Sugarloaf Employee Makayla DeSantis Shot Dead, Coworker Charged With Murder

Austin Doucette was arrested fleeing the scene. That detail alone tells you something about how Sunday night ended at the Left Bank condominium complex in Carrabassett Valley, where 23-year-old Makayla Rose DeSantis was shot and later died.

The Franklin County Regional Communications Center received a 911 call at about 7:30 p.m. on March 8 reporting that DeSantis had been shot at a residence on Left Bank, a condo unit that Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort rents out to employees. First responders transported her to MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, and she was later transferred to Maine Medical Center in Portland, where she died from her injuries. DeSantis, originally from Colchester, Connecticut, was 23 years old.

Police arrested Doucette, 24, of Carrabassett Valley, on Monday as he sped away from the Left Bank building, according to reporting from WGME. He was taken into custody on a warrant issued by Farmington District Court and is being held without bail at Franklin County Jail. Maine State Police announced the arrest in a press release Tuesday. Doucette is charged with murder. He was set to appear in Franklin County court Wednesday.

Both DeSantis and Doucette worked at Sugarloaf Mountain Ski Resort. Sugarloaf vice president of marketing Jessica Sechler confirmed the connection in a statement: "Last evening through the early morning hours, an incident occurred involving two members of our Sugarloaf team. Tragically, one of those individuals has passed away. The second individual involved has been asked to refrain from returning to work or being present on Sugarloaf property until the investigation is resolved."

WGME reported that Doucette and DeSantis were in a longtime relationship, though other outlets identified the two primarily as coworkers and Sugarloaf has not characterized the relationship beyond calling them team members. Charging documents and a full police probable cause affidavit have not been made publicly available as of this writing.

DeSantis's sister, Max DeSantis, created a GoFundMe page Monday night to cover burial costs. By Tuesday evening it had received more than $10,000 in donations. In the fundraiser post, Max wrote: "I never imagined I'd have her taken away from me this soon, or ever. There's nothing I wouldn't do to have her back, Makayla did not deserve what happened to her."

The murder charge against Doucette is pending the outcome of his Franklin County court proceedings. Maine State Police continue to investigate.