Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Wife Feared For Her Safety Before Queens Murder-Suicide
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 23, 2010
Modified Feb 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Ben Muessig
Published Feb 23, 2010
Modified Feb 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Just months before high-school administrator Dionne Coy-Bailey and her two teenage daughters were found murdered in their Queens home, the assistant principal said she didn't feel safe since her husband had bought a gun. Coy-Bailey even moved out of the 230th Place residence for a few weeks in December with her younger daughter because her husband wouldn't get rid of the high-powered assault rifle. Officials say Mark Bailey used that kill his wife and children yesterday before shooting himself once in the forehead.
Police discovered the bodies of Coy-Bailey, 42, Stony Brook University student Yanique Bailey, 19, and Cardozo HS student Yolanne Bailey, 14, after Coy-Baily's relatives rang the bell yesterday morning and no one answered the door. According to the Post, a relative was able to crack-open a first-floor window and peer into a bedroom. "I looked in and saw someone under the covers ... I reached in and felt a leg and felt it was kind of stiff." The relatives called police, who found the wife and daughters dead, each shot once in the head in their beds. Bailey—a bus driver in Long Island—was found on a living room chair with the 9-millimeter weapon at his feet, according to the Times. A note was found on the kitchen table, stating: "I am sorry. Love, Mark."
It's unclear what lead the Springfield Gardens man to commit the act. Although Bailey had been arguing with his wife about the rifle—which is illegal to carry in New York City—and whether or not they should spend $1,500 on braces for one of the girls, Coy-Bailey's relatives said the bus driver always appeared to be a peaceful man. "They were working things out," said Coy-Baily's sister. "He was nice. He wouldn't do anything. He wasn't threatening anyone."
Tagged
assault rifle
cardozo
dionne coy-bailey
gun
high school
mark bailey
murder
murder-suicide
queens
shooting
Springfield Gardens
stoney brook
suicide
yanique bailey
yolanne bailey
Ben Muessig
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Mamdani launches new team to help NYers keep SNAP, Medicaid benefits
Nearly 1 million in the city risk losing benefits as a result of new federal restrictions.
By
Caroline Lewis
Published Oct 19, 2026 at 12:43 p.m. ET
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
News
Riders at 53rd St. station where man was fatally shot say they worry about gun violence
A 26-year-old died after being shot on the platform at the Midtown station. Commuters are rattled.
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
These are the NYC neighborhoods that will get free 2-K next fall
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Get to know Wanda, the donkey in the Met's 'La Bohème'
By
James Ramsay
Eric Adams' NYC buildings boss Eric Ulrich heads to trial, 3 years after arrest
By
David Brand
and
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .