In the fall of 2016, the life of 18-year-old Kayla Mae Yow was tragically cut short in what police determined to be a murder-suicide. On the evening of Friday, October 28, 2016, authorities were prompted to conduct a welfare check at an apartment in the 400 block of Glen Mar Road in Glen Burnie, Maryland. The request came from concerned family members of 22-year-old Da'von Markell Mullins of Baltimore, who had received alarming text messages from him.
Upon arriving at the residence,
which belonged to Kayla, police went door-to-door before locating her apartment. Inside, they made a grim discovery. Kayla Yow was found in the living room, having succumbed to trauma to her upper body. Lying near her was Da'von Mullins, critically injured from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his upper body. A handgun was recovered at the scene. Paramedics confirmed that Kayla was deceased at the scene, while Mullins was transported to a local hospital in critical condition.
The investigation into the tragic event quickly pointed to Mullins as the perpetrator. Homicide detectives determined that he had shot his girlfriend, Kayla, before turning the gun on himself. While Mullins clung to life for a short time under police guard at the hospital, an arrest warrant was being prepared, charging him with murder and related offenses in Kayla's death. However, on Sunday, two days after the shooting, Da'von Mullins was pronounced dead from his injuries, bringing a somber close to the investigation.
Kayla, who had formerly lived in Manatee County, Florida, and attended Palmetto High School, was a recent 2016 graduate of Old Mill High School in Maryland. Remembered as courageous, strong, and caring, she was known for her love of animals and her ability to make those around her laugh. The motive for the tragic incident was believed to be related to the couple's relationship, with some reports suggesting that Mullins may have been spurned. In the wake of the devastating loss, family and friends held a vigil to mourn the young woman whose life was so violently ended.
