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Lisa Bailey and her adult daughter Jennifer Bailey were killed by husband and father Michael Bailey on Oct. 6, less than two weeks after Bath Police Department responded to two domestic violence calls at their house and just four days after both women went to the police station to follow up. After months of effort, 8 Investigates obtained copies of the police reports from those calls, but the pages are so heavily redacted that it’s impossible to know what happened or how the police handled it. Police made two calls to 10 Crawford Drive on Sept. 24. The first call came in around 8:30 a.m. Records indicate that Michael Bailey called the police because of an incident with his daughter Jennifer Bailey. Police labeled the incident as a “family fight” and “assault with a knife,” although it’s unclear whether there was actually an assault. Lisa Bailey was not home at the time. That afternoon, Lisa Bailey called the police because of a fight with Michael Bailey. That call is also labeled as a family fight. Police didn’t arrest anyone, and Michael Bailey left for the night. Most of the details are redacted, and it is unclear how police decided what to redact.A week later, records show Lisa and Jennifer Bailey went to the police station to follow up and asked to give statements about what happened. Police informed them that they already gathered their statements at the scene. Both women chose to write additional statements anyway, and Jennifer Bailey asked to see the police reports from the previous week. “If a woman follows up at a police station after an assault, like, please take that seriously,” said Patrisha McLean, a domestic violence survivor, advocate and founder of the nonprofit Finding Our Voices. “Take what she says seriously, listen to her and make her feel like what she’s saying is important and that you care about what she’s saying.The responding police officer advised her that she would need to fill out a public records request. Just four days later, Michael Bailey killed Lisa Bailey, Jennifer Bailey and then himself. Before they were killed, they made a point of saying something on the record, but we can’t know what that was because police have completely redacted their words. “It’s a public safety and health issue. Domestic violence is an emergency,” said McLean. “Who is benefiting from those words not being out in public? There’s no benefit to that.”Maine’s Freedom of Access Act requires certain government documents like police reports to be available to the public in order to create transparency and to make it easier to hold taxpayer-funded agencies accountable. “Typically, police reports are provided to the public to give all of us a good sense of what our police departments are doing within our communities,” said Justin Silverman, executive director and legal expert at the New England First Amendment Coalition. There are limited exceptions. Police cited privacy concerns as the primary reason for the redactions, but in this case, everyone involved is dead. “The privacy interest there just doesn’t exist,” said Silverman. “So, all we have is secrecy on behalf of the police department as far as how the investigation occurred, what was investigated, and how, and we’re left wondering, was there an opportunity to prevent this tragedy in the first place?”If Lisa and Jennifer Bailey were alive today, some of the records would be rightfully redacted due to the sensitive and personal nature of these police calls, but a number of legal cases in Maine have already established that privacy rights do not continue after death and can’t be transferred to living family members.Bath police Chief Andrew Booth said his department responds quickly and professionally to all calls and takes confidentiality requirements seriously. They will not lift the redactions without costly and likely time-consuming legal action. If you or a loved one is a victim of domestic violence, you can call 1-866-834-HELP to be connected with resources 24 hours a day. If you’re looking for a community of people who understand what you’re going through, McLean’s organization Finding Our Voices has local support groups across the state. Additional resources can be found here: Maine resources available to help domestic violence victims