Support is pouring in for a Raleigh teacher who was murdered on Saturday.
From the flowers that people have placed outside of her home and the memories former students and friends shared, it is clear that Zoe Welsh led with love and kindness.
“She really cared for her students,” said Calysa Sauls, one of Welsh’s former students. “She definitely was one of those teachers who was passionate about the subject that she taught.”
Sauls is a former WRAL employee who took AP Biology with Welsh as a senior at Ravenscroft.
“To hear that she died in this horrific way, it’s heartbreaking,” Sauls continued.
Police said Welsh died in her home after an attempted burglary. The officer accused Ryan Camacho of breaking into her home. The two don’t appear to have known each other.
The thought of what happened to her friend, who lives just minutes away, made Lisa Ginger, Welsh’s childhood friend, consider her own safety.
“I set my alarm for the first time in about six months last night,” Ginger said.
Camacho has a lengthy criminal history that goes back more than a decade in both Wake and Durham counties. Court records show he has been arrested more than 20 times.
In many of those cases, Camacho was either charged with a misdemeanor or the cases were dropped altogether. Something Ginger said shouldn’t have happened.
“I remember growing up in the world of three strikes you’re out, and this is not that,” Ginger said.
WRAL News has reached out to the local district attorneys to learn why Camacho’s previous cases were dismissed.
For Ginger, nothing will bring her friend back.
“We can’t control that, the Lord has a reason for everything,” Ginger said. “We may not have the answers now, but it will come.”
Police say this was a home break-in and burglary attempt that led to murder.
Camacho’s first court appearance is scheduled for Monday.