The prom photos show a seemingly happy young couple. Long Island teens Emily Finn and Austin Lynch posed mid-dance. She smiled as she looked lovingly at him.
The June photos are still prominently displayed on Finn's Instagram page.
However, it all went horribly wrong. Fast forward to November 26. Finn, 18, was shot dead, and Lynch, 18, was accused of the crime.
The photos were confirmed as picturing Finn and Lynch by The New York Post, which first republished them. The collage of prom photos also shows Finn pinning a corsage on her date, and the couple posing with friends. They posed under a floral awning and in front of a carriage.
"Prom with my favorite people 🩷," she wrote with the photos.
The Post also published a Facebook photo that allegedly shows Lynch holding a gun.
"Suffolk County Police today arrested a Nesconset teen who shot his ex-girlfriend to death and then shot himself in the face," police wrote in a news release. Although the release doesn't name Lynch due to his then-age, he was identified as the suspect by The New York Post, which noted that he had since turned 18. According to Greater Long Island, Finn graduated from Sayville High School in June.
"A 17-year-old male shot his ex-girlfriend, Emily Finn, to death at the male’s home, located at 134 Shenandoah Blvd. North, at approximately 11:10 a.m. The male then shot himself in the face. The male’s parents called 911," the police release says. The Post, which spoke to a family friend outside his home, reported that Lynch had his 18th birthday on Thanksgiving, which he spent "in a hospital bed."
"Finn, 18, of West Sayville, was pronounced dead at the scene," the police news release says. "The male, whose name is being withheld due to his age, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical but stable condition. He will be charged with Murder 2nd Degree and arraigned at a later date."
The Post quoted the family friend of Lynch as saying, “It was young puppy love that stopped making sense. It wasn’t going to work. Most of these young relationships don’t." Lynch had plans to join the military, The Post reported.
According to The Post, "Finn was reportedly returning some of the boy’s belongings to him following their recent breakup" when the shooting occurred.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Finn's family. "I write this with tears in my eyes as we learned of the devastating and senseless loss of Emily Finn yesterday. Emily leaves a hole in the lives of her mother, father, brother, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends. As this family grieves a true treasure of a girl, I ask that our community come together in support of them as they struggle through this inexplicable loss," it says.
"To know Emily is to love her, as she became part of the fabric of the lives she touched in her generous and kind way," the GoFundMe post continues. "Through her many years as a dancer, the children she taught as she prepared for a future as a teacher, and simply as a friend to so many, she will be sorely missed by all who knew her."
Sayville Music Booster for the Arts wrote in a Facebook tribute, "It is with the heaviest hearts that we share the loss of Emily Finn, Sayville 2025 graduate and member of the Sayville HS Music Department. On behalf of SMBA, we express our deepest condolences to her family, friends, and classmates, and hope to find comfort in each other during this incredibly difficult time. May Emily be remembered for the beautiful, bright light that she always brought to so many."