A Michigan family is grieving the loss of 20-year-old Sarah Carroll, who police say was killed in a murder-suicide carried out by her ex-boyfriend. Carroll, a student preparing to become a physician assistant, was found dead alongside the shooter in Westland, just outside Detroit, on Saturday, Aug. 30.

Police say they responded to a 911 call from the shooter himself, who told dispatchers that he had shot his ex-girlfriend. By the time officers arrived, both Carroll and the man were dead. Authorities have not publicly named him, but Carroll’s family confirmed to local outlets that he was her former boyfriend and said he had been harassing her for months.

Her mother, Jennifer Thomas, told reporters that Sarah had been in the process of obtaining a protection order against him. Witnesses told the Westland Community News that Carroll confronted the man outside an apartment complex shortly before he pulled out a shotgun, shot her, and then turned the weapon on himself.

Sarah’s father, James, told news outlets, “She was loved by everybody. Everybody she met. She was wonderful. I’m going to miss my baby.” Jennifer described her daughter as “alive, funny, smart,” someone who “had everything going for her.”

Friends and relatives are remembering Sarah as career-driven and determined, someone who had worked hard to pursue a future in medicine. A GoFundMe page set up to help cover funeral expenses described her as “smart, brave, strong, and with a smile that lit up every room she entered.”

Her death highlights a grim reality that advocates have long pointed out: the dangerous escalation that can occur when stalking and harassment go unaddressed. Carroll’s family says she had endured months of unwanted contact and intimidation before her killing.

The case has struck a chord in Westland, where neighbors and classmates are reeling from the sudden loss.

“She was only just beginning her journey,” the family wrote in the fundraiser. “Losing her at such a young age is something no family should ever have to go through.”