BROOKHAVEN, Ga. — Hazel Reese's family said they started growing concerned on Dec. 23, when no one could get in touch with the mother of two. They said that was not like the 36-year-old to just go silent.
Reese's aunt, Jolette Thomas said her niece was spending the weekend leading up to her birthday on Christmas with the father of her 10-year-old son. They had known each other for the past 15 years.
In the meantime, Brookhaven Police said at approximately 9:11 a.m. on Dec. 24, officers were dispatched to shots fired on the second floor of the Microtel Hotel at 1840 Corporate Boulevard. It took officers less than minute to get on scene.
There, they found a male with a gunshot wound to his head. Officers said Reese was face down in the elevator. Both died from their injuries.
'She couldn't imagine that anybody would hurt her," Thomas explained.
On Thursday, 11Alive talked with both Thomas and Reese's best friend, Natashia Binns.
"She was infectious, contagious, always happy, the life of the party, she was so open, she was so honest," Binns said of her best friend.
Binns remember the first time the two met. She said that even though the two had just met each other on a Wednesday, they were already having a sleep over that same Saturday.
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Binns and Thomas shared more details on the morning Reese was killed. Her aunt talked with a person who was staying on the same floor at the hotel.
"They heard several shots and she was just screaming out twice please don’t kill me, please don’t kill me," Thomas said.
Reese couldn't escape. Thomas said she recalled seeing the shooting on the news Christmas Eve, but it wasn't until they started doing their own investigating as to Reese's whereabouts that it led them to the hotel. They pulled in and found her car in the parking lot.
Reese would have turned 37 years old on Christmas.
"She started planning in January for that December -- that’s how she was she loved her birthday," Thomas explained.
While no one will ever know why this happened, her family believes Reese's willingness to forgive and see the good in people cost the mother of two her life.
"She would forgive anything, nobody can do no wrong," both Thomas and Binns explained. "Even if she felt like she might have hurt you in any way she would be quick to apologize. She was just that person," Thomas said.
11Alive's Cody Alcorn asked, "You think that forgiveness led to what led into that hotel room?" The two replied, "Definitely, it definitely played a factor in the abuse she went through."
Both women now look back and reflect.
"I didn’t know that was going to be the last time I spoke to her," Thomas said. "I would have said 'I love you,' you know. 'You can talk to me about anything.' 'You need me to come get you.' I would have said so many different things."
Binn hopes anyone who may find themselves in a similar situation will get out before it's too late.
"Please ask for help," she urged. "If you can walk away. Walk away. Do not stay."
If you or someone you know needs help you can always reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline which is open 24/7 at 1-800-799-7233.
A GoFundMe page has been set up in honor of Reese's boys. Those who feel inclined to donate to help her children can do so here.