A beloved North Carolina teacher was killed this weekend while pleading for help from an emergency dispatcher during a home invasion, as new court records reveal the man charged in her death faced the possibility of involuntary mental health commitment just weeks ago.
Zoe Welsh, 57, was found critically injured by police officers minutes after she called 911 around 6:30 a.m. Saturday from her home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Police said Welsh had called 911 to report that a man was inside her home on the 800 block of Clay Street. While she was on the line, the intruder began beating her. On a recording, a dispatcher is heard at 6:34 a.m. stating: “The complainant was screaming, but I am silent now.”
Minutes later, officers arrived at the home over a reported burglary in progress. One reported a smashed front window at the home and then said: “I have a female down. She’s got a severe hemorrhage to the left side of her head.”
Welsh, who was critically injured, was taken to hospital, where she died.
Officers searched the neighborhood, and located Ryan Camacho, 36, who was taken into custody. He has been charged with murder and felony burglary. Police said Camacho and Welsh do not appear to have known each other.
Camacho appeared in court Monday, where he was ordered to remain behind bars under no bond. His next court date is scheduled for January 26.
In early December, Camacho’s public defender filed a motion seeking a hearing on whether he should be involuntarily committed for mental health treatment following his release from prison earlier this year, the Raleigh News & Observer reported.
The outcome of that hearing is unclear from available court documents. But larceny, and breaking and entering charges he faced from being accused of stealing a pair of pillows in August, were dismissed that same day.
Public defenders later sought to have District Court Judge Louis Meyer III recuse himself from the case, alleging he questioned Camacho, his mother, and a forensic evaluator without attorneys present. That motion was later dropped.
Camacho has a criminal history dating back to 2005, including a 2019 conviction for discharging a firearm into an occupied Wake County property. Prison records show he served five years and seven months for that offense before being paroled in 2024. During that prison sentence, Camacho was charged with escape in Rowan County in 2021 after an unsuccessful attempt to break out of the facility. The charge added six to 17 months to his sentence.
Court records show Camacho described himself as homeless in May, shortly after his release from prison.
Welsh was a longtime science teacher at Ravenscroft School in North Raleigh and a former educator in the Wake County Public Schools system. A mother-of-two, she had taught at Ravenscroft since 2006 and previously served as chair of the Upper School science department.
“The Ravenscroft community is devastated by the loss of our beloved colleague and friend Zoe Welsh,” a school spokesperson told ABC11. “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 Rico Boyce called the killing a loss for the entire community.
“I am deeply heartbroken for this mother, friend, and mentor to many in our community, and for the unimaginable trauma her family must endure,” Boyce said in a statement. “Whenever there is a loss of life in our community, it affects us all.”
He added that the arrest “sends a strong message that criminal acts will not be tolerated in the City of Raleigh” and praised officers for their swift response.
Ravenscroft School said grief counseling and support resources will be available for students, faculty and staff as classes resume Monday.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends,” the school said.
The case remains under investigation.
