MUSKEGON, Mich. -- Barbara Dailey leaves behind three children, and her three girls don't know it yet, but they won't see their mother again. Christopher Hughes is the father of two of her three children, 2-year-old Savea and 7-month-old Gemma.
"I want to tell them so I don't feel like I am hiding things from them or holding things from them, " said Chris Hughes. "They just won't understand. What am I supposed to tell them, she got sick?"
Hughes was with Dailey for more than 4 years. He says they parted ways in April and they had their ups and downs. Regardless he said Dailey will always hold a special place in his heart.
When he first got the call about Barbara Dailey, he thought she would make it. He was told she was alive and on the way to the hospital. A short time later, he was told she died.
Hughes said Dailey reached out to him a few times when she had problems with the alleged suspect, Joshua Salyers, and asked him to step in.
"You never know when somebody is just going to snap," said Hughes. "She always asked for my help like can you have a talk with him to leave me alone."
The last time they talked was on Facebook the day she died.
Hughes said she made a Facebook post in regards to the alleged drama between her and the suspect.
In the comment section she asked Chris for help. Hughes had no idea the man was capable of committing murder.
"She would always be the person to pay it forward," remembered Hughes. "She was just amazing, I just can't believe something this tragic happened to someone so sweet and kind."
His focus is on raising his girls as a single dad. He also wants people to remember Barbara for the person she was and not how she died.
"She was the one always paying it forward. She was just so amazing and kind," said Hughes.
If you or a loved one are ever in a domestic violence situation, there are several resources:
Sexual Assault 24-hour Confidential Crisis Hotline
- (616) 776-RAPE (7273)
- 24 Hours / 7 Days per Week
- Call to schedule an examination up to 96 hours post assault
Domestic Violence 24-hour Confidential Crisis Hotline:
- (616) 451-2744
- 24 Hours / 7 Days per Week
YWCA Counseling Center
- (616) 459-4652
- 8:00 AM - 6:30 PM Monday - Thursday
- 8:30 AM - 4:00pm Friday
