. >> reporter: her name was rachel owens. she was rushed to the hospital, while the homeowner told the police what he saw. >> he described the intruder as approximately 5'9" or so, carried a gun in his right hand. he wore a balaclava. >> which is, like -- >> a ski mask. >> a ski mask with -- >> with just the eye opening. >> reporter: as police looked at the crime scene and spoke to the witness, they learned something else -- the intruder had gone upstairs and shot the friend rachel first. they started to wonder if she might have been a target. >> i was blown away. all these different thoughts running through my head. >> reporter: wayne owens is rachel's son. he couldn't imagine why anyone would want to hurt his mom. >> describe your mom for us. >> very caring and loving. she's warm. she's an extremely optimistic. she's always able to see the good and the bad. >> reporter: wayne grew up an army brat, living overseas with his mom and his dad, gregg, who was a decorated veteran from the first iraq war. >> did you like traveling

. >> reporter: rachel owens had been shot in the head. >> reporter: you were told that "she might not make it." >> yes. >> reporter: that is very terrifying news. >> it was definitely challenging to see. i -- it was emotional. i, to see her like that. like, i thought -- i thought that was going to be the last time i'd see her. >> reporter: as rachel lay in the icu, police in maine needed to get in touch with her husband gregg. they called their counterparts in londonderry, new hampshire, ninety miles away. sergeant nick pinardi is with the police department there. >> we were working a midnight shift. it was me and a couple other officers. >> reporter: saco police wanted him to go break the news to gregg in person. >> so i simply went over and told him, "your wife was shot in -- in maine." at that point mr. owens said he thought he was having a heart attack. so the officers helped him to the ground, sat him down. >> reporter: it turned out it wasn't a heart attack, he'd apparently gone into shock. gregg was eager to go see his wife. but first he went down to the police station, full of