A North Carolina man has allegedly admitted to beating a teacher to death with a rock after he broke into her home.
Ryan Camacho has been accused of killing 57-year-old Zoe Welsh. He was charged with murder and felony burglary in connection to Welsh’s death, according to a probable cause warrant issued on April 8 and viewed by Law & Crime.
Police responded to a home in Raleigh around 6:30 a.m. on January 3 after Welsh called 911 and reported she heard glass break in her home. She added that she found a man “rifling through her kitchen.” The suspect then began to assault Welsh while she was on the phone with dispatchers.
Upon their arrival, officers found Welsh with life-threatening injuries. They rendered aid until paramedics arrived and she was transported to a nearby hospital. Doctors pronounced Welsh dead soon after.
After Camacho, 37, was linked to the case, a police dog tracked the suspect to an apartment that was about half a mile away from the crime scene. Authorities found a busted window in the apartment and confronted Camacho, who was inside and had blood on his hands. The officers later learned that Camacho used to live in the apartment before he was evicted.
Camacho was taken into custody and allegedly admitted to killing Welsh while speaking to detectives.
“Is this about the lady’s head I bashed in with a rock[?]” Camacho allegedly asked detectives, according to the warrant. “The lady I killed[?]”
It’s not currently clear why Camacho targeted Welsh’s home. However, Welsh told dispatchers that she recognized the suspect after she previously saw him at the nearby Fred Fletcher Park.
Authorities have not yet shared a possible motive for the murder. Meanwhile, a forensic evaluator said that Camacho has “a history of diagnosed mental health problems.”
Camacho is currently in custody at the Wake County Detention Center and is being held without bond. He is next scheduled to appear in court on April 30.
It is not currently clear if Camacho has entered a plea or retained legal counsel following his arrest. The Raleigh Police Department did not immediately respond to Us Weekly’s request for comment regarding the case.
Welsh was a beloved teacher at Ravenscroft School.
“The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh,” a spokesperson for the school told local WTVD in January. “Zoe has been a cornerstone of our Upper School Science Department and the Ravenscroft community for years. Her loss is deeply felt by all of us who had the privilege of working with her and learning in her classroom.”
Raleigh Police Chief Ricco Boyce also released a statement in light of Welsh’s murder.
“I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure. We extend our deepest sympathy to Ms. Welsh’s family during this incredibly difficult time,” he said, per Law & Crime. “Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all. As a department, we share in the sadness of this loss. The arrest of the suspect sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh.”
