Dana Marie Peksenak Cooley, 47, was shot and killed at her home in Portage, Indiana, on Monday, February 13, 2023. Born May 11, 1975, in Hobart, Indiana, she had worked as a quality control technician for Cleveland Cliffs Steel and enjoyed bowling, riding her Harley, and arts and crafts. Her daughter was described as her greatest passion.

Police were called that morning for a shooting. Officers found Cooley unresponsive with an injury to the center of her chest; she was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy determined the cause of death was a single gunshot wound to the chest. Investigators reported evidence indicating the firearm had been pressed against her chest when it was fired, a detail that conflicted with an initial account given by her husband.

Her husband, Richard Cooley, was taken into custody and charged in connection with the killing. What can readers who knew Dana or were in Portage at the time add to the timeline or the circumstances of that day?