Topline: Police say the 18-year-old dancer was shot shortly after arriving to collect her belongings following the couple’s recent breakup.
Published: December 4, 2025 10:00 am ET
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Emily Finn and her ex-boyfriend, identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, posing together in prom photos months before the breakup that preceded the fatal Nesconset shooting. (via Instagram / @emily_finn1015)
SAYVILLE, NY — Authorities on Long Island say 18-year-old Emily Finn was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend during what investigators describe as a botched murder-suicide inside his Nesconset home the morning before Thanksgiving.
According to Suffolk County Police, Finn had returned home from SUNY Oneonta and went to the residence on Shenandoah Boulevard North to retrieve belongings after the couple’s recent breakup.
Detectives told CBS News and GreaterLongIsland.com that the 17-year-old suspect — identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, who has since turned 18 — shot Finn and then shot himself in the face.
His parents called 911 around 11:10 a.m., and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical but stable condition. Police have charged him with second-degree murder and said he will be arraigned once medically cleared.
Suffolk County Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, head of the Homicide Bureau, confirmed that Finn was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators told GreaterLongIsland.com that there was no documented “domestic history” between the teens and no prior 911 calls to the home. A family friend described Lynch as heartbroken after the end of what was characterized to the New York Post as a three-year “puppy love” relationship.
Finn, a Sayville High School graduate, had been studying to become a teacher at SUNY Oneonta while continuing her long commitment to dance. She trained for years at the American Ballet Studio in Bayport, where her teacher, Kathy Kairns-Scholz, told CBS News that Finn was “filled with talent and compassion.”
Her mother, Cliantha Miller-Finn, told the Post that her daughter had recently shared a line that now feels painfully prescient: “Anger is just the result of hurt.” She described her daughter as “a pure angel” and said Finn had been balancing academics, dance and aspirations of eventually teaching.
Finn’s death comes amid heightened concern about domestic violence across Suffolk County.
In October, county officials reported a 43% rise in domestic violence calls, according to CBS News.
“Tremendous sadness,” County Executive Ed Romaine said of the trend, adding that “the numbers are much too high.” Deputy County Executive Dr. Sylvia Diaz said the county works closely with community groups to provide immediate counseling and crisis intervention.
The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation announced it will fund an annual scholarship in Finn’s name and plant a memorial tree in a national forest to honor young people lost to gun violence.
Finn’s family, friends and teachers say her ambitions — to teach, to dance, to build a life defined by kindness — were clear. What remained of that future, authorities say, was cut short in a moment of violence now under criminal investigation as Lynch awaits arraignment.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
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Ballerina Emily Finn Killed in Ex-Boyfriend’s Home Before He Turned Gun on Himself
Police say the 18-year-old dancer was shot shortly after arriving to collect her belongings following the couple’s recent breakup.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 4, 2025 10:00 am ET
Emily Finn and her ex-boyfriend, identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, posing together in prom photos months before the breakup that preceded the fatal Nesconset shooting. (via Instagram / @emily_finn1015)
SAYVILLE, NY — Authorities on Long Island say 18-year-old Emily Finn was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend during what investigators describe as a botched murder-suicide inside his Nesconset home the morning before Thanksgiving.
According to Suffolk County Police, Finn had returned home from SUNY Oneonta and went to the residence on Shenandoah Boulevard North to retrieve belongings after the couple’s recent breakup.
Detectives told CBS News and GreaterLongIsland.com that the 17-year-old suspect — identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, who has since turned 18 — shot Finn and then shot himself in the face.
His parents called 911 around 11:10 a.m., and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical but stable condition. Police have charged him with second-degree murder and said he will be arraigned once medically cleared.
Suffolk County Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, head of the Homicide Bureau, confirmed that Finn was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators told GreaterLongIsland.com that there was no documented “domestic history” between the teens and no prior 911 calls to the home. A family friend described Lynch as heartbroken after the end of what was characterized to the New York Post as a three-year “puppy love” relationship.
Finn, a Sayville High School graduate, had been studying to become a teacher at SUNY Oneonta while continuing her long commitment to dance. She trained for years at the American Ballet Studio in Bayport, where her teacher, Kathy Kairns-Scholz, told CBS News that Finn was “filled with talent and compassion.”
Her mother, Cliantha Miller-Finn, told the Post that her daughter had recently shared a line that now feels painfully prescient: “Anger is just the result of hurt.” She described her daughter as “a pure angel” and said Finn had been balancing academics, dance and aspirations of eventually teaching.
Finn’s death comes amid heightened concern about domestic violence across Suffolk County.
In October, county officials reported a 43% rise in domestic violence calls, according to CBS News.
“Tremendous sadness,” County Executive Ed Romaine said of the trend, adding that “the numbers are much too high.” Deputy County Executive Dr. Sylvia Diaz said the county works closely with community groups to provide immediate counseling and crisis intervention.
The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation announced it will fund an annual scholarship in Finn’s name and plant a memorial tree in a national forest to honor young people lost to gun violence.
Finn’s family, friends and teachers say her ambitions — to teach, to dance, to build a life defined by kindness — were clear. What remained of that future, authorities say, was cut short in a moment of violence now under criminal investigation as Lynch awaits arraignment.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
Must Read
Editor Picks
Latest Articles
Ballerina Emily Finn Killed in Ex-Boyfriend’s Home Before He Turned Gun on Himself
Police say the 18-year-old dancer was shot shortly after arriving to collect her belongings following the couple’s recent breakup.
By Jacob Charles
Published: December 4, 2025 10:00 am ET
Emily Finn and her ex-boyfriend, identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, posing together in prom photos months before the breakup that preceded the fatal Nesconset shooting. (via Instagram / @emily_finn1015)
SAYVILLE, NY — Authorities on Long Island say 18-year-old Emily Finn was shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend during what investigators describe as a botched murder-suicide inside his Nesconset home the morning before Thanksgiving.
According to Suffolk County Police, Finn had returned home from SUNY Oneonta and went to the residence on Shenandoah Boulevard North to retrieve belongings after the couple’s recent breakup.
Detectives told CBS News and GreaterLongIsland.com that the 17-year-old suspect — identified by the New York Post as Austin Lynch, who has since turned 18 — shot Finn and then shot himself in the face.
His parents called 911 around 11:10 a.m., and he was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical but stable condition. Police have charged him with second-degree murder and said he will be arraigned once medically cleared.
Suffolk County Det. Lt. Kevin Beyrer, head of the Homicide Bureau, confirmed that Finn was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators told GreaterLongIsland.com that there was no documented “domestic history” between the teens and no prior 911 calls to the home. A family friend described Lynch as heartbroken after the end of what was characterized to the New York Post as a three-year “puppy love” relationship.
Finn, a Sayville High School graduate, had been studying to become a teacher at SUNY Oneonta while continuing her long commitment to dance. She trained for years at the American Ballet Studio in Bayport, where her teacher, Kathy Kairns-Scholz, told CBS News that Finn was “filled with talent and compassion.”
Her mother, Cliantha Miller-Finn, told the Post that her daughter had recently shared a line that now feels painfully prescient: “Anger is just the result of hurt.” She described her daughter as “a pure angel” and said Finn had been balancing academics, dance and aspirations of eventually teaching.
Finn’s death comes amid heightened concern about domestic violence across Suffolk County.
In October, county officials reported a 43% rise in domestic violence calls, according to CBS News.
“Tremendous sadness,” County Executive Ed Romaine said of the trend, adding that “the numbers are much too high.” Deputy County Executive Dr. Sylvia Diaz said the county works closely with community groups to provide immediate counseling and crisis intervention.
The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation announced it will fund an annual scholarship in Finn’s name and plant a memorial tree in a national forest to honor young people lost to gun violence.
Finn’s family, friends and teachers say her ambitions — to teach, to dance, to build a life defined by kindness — were clear. What remained of that future, authorities say, was cut short in a moment of violence now under criminal investigation as Lynch awaits arraignment.
Presumption of Innocence: A presumption of innocence means that any defendant in a criminal trial is presumed to be innocent until they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The defendant in this case is only accused of the charges set forth in the criminal complaint. They are innocent until proven guilty.
Editor's Note: ThePo makes every effort to accurately transcribe the contents of affidavits of probable cause contained in criminal complaints. Often, the complaints themselves are copies of copies of faxed copies, and are difficult to read. To confirm the accuracy of our transcription, contact the Magisterial District Court listed above and request a copy of the criminal complaint. It's a public record to which you are entitled.
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