The lone survivor in one of Nova Scotia鈥檚 most deadly crimes has died at age 46.
On May 7, 1992, three men broke into a McDonald鈥檚 in Sydney River, N.S., a suburb just south of Sydney, with the intention of stealing money from the restaurant鈥檚 safe, but wound up killing three employees and leaving a fourth permanently disabled.
On Wednesday, the lone survivor of the attack, Joan "Arleen" MacNeil, died at the Halifax infirmary following an unspecified illness.
MacNeil was just 20 years old when she was shot in the head during the botched robbery back in 1992. Her co-workers Jimmy Fagan, Donna Warren and Neil Burroughs all died in the attack.
Cathy Burroughs, the sister of Neil, told CTV Atlantic that MacNeil鈥檚 death is bringing back memories from 1992.
鈥淚 was very emotional when I heard that she had passed,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e know the pain that her mother, her family, her friends are going through. They have lived with it, well, almost 27 years.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 sure it鈥檚 not the life that Arleen or her family thought that she would have, and it鈥檚 just so very sad that three individuals decided what her life would be.鈥�
Following the attack, the people of Cape Breton raised more than $100,000 for MacNeil to receive specialized care. For the past 23 years, she has lived in a specialized facility in Bridgewater, N.S., about 480 kilometres south of Sydney River.
she 鈥渓oved to listen to country music, playing games on the computer, going for long walks in the wheelchair and was the 鈥榪ueen of crazy eights.鈥欌��
Two of the men involved in the murders -- Derek Wood and Freeman MacNeil -- remain behind bars, while the third, Darren Muise, was granted parole in 2012 and now lives in British Columbia.
鈥淩ight now it鈥檚 just all about Arleen and her family,鈥� Burroughs said. 鈥淗er journey is over and actually the first thing I thought of is that the four of them are together again.鈥�
MacNeil鈥檚 funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Little Bras D鈥橭r, about 22 kilometres north of Sydney Mines.
Burroughs says she plans to attend the funeral.
With a report from CTV Atlantic's Kyle Moore
