A Staten Island mother killed in a suspected murder-suicide last week is being remembered by family and friends as a devoted parent whose life and dreams revolved around her young son, according to an online fundraiser created in her memory.
Dana Foley, 39, was discovered shortly after 11 a.m. Thursday with a fatal gunshot wound to her torso inside a home on Garth Court, a quiet, tree-lined cul-de-sac in the Richmond section of Staten Island, authorities said.
Police said her boyfriend, 27-year-old Dakota Suckstorff, who lived at the residence, was also found with a gunshot wound to the head. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital.
Law enforcement sources said Monday that investigators recovered a gun at the scene near Suckstorff’s hand.
Foley, who lived more than five miles away in Staten Island’s Sunnyside neighborhood, was described on a GoFundMe page as a deeply loving mother to her son, Lennon.
“More than anything else in this world, Dana was Lennon’s mom,” fundraiser organizer Nicole DeMeo wrote. “Lennon was her absolute pride and joy. Being his mother was the greatest purpose of her life and, without question, the thing she was most proud of. Everything Dana did, every plan she made, and every hope she had for the future centered around Lennon.”
DeMeo also recalled Foley’s unmistakable laugh, saying it “could fill a room… and then some.”
“She had an incredible way of making people feel special, and her presence made people feel welcomed, remembered, loved, and cared for,” DeMeo wrote.
Foley’s dad, Kevin Foley, remembered his daughter in a heartbreaking post.
“I’ll forever love you always and forever!” he wrote. “My Dana, my first born, my NY Giants partner, my LOVE! Rest now, Rest now. We shall meet again. Love you so much!
Meanwhile, another friend whose child played soccer with Foley’s son said they soon became like family.
“Dana was one of us,” Christina DeClara wrote. “From soccer parties, to cheering for our boys on the sidelines, to carpooling–we are collectively devastated.”
Local pizzeria The Original Goodfella’s Brick Oven Pizza described Dana as a well-loved employee.
“Dana was deeply loved by all of us, and she will be missed more than words can express,” a Facebook post said. “She was a special part of our family, and we will always remember the kindness, warmth, and joy she brought into our lives.”
