Police records show 64-year-old Carrie Zettel was found dead Sunday afternoon, Oct. 12, in her backyard. Her daughter, 29-year-old Lauren Spors, is accused of killing her.

"It really saddens me deeply. I have felt a pit in my stomach straight since Sunday afternoon, especially knowing that it was someone close to her," said Alexis Stalter, Zettel’s next-door neighbor.

Stalter said she moved next door to Zettel a year ago and was warned about Spors’ "outbursts." She described Zettel as a kind woman who loved her garden.

"I know Carrie tried to keep her distance when she could. But some things are just inevitable. You can’t stop her from showing up unannounced," Stalter said.

Court records show Zettel had a restraining order against Spors from 2018 to 2022 after repeated threats and physical altercations.

"It can create a sense of hopelessness, but we need to remember that there are many people who do leave, and that there is help that’s effective and available," said Carmen Pitre, president and CEO of Sojourner Family Peace Center.

Domestic violence deaths reached a 25-year high in Wisconsin last year, according to End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, claiming 99 lives.

"It’s urgent, it’s pervasive. It’s a problem, and we don’t give it the attention that I think it needs," Pitre said. "Every life lost, for me, represents hundreds of others that are on their way to a homicide. That’s the troubling piece to me."

She also urged those in abusive situations to seek support early. "It’s never their fault. We have to figure out how to intervene better in these really complicated situations, and I would much prefer to do that earlier than when we need to call law enforcement."

Flowers and a candle now sit outside Zettel’s home in remembrance.

Resources available to those impacted by domestic violence include:

• The Asha Project: (414) 252-0075
• Sojourner Family Peace Center: (414) 933-2722
• Milwaukee Women’s Center: (414) 449-4777
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800) 799-7233
• Additional resources from the City of Milwaukee can be found by clicking here.