OUR SPONSOR
Greater Sayville coverage is funded in part by The Shed, your scratch kitchen for brunch and dinner daily in West Sayville.
The Sayville and West Sayville community is wrapping its arms around the family of Emily Finn, the 18-year-old college freshman who was fatally shot on Wednesday, police say, by her ex-boyfriend at his home in Nesconset, with hundreds of donations pouring into a GoFundMe effort established in her memory.
The fundraiser, organized by Heather Corcoran of West Sayville, and the pink ribbons being tied on trees around town in her honor, reflect the profound impact Finn had on those who knew her.
“I write this with tears in my eyes as we learned of the devastating and senseless loss of Emily Finn yesterday,” Corcoran wrote in the campaign description. “Emily leaves a hole in the lives of her mother, father, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends.”
As of late Friday morning, the campaign had raised more than $45,000 from 630 donations. While many of the contributions have come from the dance and school communities in the Sayville area, contributions are also coming in from across Long Island and beyond.
Finn, a 2025 graduate of Sayville High School, was shot and killed by her 17-year-old ex-boyfriend Wednesday morning inside his home on Shenandoah Boulevard North, Suffolk County Police said. She had gone to the residence to return his belongings following their recent breakup, police said.
The suspect then turned the gun on himself, shooting his face. He survived and is in critical but stable condition at Stony Brook University Hospital, authorities said. He is expected to be charged with second-degree murder, police said.
An aspiring teacher
Those who knew Finn remember her as a passionate dancer and aspiring teacher who touched many lives through her generosity and kindness.
“To know Emily is to love her, as she became part of the fabric of the lives she touched in her generous and kind way,” Corcoran wrote. “Through her many years as a dancer, the children she taught as she prepared for a future as a teacher, and simply as a friend to so many, she will be sorely missed by all who knew her.”
The fundraiser was established to ease the financial burden on Finn’s family as they cope with thir daughter’s tragic death.
“To ease the burden for her family as they navigate through this heartbreak, please consider contributing to this family fund,” Corcoran said.
Suffolk County Police said there was no domestic history between the teens and no prior 911 calls at the Nesconset residence involving Finn and the suspect.
Shined her ‘bright light’ on so many
In a heartfelt Facebook post late Thursday, Sayville Music Booster for the Arts (SMBA) remembered Finn “for the beautiful, bright light that she always brought to so many.”
The Sayville Alumni Association also shared touching, sorrowful words regarding Finn’s death.
“Her murder leaves an indelible void where a future of promise once stood,” they wrote on their website, sayvillealumni.org. “We are united in our grief and heartbreak.”
Top: (inset) Emily Finn, courtesy of GoFundMe, and (main) GLI file photo.
