35-year-old mother of 2 died after her 44-year-old boyfriend she was involved in a child custody dispute with struck her with a stick and shot her in the face; boyfriend arrested
Minnesota – In a chilling case of domestic violence and unresolved conflict in Minnesota, a 35-year-old mother of two, identified as M. Hunt, died after her 44-year-old boyfriend, identified as C. Hameister, struck her with a stick in the face, knocking her teeth and jaw out, and then shot her in the face. Hameister, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of murder following an hours-long standoff with law enforcement in a desperate attempt to avoid capture.
The horrific sequence of events unfolded on June 19, when Hunt, grievously injured, managed to drive herself into a stranger’s driveway, bleeding from the face and missing teeth and a portion of her jaw. According to authorities, she was still conscious and able to tell responding deputies that Hameister had attacked her at a nearby boat launch, striking her with a stick. Despite her injuries, Hunt provided police with critical information, including Hameister’s vehicle description—a white pickup truck—and his residential address. Emergency responders transported her to the hospital, but her wounds proved fatal. She passed away just hours later. During the autopsy, gunshot residue was found in the facial wounds, confirming the use of a firearm in the attack.
Following the assault, police began a manhunt for Hameister. At the alleged crime scene near the boat launch, officers recovered an unspent 9mm round, though other physical evidence was limited. Later, authorities located Hameister’s abandoned pickup truck, roughly 40 miles away from the crime scene. Inside the truck, another live 9mm round was discovered on the floorboard.
Homeowners near the area where the vehicle was found told officers that Hameister had stopped by their residence and appeared “very frantic.” He allegedly told them, “something bad happened,” and warned that the police would soon be arriving. He left shortly after on a motorcycle. Investigators also learned that a 9mm handgun belonging to a local resident had gone missing following Hameister’s visit, further linking him to the shooting. With support from the sheriff’s office, the suspect was finally tracked to a wooded area near a trailer park, where he attempted to evade capture by climbing into a tree. A tense hours-long standoff followed, during which police negotiated with Hameister before ultimately taking him into custody. A 9mm handgun was later recovered at the base of the tree he had climbed.
Hameister has since been charged with two counts of second-degree murder—one with intent and one without—as well as one count of manslaughter. He is currently being held in the county jail on a $2 million bond. Prosecutors say the attack stemmed from an ongoing child custody dispute. According to court records, Hameister had been ordered to pay $645 per month in child support, along with nearly $3,000 in back payments owed to Hunt.
Hunt leaves behind two daughters. In the wake of her death, friends and family launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover funeral and memorial costs, which has already raised over $11,962. This tragic case has reignited conversations around domestic violence, particularly involving custody conflicts. According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline, over 12 million individuals in the U.S. are affected by intimate partner violence annually. As the case moves forward, Hameister awaits trial, and the community of Rochester mourns the loss of a young mother whose life was cut short by a brutal act of violence.
