'Beloved' Illinois Mom, 23, Fatally Shot by Stray Bullet While Reading Bible to Baby Inside Home

A woman was fatally shot by a stray bullet while reading the Bible to her 7-month-old baby daughter, multiple outlets report.

Melanie Yates, 23, died on Monday after she suffered a "gunshot wound to the head" the night before, according to a GoFundMe set up by the family, who called it the "most devastating news."

According to local news outlet WLS-TV, the incident happened in Zion, Illinois, and police found Yates with the gunshot wound inside her home and she was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Authorities are still searching for the shooter or shooters, and they believe she was not the intended target, the outlet added.

A spokesperson for the Zion Police Department did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

Yates is survived by husband David and two young daughters.

Her dad Shawn Calderon told WGN-TV that Yates "was with her baby reading a Bible story to her seven-month-old and praying with her." Yates' mom Lam Calderon told WLS-TV that her daughter wanted a large family in the future, perhaps "five to seven kids" total.

Lam added that David first thought the gunshots were firework noises while he was putting one of their kids to bed, and he eventually found his wife: "He looked for her, where she was at in the house, and he found her shot in the head," Lam told WLS-TV.

"He came in and he told me that our daughter had been shot and we didn't believe him. It was just unfathomable," said Lam, who added, "We have the hope and the assurance that she is in heaven right now with Jesus and one day we will see her again. That's what we're holding onto."

In the GoFundMe description, the family remembered Yates as "beloved" by many.

"Everybody who knew Lanie knows she loved Jesus Christ with every fiber of her being. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is in heaven at this very moment," the page reads. "But we on earth miss her very dearly. We miss her passionate, powerful prayers. We miss her infectious laugh. We miss her beautiful singing voice lifting songs of worship. We miss her feisty, witty humor. We miss her dedication to being an amazing, godly mom and wife. We miss her. And we wish with every fiber of our being she was here, but we know she's in a better place."