoke were Girl Scouts, Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts who were friends of the children in the family: Renee, 15, Amber, 12, and Evan, 9. They were found in their Lake Township home, dead from gunshot wounds, along with their parents, Jason, 46, and Melissa, 42.

"The Dunham family was my second family," said McKenna Graham. "Melissa was my second mom. She was perfect in every way. She loved me as if I were her own. Melissa was a great mother, Girl Scout leader and role model."

McKenna said she had known Renee, her best friend, since preschool.

"Renee was the older, wiser sister I never got to have," she said. "Renee was my everything."

Remembering the Dunham family of Lake Township

McKenna noted that Amber would have competed in her first cross country meet on Saturday.

She described Evan as energetic and spunky.

Officers believe the incident was a domestic dispute that became deadly. It is being investigated as a quadruple homicide-suicide.

No other people were believed to be involved. Investigators have not speculated who fired the fatal shots.

McKenna told those assembled in Hartville Memorial Park that she would never stop loving the Dunham family.

"I know they are in heaven looking down on us and sending their love," McKenna said.

She shared a tearful hug later with Amber's best friend, Alice Crawford, who spoke as if the Dunham family could hear her.

"I love you so much," Alice said. "I feel so bad that this happened to you. I'm so happy that I got to spend some of your last moments with you. You were great friends. Thank you for everything you did for me. I will never forget you. I will always pray for you. You will always be in my heart. I miss all of you so much."

Her mother, Natalie Crawford, recalled that after she moved to the community as a single mother whose daughter wanted to join Girl Scouts, she went to a meeting about the organization at Giant Eagle.

"The next day, I got an email from someone named Melissa Dunham, who said, 'Our troop is full, but there's always room for one more,'" she said. "'Anything you need, when you have to go to work, if your daughter needs ... to be picked up, or taken to, we'll be happy to help.'

"The last seven years, Melissa has become a friend of mine, not just a neighbor, a part-time mom to my kids when I was at work and couldn't be to all these events, she found a way to squeeze them in her car and get them everywhere they needed to be."

Crawford recalled having weekly jogging dates with Melissa, who would invite her over to share a glass of wine or watch a Cleveland Guardians game.

"She was a role model and a hero to everyone who knew her," she said.

Local pastors Brian Donahue of Pursuit Friends Church and Leah Pursley of RiverTree Lake Church offered prayers and comments.

"Sometimes all that a community can do is gather together like we're doing tonight, to stand beside each other as neighbors and friends," Donahue said. "There are no words to describe the loss we all feel, nor should we try. There's no explanation that will satisfy our broken hearts. But we can be sure that every family, every man, woman and child, has the opportunity of some comfort in the strength, in the knowledge that we are not alone."

"When tragedy like this strikes a community, we have a choice, right?" Pursley said. "We can either curse the darkness or we can light a candle. And I am so grateful that I live in a community that chooses, when darkness descends, to light a candle, to band together, and to be led by these incredible kids and students in our community and to focus on the light that exists in the world."

The vigil was organized at the suggestion of 11-year-old Peyton Scheuvront, a member of Boy Scout Troop 45. His mother Angela Scheuvront said she "did the mom thing" and created flyers for the event.

The vigil was sponsored by Cub Scout packs 45 and 134, Boy Scout troops 45 and 135, and Girl Scout Troop 60532. Evan was a member of Pack 45. Amber and Renee were members of the Girl Scout troop.

Love Our Community is accepting donations to cover the family's final expenses. Donations may be made online at https://www.loveourcommunity.net. Donors should include a comment that the donation is for the Melissa Murphy Dunham family fund. Love Our Community is a nonprofit organization that aims to meet unmet needs in the Lake Township area by providing housing, meals, pastoral counseling, case management and services for veterans.

Reach Nancy at 330-580-8382 or nancy.molnar@cantonrep.com. On X, formerly known as Twitter: @nmolnarTR

Where to get help

If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org. The following resources also are available any time of day:

· Stark County Crisis Hotline: 330-452-6000

· Crisis Text Line, text ‘4hope’ to 741-741

· Trevor Project Lifeline for LGBTQ youth: 866-488-7386

· Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

· Military & Veterans Crisis Line: 800-273-8255, press 1

· Military & Veterans Crisis Text Line: 838255

· CommQuest Detox at Aultman Hospital: 330-830-3393

Learn how to make your home a “Safe Home” by removing unnecessary risks for substance abuse and suicide at starkmhar.org/prevention-resources/safe-home.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Lake Township community draws together to remember the Dunham family