'Words just fail': South side Milwaukee mother remembered in candlelight vigil

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Tonight, Oct. 16, loved ones came together to remember a Milwaukee mother, just days after her tragic and violent death. 

Carrie Zettel, 64, was killed Sunday, Oct. 12. She was allegedly beaten to death by her own daughter. 

The deadly attack comes during Domestic Violence Awareness Month and at a time when our state is seeing aa spike in domestic murders.

According to the group End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin, they've reached a 25-year high in 2025. 

It's an issue described as urgent by Sojourner Family Peace Center, one that claimed 99 lives in Wisconsin last year. 

"Words just fail in that circumstance," said Sojourner Family Peace Center President and CEO Carmen Pitre. "So, the best you can do is hope to pay tribute to that person's life who was lost, and to have it have meaning more than just the homicide, right? So, this is an opportunity for us to say we have to do better as a society." 

Tonight, Friends and family of Zettel held a candlelight vigil to remember her. Neighbors we talked to told us Zettel was a kind person who loved to garden and cared about her community. 

If you or a loved one is experiencing domestic violence, please don't hesitate to reach out to any of these Milwaukee area resources: 

National Domestic Violence Hotline*: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)

Sojourner Family Peace Center: (414) 933-2722

The Asha Project: (414) 252-0075

Hmong American Women's Association: (414) 930-9352

UMOS Latina Resource Center: (414) 389-6510

Our Peaceful Home: (414) 727-1090

Diverse and Resilient: (414) 856-LGBT (5428)

Gerald L. Ignace Indian Health Center: (414) 383-9526

Milwaukee Women's Center: (414) 671-6140

As for Zettel's daughter, Lauren Spors, 29, she faces one count of first-degree intentional homicide. 

She's undergoing a competency exam and is expected in court next month.