When graduating senior Dorie Howard was just three years old, her father was murdered while visiting another state.
Because of that, Dorie grew up in a single-parent home, becoming best friends with her mother, Christie.
Then, on Thanksgiving night 2018, Dorie was upstairs in her room when she heard gunshots in the kitchen.
"The last thing my mom said was 'Dorie, what's that noise?'" Dorie said.
That noise was someone kicking in the back door then gunshots.
Dorie ran downstairs to discover that her mother had killed, 13 years after her father's murder.
"I couldn't believe what was happening," Dorie said. "When I came down the steps, I started freaking out. My brother's like 'grab a towel to hold pressure' and I'm like 'Josh, she's gone. So I just closed her eyes and held her until the police came."
Now an orphan, Dorie has continued to keep her parents’ legacies alive by excelling in school and on the basketball court.
Dorie said her mother always made sure she was always in some kind of basketball program.
"It didn't matter what it was, it didn't matter if we had to drive 30 minutes to practice, she made sure I was playing basketball and it just helps me because I know she enjoyed watched me play."
Dorie is graduating with honors and a 4.57 GPA. She will attend Xavier University this fall on an academic scholarship, while also playing basketball.
The murder of Dorie's father has been solved, but her mother's is still under investigation.
If you have any information that could help, you are encouraged to contact Columbus police.