A New Hampshire city is mourning the loss of a popular employee at a local restaurant who was killed in an apparent murder-suicide on Sunday morning.
Police were first called to La Casita restaurant on Hillside Avenue in Berlin around 9:45 a.m. Sunday for a report of gunshots, according to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office. When they arrived, they found an employee, identified as 25-year-old Sandra Marisol Fuentes Huaracha, dead behind the bar from apparent gunshot wounds.
Later, investigators found 50-year-old Michael Gleason, Jr. in a bathroom, dead of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
Fuentes Huaracha and Gleason had been in a relationship, investigators said. While the case is ongoing, investigators believe it is likely a murder-suicide, with no further threat to the public.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The attorney general’s office said it expects to release more information after autopsies are performed Monday.
Berlin Mayor Robert Cone mourned Fuentes Huaracha’s death in a Facebook post Sunday night, saying he considered her a friend.
“It is with profound sadness that I address our community today. We received devastating news this morning regarding the tragic death of Marisol Fuentes, a beloved member of our community and an employee at La Casita restaurant on Hillside Avenue,” he said. “This senseless act of violence has shaken us all and serves as a stark reminder of the pervasive issue of domestic violence in our society.”
Cone continued, saying he was lucky enough to call Fuentes Huaracha a friend.
“From the time that I met Marisol, what struck me most was how she always made it a priority to bring the community together. Countless times she has opened her heart and the restaurant up, to allow for various fundraising efforts,” the mayor said. “I was witness to how hard she worked to put together a very special Dia de Los Muertos celebration this past fall. As well as her generous, heartfelt efforts in helping with Guadalupe’s Soup Kitchen. She was a beacon of light, an inspiration, and an example of God’s grace here on earth. Her positive spirit and dedication to her family, friends, our community, and her profession will be sorely missed.”
Many other local residents and businesses joined Cone in posting messages on social media mourning Fuentes Huaracha’s death. A vigil was also held outside the restaurant on Sunday.
“Words cannot describe the sadness we feel,” Bear Birch Farm wrote. “As you all know we sell our veggies to a local restaurant, La Casita here in Berlin, NH. Today our beautiful client was murdered… as she prepared to open the restaurant. Please pray for her family and her loved ones. Please pray for all who suffer from domestic violence. We love you Marisol, Rest in Peace”
“Our guests know that La Casita is our most recommended restaurant. I’m sure many of you met Marisol while you were there – always smiling and so very helpful and kind. We are absolutely stunned and incredibly saddened by this tragic event,” said The Inn at OxBow Acres. “Please keep Marisol’s family and the La Casita restaurant family in your thoughts and prayers. Her death has shaken our community.”
