On Thursday, March 3, 2022, 26-year-old Beanitta L. Dawkins was found deceased in her home in the Forest Glen area of Midland, Michigan. Her death was the result of a gunshot wound. The discovery was made by officers from the Midland Police Department who had been dispatched to her residence to follow up on a missing person report filed by her father earlier that day.
The investigation into her death quickly identified a suspect, 34-year-old Marlon Barnett of Saginaw, with whom Dawkins
was in a relationship. Later on the same day that Dawkins' body was discovered, Barnett was found dead in Bay City. Authorities reported that his death was caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The case was investigated as a murder-suicide, with the tragic events leaving both families to navigate their grief. The children who resided with Dawkins were placed in the care of family members following the incident.
Remembered as a caring and selfless mother to her three young children, Dawkins was actively pursuing a better future for her family. She was enrolled at Delta College and worked for an insurance company. Her mother recalled her as a loving individual who created sticker charts to encourage her children's academic progress during the COVID-19 pandemic and had a talent for bringing family together. Concerns had been raised by her mother about signs of verbal and emotional abuse within her relationship, noting a change in her daughter's demeanor and a sense of losing her identity.
