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Friend helped negotiate release of hostage family held by Spencer Twp. murder suspect

Kayleigh Meyering started a Go Fund Me for the funeral and medical expenses.

WYOMING, Mich. - Kayleigh Meyering and Samantha Huntley have been friends since elementary school.

"We all had a strong bond because of our hearing impairment," Meyering said. They are part of a group of friends with hearing impairments.

"We all love Samantha very much. She's a very sweet girl and very strong woman," Meyering said.

Meyering said Bruce Huntley had been abusive and controlling throughout his and Samantha Huntley's entire marriage. Bruce Huntley is the suspected murderer who killed two people and a dog on Saturday before killing himself.

Police say that he shot Lisa Bradley and Jim Cole Jr., his mother-in-law and her boyfriend. He then took his wife and children to an apartment in Wyoming and held them hostage before releasing them and killing himself.

"He had a tracker on [Samantha] so if anything that she did would upset her...he was just controlling and jealous of anything that she did," Meyering said.

The weekend of Sept. 15, Meyering said things got worse. "[Samantha] had bruises all over and a couple of scrapes with blood."

Meyering said her friend, Samantha, went to the hospital and called police.

"Then he got arrested and went to jail and then got bailed out," Meyering said. According to court documents, Bruce Huntley was supposed to appear in court on Monday, Sept. 24 on one count of domestic violence.

Just days after his arrest, Meyering said her friend filed for divorce, changed her phone number and went to live with her mother in Spencer Township.

"He found out that she was living with her mom," Meyering said. "They were all sleeping at 6 a.m., and he found a way to shatter the glass without making noise and got in that way. He shot Lisa Bradley's long time boyfriend Jim Cole and the shot the mother, and then immediately took the kids and her in her mother's car."

Meyering hadn't heard from Samantha all day on Saturday and began to get concerned.

"I was the first one for her to contact, saying that 'I'm at the apartment Cat, can you please come over here and get me and the kids,'" Meyering said.

Unsure if it was truly Samantha contacting her, Meyering had another friend call police.

"She was just saying, 'Can you come to the apartment, I need you here now.'"

She said the police took her phone and began texting Samantha.

"They took my phone away for a couple of hours and pretended to be me, and just said stuff like 'Can you come out, you and the kids. I'm here at your apartment,'" Meyering said.

While police had the apartment surrounded, Meyering said Bruce Huntley felt remorseful

"She said he was just basically all apologies all day saying that he messed up and that he wishes he could back and change everything," Meyering said. "He made their final family dinner is what he called it and said 'Let's just enjoy our last family dinner and then I'll let you and the kids go'"

And it was after he cooked the meal, that Samantha and her two little children were released.

"There comes the kids, and her and we felt so relieved after that happened giving them hugs and it's just almost like the kids were just happy to be free," Meyering said.

Meyering is looking forward to getting to know her best friend again.

"I just can't wait to see her smile again since she's free and she'll be able to do whatever she wants, go shopping, do things that she really enjoys."

She's hopeful that Samantha and her two children will be able to move forward.

"I'm just thankful the kids and my best friend are safe. I just want my Samantha back from six to 10 years, and I just want her to smile and get their lives back."

Kayleigh Meyering started a GoFundMe for the funeral and medical expenses.

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