On the evening of January 10, 2021, Stayton police responded to a West Water Street residence and found 70-year-old caregiver and retired nurse Karen Schaefer deceased from an apparent gunshot wound. Officers discovered Brian Schaefer, 38, at the scene; he lived in the home and was taken into custody. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office took over the investigation and Brian Schaefer was charged with second-degree murder with a firearm and unlawful use of a weapon in connection with his aunt’s death.

Karen was a fourth-generation Stayton resident, a Stayton High School graduate and a former registered nurse who later worked as a well-regarded caregiver. The community remembered her as meek, loving, gentle and kind. In March 2023 the Marion County District Attorney moved to dismiss the charges, saying investigators could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt and that dismissal was in the interest of justice; the murder charge against Brian Schaefer was dropped.

Who in Stayton might have seen or heard anything around West Water Street on the night of January 10, 2021?