Melissa Barto

One year after the shooting death of Melissa Barto in Butler, friends and family continue to mourn her loss, holding memorial fundraisers and helping raise awareness of domestic violence in Butler County.

Melissa, 26, was allegedly shot and killed by her boyfriend, Ishemer Ramsey, 22, of Lyndora. Ramsey was charged with homicide and related charges after police say he fatally shot Melissa during an argument in his car on June 8, 2017.

Ryan Barto, Melissa's brother, said Friday is the anniversary of his sister's disappearance, and “the next few days are going to be very hard.”

“She is still very missed,” he said. “We have our moments; my mom gets upset sometimes, and so do I.”

On June 12, Barto's body was found by a farmer in a field in Lawrence County.

Over the past year, the family has held memorial activities in Melissa's memory, including a 5K event in October to recognize National Domestic Violence Awareness Month and bring attention to the issue of domestic violence in the county, in conjunction with the Victim Outreach Intervention Center (VOICe).

Proceeds from that event went to VOICe in memory of Melissa to continue funding programs that help end domestic violence. Ryan Barto said the family also held a fundraiser with the Butler BlueSox baseball team, with proceeds from ticket sales going to Melissa's daughter, as well as VOICe.

“My niece got to throw out the first pitch at that game,” he said, adding that the family has still not told the girl about what happened to her mother.

Jim Perko and Debra Matonak of Miller's Quality Meats, where Melissa worked, said they plan to hold a “Remembering Missy Barto” luncheon Friday in conjunction with the Jeep Fest, with 20 percent of all proceeds to be donated to VOICe in Melissa's honor.

Perko said the proceeds will help continue raising awareness of domestic violence in the community, “something that more of these young people need to be aware of.”

Matonak said the business believes in the mission of VOICe, as “domestic violence touches a lot more people than just the immediate family.”

“We are a family here,” she said. “So when we lost Missy we all were in grief. We all still are because she was part of our family.”

Perko said in June last year, a similar cookout raised “thousands of dollars” donated to Melissa's family.

Ramsey continues to be held in Butler County Prison without bail pending further court proceedings, every one of which Ryan Barto says he plans to attend.

“Everything has been moving really slow,” he said. “We are still waiting for even pretrial to start. There have been continuances left and right. We as a family are ready to get this done and over with.”

Assistant District Attorney Terri Schultz said all evidence in the case has been processed and turned over to the defense for review, and the case is currently scheduled for a status conference Aug. 22 before President Judge Thomas Doerr.

Schultz said she expects the defense to file pretrial motions within the next month, which could include evidence suppression issues or other issues determined by the defense.

Schultz also said she would like to see the case proceed to trial by the end of the year, possibly by November, but that depends on litigation by the defense.

Attorney Christopher Capozzi, who represents Ramsey, did not return a message for comment.

Three others who were charged in connection with the case including helping Ramsey dispose of the body and providing a false alibi for Ramsey — James E. Howard-George, 24, of Butler, Joshua W. Bowser, 22, of Lyndora, and Justin M. Johnson, 20, of Butler — also continue to await further court proceedings.