CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — When Dawn Bazinet thinks of her younger cousin, Sammi Jo Burkhart, one memory rises above the rest.

“Her just little giggly laugh when she was 4 years old,” Bazinet recalled, becoming emotional. “That smile and she was … I’m not going cry … she was just really sweet. Sweet and cute and funny.”

Those are the characteristics Bazinet wants to remember about her cousin.

While the two hadn’t talked in years, Bazinet said she was no less shocked and heartbroken Wednesday when she received the call in Virginia Beach that her younger cousin had been killed in the next city over.

It was around 3:30 p.m. Feb. 3 when Burkhart, 37, was found shot in the 1600 block of Chesapeake Avenue, according to a spokesperson with Chesapeake police. She was taken to the hospital where she died from her injuries.

Two days later, 40-year-old Mark O’Leary was arrested in connection with her death. He was wanted on charges of armed burglary, abduction, first-degree murder, three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Bazinet said O’Leary was Burkhart’s ex-boyfriend.

Now, looking back, Bazinet wishes she never lost contact with her cousin.

“What if I maintained that relationship and she knew that I was there for her, and maybe I could have helped her?” Bazinet said.

Bazinet says she feels guilt, and she’ll never know if things could have turned out differently. She wants people to hear her story and learn. She says when a person crosses your mind — just make the call.

“Even if you’re not on speaking terms, just let them know that you love them and that if anything happens or you need help they can still rely on you,” Bazinet said.

Bazinet says she has started a Facebook page and a GoFundMe in an effort to cope with her loss. She also hopes the fundraiser and Facebook page will help collect memories and money for Burkhart’s daughter, who is now left without a mother.