The sound of a gunshot brought the daughter of Natalie "Dawn" Du'Mee running downstairs in the overnight hours early Sunday morning. She arrived to see her mother shot, per police. He told the police later that he'd "snapped" and wished he could take back what had happened. According to Hyder's account to authorities, the couple had been drinking at a football party on December 1 when Du'Mee broke the news she no longer wanted to marry him.
They continued to discuss their relationship on the porch after making their way home, during which Du'Mee returned her engagement ring and reaffirmed there would be no wedding. Du'Mee's adult daughter reported to police hearing the argument and then seeing Hyder come upstairs to a closet adjacent to the room where she was watching a movie shortly after midnight, per the Osceola News Gazette. He told police he'd gone in to retrieve a gun before returning to Du'Mee on the porch.
There he asked Du'Mee if she was serious about not wanting to marry him anymore. When she said yes, Hyder told police he shot her in the side of the head, per their report, telling them he "put one right in the back of her head. Du'Mee's daughter came running downstairs upon hearing the gunshot, telling police she saw her mother bleeding from the neck and mouth, per the News Gazette. The daughter attempted to help her mother until first responders arrived and took her to a nearby hospital.
She told police she did not see a gun, but knew that Hyder kept one in the house, in the closet she'd seen him go into. When police arrived on the scene, they found a holstered silver and black revolver sitting out on the kitchen counter. Hyder went outside after the shooting, was taken into custody without incident, and fully cooperated with police upon their arrival, per the arrest affidavit.
He is being held without bond. Reach out to a trusted friend, family member, or a local domestic violence hotline. You are not alone. If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at , or go to thehotline. Osceola County Sheriff's Office. Lincolnshire Police. Houston Police Department.
