On the morning of May 11, 2017, in Lowell, Massachusetts, the life of 44-year-old Caucasian female Nicole Gamache White was tragically cut short. Witnesses reported hearing screams and several gunshots at her Stevens Street apartment around 7:30 a.m. Tragically, some of White's own relatives, including her daughter, witnessed the horrific event. When authorities arrived, they found Nicole White dead from a gunshot wound to the head.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting sparked a
massive 30-hour manhunt for the suspect, who was quickly identified as White's 51-year-old ex-boyfriend, Ross Elliot. Elliot, described by police as "armed, dangerous and increasingly desperate," had a lengthy and violent criminal record, including a previous conviction for assaulting and kidnapping another girlfriend. Friends and family of White described Elliot as controlling, stating that she had been trying to get away from him. During the extensive search, which led to a shelter-in-place order for a section of the city, an off-duty firefighter discovered Elliot hiding under a motorcycle cover. Elliot pointed a gun at the firefighter and fled.
The tense search for Ross Elliot came to a grim conclusion on the afternoon of Friday, May 12, 2017. A woman in the neighboring town of Chelmsford discovered his body in the trunk of her car. It is believed that Elliot had broken into the car at a home in Lowell and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The discovery of his body brought an end to the manhunt that had gripped the community with fear.
Family and friends mourned the loss of Nicole White, remembering her as a loving mother and a wonderful person who was always smiling and would help anyone she could. Her death, just days before Mother's Day, was a devastating blow to her loved ones and a tragic example of domestic violence.
