More than 1,500 people have responded to an online fundraising plea from the family of a young Zion wife and mother after she was shot and killed by a stray bullet while inside her home on Oct. 17.
Melanie Yates, 23, was inside her home in the 2800 block of Enoch Avenue in Zion when she was hit by a gunshot fired from outside her home, officials said. She was taken to a hospital where she died the following morning.
By Thursday her brother, Stephan Calderon, started an online fundraising campaign to help Yates’ family. By Tuesday, more than 1,500 people had donated more than $130,000 to the effort, according to the fund’s website.
Calderon wrote on the website about Yates’ devotion to her Christian faith and his firm belief his sister is now in heaven. He mentioned her humor, how she prayed and the personality he and his family now miss.
“Everybody who knew Lanie knows she loved Jesus Christ with every fiber of her being,” Calderon wrote. “We miss her infectious laugh. We miss her beautiful singing voice lifting songs of worship. We miss her feisty, witty humor. We miss her dedication to being an amazing, Godly mom and wife.”
While the Yates family plans a funeral Saturday, the Lake County Major Crime Task Force and the Zion Police Department continue their investigation. Task force spokesperson Chris Covelli said in an email Tuesday investigators are making, “significant progress.”
“We have absolutely no reason to believe Mrs. Yates was an intended target,” he said. “She tragically happened to be struck by a stray bullet from the shooter.”
Yates died from a gunshot wound to the head, according to a news release from the Lake County Coroner’s Office.
A registered nurse, Yates was born in 1998 at Vista Medical Center East in Waukegan, according to her published obituary. She died there on Oct. 18. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Parkside in 2019, she married Daniel Yates in 2016.
In addition to her brother and husband, Yates is survived by two daughters, Evelyn and Lydia. Her father, Shawn Calderon, and mother, Lam Calderon, also survive her, as do her two sisters, Chloe and Celestial Calderon.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday outdoors at 2801 Enoch Ave in Zion. Parking is available at Grace Missionary Baptist Church, 1415 27th St. in Zion. People are encouraged to bring food, refreshments or beverages, but no desserts. The refreshments will be shared afterward at the church.
