Slain teacher Zoe Welsh’s house inspires tributes of flowers, cards and angels
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Teacher slain in Raleigh
Zoe Welsh, a well-known teacher at Raleigh’s Ravenscroft School, was killed in a burglary at her home off of St. Mary’s Street early Jan. 3, 2026. Ryan Camacho has been charged with her murder, with court records showing he has a long history of mental health troubles. Here’s ongoing coverage from The News & Observer.
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Early Thursday, someone stopped outside Zoe Welsh’s house on Clay Street and dropped a bouquet of flowers on the curb, tucking a card behind a daisy:
“So much love,” it read.
Five days after the Wake County teacher died in her house while calling 911 to report a burglary — a murder case that has gripped Raleigh for its seemingly random violence — strangers still stop to pay tribute.
All day long, the cars drive slowly past Fred Fletcher Park, some stopping to lay down roses, lilies and sunflowers, attaching words of quiet grief.
“I am so sorry,” read a card written in neat cursive, folded under a single yellow rose. “This should not have happened.”
Ordinary items stand out with an ominous relevance when a house becomes a crime scene:
The Christmas wreath hanging on the front door. The bird feeders full to the top. The pair of rocking chairs on the porch. And the sheet of plywood covering one smashed window.
Only the tallest visitors would even notice these details of Welsh’s life. From the street, the 6-foot fence surrounding her house shields everything from view but the roof. Dozens of dog-walkers pass the front yard every hour, unable to wave if they had wanted.
On Wednesday evening, just before dark, a pair of men loaded the day’s flowers into the back of a van. They filled its trunk.
But 10 minutes after they left, a woman stopped outside Welsh’s house in a Honda SUV, carried a stone angel to the gate, and laid it gently down.
This story was originally published January 8, 2026 at 10:57 AM.
