In the quiet darkness of a February night in Blakeslee, Pennsylvania, the life of Joanne Beauvais, a 45-year-old woman of proud Haitian descent, was brought to a tragic and senseless end. On the evening of February 26, 2026, she was found dead in the driveway of a residence on Mountain Terrace Drive, her car still running nearby. An autopsy would later confirm she died from multiple gunshot wounds, and her death was officially ruled a homicide.
Joanne was a woman of strength and deep
devotion to her family, especially her three children, Taaj, Bree, and Madison. Born in Nyack, New York, and raised in Spring Valley, she had built a life centered on education and her family. She earned a master's degree in education from New York University and had risen to the position of Education Director of special education for Merakey in Scranton, Pennsylvania, a role she was deeply passionate about. Her dedication to the children she worked with was a testament to her caring and hardworking nature.
The hours leading up to her death were filled with a chilling sequence of events. Pocono Mountain Regional Police were dispatched to the Mountain Terrace Drive home at 10:37 p.m. following a call from a man named Eric Chisolm, 47. Initially, Chisolm reported that he had shot a burglar who was outside his window. In a subsequent communication with dispatchers, he altered his story, suggesting he might have shot a delivery person. However, the investigation uncovered a more personal connection; it was determined that Beauvais was in a relationship with Chisolm.
The investigation revealed that Chisolm had fired his handgun through a window of the residence, striking Beauvais while she was outside. Following the discovery of her body in the driveway, Eric Chisolm was arrested and has since been charged with criminal homicide in the shooting death of Joanne Beauvais.
