At just 18 years old, Alice M. Tully was a young woman of courage and kindness, known for her loyalty and her love for animals and the outdoors. A devoted Girl Scout, she was on the cusp of a special milestone, a transition-to-adult ceremony scheduled for just two days after her life was tragically cut short. Remembered by her family as a beloved daughter, granddaughter, sister, and niece, Alice’s life was one that touched many, leaving a legacy of selflessness that would be defined by her
final heroic act.
The morning of October 20, 2026, began with a sense of dread at Alice’s home on State Route 183 in Atwater Township, a rural community in Portage County, Ohio. A man had arrived at the residence, prompting a call to the Portage County Sheriff's Office. Some reports indicated that Alice had told authorities the man, from Florida, had been stalking her for years. Deputies responded, but the man was gone by the time they arrived. About an hour later, around 9:20 a.m., a second, more frantic call was made from the home reporting shots fired.
When deputies returned to the residence, they found Alice Tully gravely wounded. She had been shot multiple times. Despite immediate medical attention, Alice succumbed to her injuries, dying at the home where she was believed to live. Investigators quickly determined the shooting was not a random act of violence.
The suspect had fled the scene in a small black car, sparking a multi-county manhunt. The search prompted precautionary soft lockdowns at nearby Waterloo and Southeast local schools as law enforcement worked to track the suspect. The Portage County Sheriff's Office identified 21-year-old Travis C. Lovett, whose last known address was in Seminole, Florida, as the alleged shooter and issued an alert for his vehicle.
Early that afternoon, the search came to an end. Troopers with the Ohio State Highway Patrol's Cambridge post spotted Lovett’s vehicle traveling southbound on Interstate 77 in Guernsey County, many miles from the scene of the crime. They conducted a traffic stop and took him into custody without incident. Body camera footage of the arrest showed troopers with weapons drawn, ordering a compliant Lovett to the ground. The school lockdowns were lifted shortly after his capture.
Lovett was taken to the State Highway Patrol post in Cambridge, where detectives from the Portage County Sheriff’s Office attempted to question him. However, he refused to make a statement or answer any questions. He was then transported back to Portage County and booked into the county jail that evening. He was charged with aggravated murder in Portage County Municipal Court and was scheduled for an arraignment on October 21.
In the wake of the tragedy, those who knew and loved Alice were left heartbroken. A GoFundMe page was created by a family member to help her parents with funeral expenses. The organizer shared that Alice did not know the man accused of taking her life. Instead, she had died while courageously trying to protect a friend. Her final moments, the family said, were a reflection of the loyalty and bravery that defined her character. The Portage County Sheriff’s Office expressed its condolences, posting on Facebook, "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the victim." As of late October 2026, the case against Travis Lovett was proceeding through the court system.
