Family of Elkhart homicide victim pleads for help

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ELKHART, Ind. --  The family of an Elkhart brother, son, and father is now beginning to grieve. It's been two days since Johnny Mullins was found shot and killed in the woods near the Walnut Trails Apartment Complex. 

"I dropped him off at work around 8 o'clock Saturday night. We texted throughout the night like always," recounts Tory Taylor. "My last text from him was 'Goodnight Tory. I love You. I'll be on my way home.' And he obviously didn't come home."

Those are the words that Taylor will never forget: the words her boyfriend, Mullins, of ten years, texted her for the very last time. 

"A body had been found at the Walnut Trails, which isn't too far away from my house," explains Lisa Hassett, Mullins' sister. "We just had our suspicions that he was involved. We couldn't get a hold of him and it just felt like it kind of coincided."

Hassett says, that sneaking suspicion was proven to be true. 

Mullin's was found in the wooded area next to the apartment complex, killed by a gunshot wound.

"It's murder. Somebody was killed. It's shock," adds Hassett. "You wouldn't associate him with that kind of death. You just wouldn't think that would happen."

Now, the Mullins family and Taylor are just trying to get through the days after this shocking loss.

"He has a mom. He has a girlfriend. He has kids. He has siblings. He didn't deserve this. No one does," says Hassett. 

And as each day passes, it just gets harder. 

"I don't sleep. I barely eat. I have a lot of time on my hands. So for whoever may be involved, you will be caught," says Taylor. "I have nothing better to do until that's done."

But both Hassett and Taylor say, they can only get some closure, once the person responsible for Mullins' death pays up. 

"Crimes like this do not get solved unless people speak," says Taylor simply.

And until then, it's a promise Mullins' entire family vows to keep.

"I'm not going to stop," says Taylor. "I will be his voice since his won't be heard."

As Mullins' death was unexpected, the family is asking for some assistance for his funeral expenses. 

The link to the donation site can be found here

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