GARDINER — A former professor remembers Autumn Bryant, 44, who was killed in a domestic violence murder-suicide Tuesday, by her “big, huge smile.”

Autumn Gullifer and then-fiance Kenneth Bryant are seen in an undated photo they provided to Mainebiz for a 2010 Q&A column about their business, TriPom Chews. Photo courtesy of Mainebiz

State police said she was killed by her estranged husband, Kenneth Bryant, 48, of Livermore Falls. After shooting her, he shot and killed himself.

Police responded to a complaint at 16 Fairview St. and found Kenneth Bryant dead in a pickup truck in the driveway and Autumn Bryant, 44, shot twice, but alive in the home’s garage. Autumn Bryant died of her injuries at MaineGeneral Medical Center in Augusta.

A day after the shooting, which authorities have also linked to a house fire in Sidney earlier in the day, few additional details emerged about what happened and why. But a picture of Autumn emerged as someone remembered warmly and who loved dogs.

Barry Pearson, a former professor at Millikin University in Decatur, Illinois, from which Autumn Bryant graduated in 1997, said in an interview Wednesday that he could not recall her “without thinking of one big, huge smile.”

“She was always the gentlest of souls,” Pearson said. “She was universally somebody people were drawn to.”

The Bryants previously operated a small business selling dog treats under the name TriPom Chews. It is not clear when that business folded, but the business’s website displays a message saying the business was shut down around the time their marriage faltered. Autumn Bryant is listed as the registered agent of the corporation.

“TriPom Chews is no longer in business,” the message reads. “Working the long hours we have 7 days a week for 8 years has taken its toll. Our marriage is over and we’re shutting down the business.”

Pearson is mentioned as a mentor for Autumn Bryant, a theater major, in a feature of TriPom Chews was featured in the Winter 2011-2012 edition of the Millikin Quarterly. He said he always remembered her love for her dogs. Her business was named after her three Pomeranians: Xena, Roxy and Riche.

“I do remember her fondness for her dog,” said Pearson, who is now the provost and vice president for academic affairs at State University of New York at Purchase. “It was always endearing, as many things about Autumn were.

“(My role) was more telling her that it seemed perfect for her,” he added. “She had just gone out on her own and put all of her passion and talent together.”

Autumn Bryant was reportedly staying at a Gardiner home owned by her brother, Phil Gullifer III; she and her husband had previously lived in Livermore Falls, but separated in November 2018. According to state Department of Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, divorce proceedings were underway. The Kennebec Journal was unable to find a record of divorce proceedings filed in Androscoggin County courts.

Meanwhile, the state Fire Marshal’s Office said a fire that destroyed a home at 74 Poppy Lane in Sidney Tuesday morning was related to the Gardiner shooting.  The owner of that house, Lawrence  Gilman, is married to Terry Gilman, the mother of Autumn Bryant. Officials said the house on Poppy Lane was unoccupied at the time of the fire, as the Gilmans live in Florida during the winter.

McCausland said Wednesday that the fire was considered suspicious and remains under investigation, but would not release any additional details.

Autopsies on the two bodies were scheduled to be done Wednesday, he said.

The gun used in the shootings was a handgun owned by Kenneth Bryant, McCausland said, adding that it is not yet known how many shots were fired. He was not aware of any restrictions on Kenneth Bryant’s gun use or ownership, nor any protection orders filed against him.

McCausland said there have been five homicides in five days and a total of eight in 2019. He said the uptick in homicides is “likely not a trend.”

State police detectives Scott Quintero and Sarah Ferland interview neighbors of 16 Fairview St. Tuesday in Gardiner. That address is where Autumn Bryant was found shot in the garage and her estranged husband, Kenneth Bryant, killed himself in the driveway on Tuesday. People who lived on the dead end street said they weren’t familiar with the couple. Kennebec Journal photo by Andy Molloy

Attempts by the Kennebec Journal on Wednesday to contact additional friends, family and neighbors of Autumn Bryant were unsuccessful.

Francine Garland Stark, executive director of the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, said nearly 75 percent of domestic violence homicides occur after one partner leaves — or expresses their intent to leave — a relationship. She added that family members can use hotlines and other resources if they suspect a loved one is in an abusive relationship, and all services are free and confidential.

“There’s no single effort that’s really going to end domestic violence homicide,” she said. “There are people in our state every day that are being terrorized by their domestic partner.”

Garland Stark said people should also remain vigilant if they believe a loved one will commit an act of domestic violence and urge them to seek the help they need before a situation escalates.

Sam Shepherd — 621-5666
sshepherd@centralmaine.com
Twitter: @SamShepME