Cops Find Wisconsin Mom Dead After Fight with Daughter

It's just before noon, and Dane County Sheriff's Officers are dispatched to a home in Blue Mounds, a bucolic suburb 25 miles west of Madison. Minutes ago, a man called 911 to report a domestic disturbance. He said his next door neighbors, 54-year-old Heather Schoonover and her daughter, 31-year-old Sierra Schoonover, were outside fighting in their driveway. On the way there, officers discover this is the second time in less than 24 hours that police have been called to the Schoonovers residents. So it sounds like the daughter, Sierra, was screaming like, "That's not real. I'm not real." I haven't a mental health break yesterday. History of depression, no-known drugs are all called yesterday. They ended up closing it out after a while yesterday. They must have decided to just, I don't know exactly what happened with it, but we do have one of our mental health deputies, Kazemarski, she's on her way down here with us too, so she'll probably know a lot of the history, so we'll see what's going on. But it sounds like no history besides just that one yesterday. When they arrive at the Schoonover's house, there's no sign of Heather or Sierra. No-one appears to be home, but in the driveway, officers spot what appear to be blood drops on the ground. And when they check the back of the house, they make an even more ominous discovery. We've got a ton of blood, just to note here in Blue Mounds call, we've got a lot of blood on the upper, like, main living area, on the floor as well as a threshold of what I believe is the bathroom. Poppy, are you guys inside? Negative, I'm seeing this through the open sliding glass door in the back. You see? And then there's key. It looks like keys on the floor, I don't know what that thing is next to the vent. As they wait for backup to arrive, officers secure the scene. And one of the officers makes contact with the neighbor who called 911. So, I'm on the right way out here. So, did you hear what I did when they were saying? No, just screams. That's where it was screaming, both screaming and she was kind of joking around. The daughter, that's what it looks like. And then it looks like she told her to go inside, and then that's right, and then they both said, "I mean, she, I think I've got to look for you." The officer quickly relays this information to her supervisor, who is now on scene. I just talked to the reporting party, he watched it out as kitchen window, there's not the blood on the doorway. Mom left. He said it appeared on his kitchen window, it was a perfect sight, but the daughter was strangling the mom, that the mom shorted the left. The daughter was completely naked, there's drops of blood, the daughter went into a force entry and checked the molster. The daughter left, her mom left, and we have no contact with her whatsoever. She's not answering the door. Based on the evidence gathered so far, officers theorize that Sierra and Heather's fight violently escalated inside the house, and then Heather fled the scene. Which means, Sierra could be inside and critically injured, so officers proceed with force entry. Inside the house, a trail of blood leads police from the living room to the bathroom. Where they make a grizzly discovery, slumped over the bathtub of female lies covered in blood. She has been stabbed multiple times. There's a knife on the floor next to her body. The victim, believed to be Sierra Scoonover, is on response. One of the officers dashes to her car and grabs a first aid kit. While officers wait for paramedics to arrive, they render first aid. Amid the chaos, an emergency call comes over the radio. Down the road from the crime scene, a man just reported that a silver SUV crashed onto his property. The driver is a young female, she's naked and screaming obscenities. In his statement to police, the Scoonover's neighbor said Sierra was naked when she was fighting in the driveway with her mother. That's when police realize the victim in front of them isn't Sierra. It's her mother, Heather Scoonover. Several officers leave the crime scene and race to the sight of the car crash. According to police, Sierra tries to evade a rest. But using a taser gun, first responders detain her. Get out, stay on your stomach, bring it back. Get me ahead, pull down. Stop resisting, Sierra. Yes, it's here. Okay, thank you. Sierra, we got an ambulance coming. Okay, yep. Do you hear her anywhere? That's where you're feeling right now. The more Sierra talks, the more irrational she has. She sells. Any injuries as a result of the crash? No, I'm fine. My body is amazing. It's like the most powerful thing in the world. Okay. And I have great heart and soul and mind. And other people don't appreciate it. I love myself. I've gone everything I thought I would in a situation like this. And I love her. I love myself because I love someone else too. I did it for both of us, really. Back at the crime scene, paramedics arrive. But it's too late. Heather Schoonover is pronounced dead. Meanwhile, Sierra is transported from the crash site to a nearby hospital. Shortly, I will be in the ambulance with New Glarris heading to you. You may have a partner meeting me there, but also if the detective has meet me there as well. On the way to the hospital, an officer speaks with Sierra. But I also think it's sort of real. And I don't know what's good and what's not, and I'm okay with that. Do you know what happened to you? I think I. I think I don't know what happened to me. I don't know. When they arrive at the hospital, a medical team is ready and waiting. And so are detectives Jason Walters and Timothy Blank. You're named like Jason Walters. I'll let you go. Can I see your badge? I don't have my glasses. I can't see it. Okay, Tim. We're here to make sure you're okay. Can I call my mom at some point? Can you tell me one? Tell you what? Like a time frame. I don't know right now, but as soon as I do know something, I will let you know. Given Sierra's mental state detectives tread carefully. I don't know when I'm supposed to stay calling when I'm not. Because sometimes I think you're hurting me. Well, no, you're hurting my heart because my mom, I want my mom. Someone who hears me, please call my mom. As she continues pleading for her mother, Sierra displays flashes of lucidity. You're a police officer. Aren't you concerned about like if other people might be hurt somewhere? Because I'm concerned my mom might be hurt. And so I think that I am willing to be sent for her. My mom? I think I might have heard her. I might have gone crazy. Like for a bit. And she might be hurt. Moments later, Sierra makes a confession. I stabbed her. I don't care if I get arrested because I did not want to do it. I love my mom and I'm so scared and that's why I want someone to go check on her. Before detectives can obtain any more details, Sierra is taken to X-ray to determine if she has any internal injuries. Afterwards detectives get the okay to resume questioning. Due to her mental and emotional fragility, they call in a crisis counselor for assistance. If they have looked on me, what happened in AIDS? Or I couldn't find you? Do you know what I know about it so far? I'm not even going to be able to focus on it. Yeah, I actually feel like it's not real. I don't think you people are real or good people or real people. And I think I bought that. And you could have burned that army heart rate. That's why I don't think about everything. I hope I have to update from what I was thinking. Let's talk about you and let's tap in your mother. After you guys got to fight, if you were out in the drive, let's have a call at 9-1-1 and we'll do it. So what was going on? What are you guys doing? She wasn't really my mom. And it happened really fast. Like the other day, it was a slow thing. I didn't feel one. And then it was like super good. And I just had so it was just, I thought that was a lot of happen. Okay. Did she open it? I don't think so. What was that? I don't think so. I don't think so. I'm really sorry to bring that to you. I thought I was going to have something to do that. The crisis counselor comforts her and Sierra opens up about what happened. When I had to get out of my mom. So I took the car keys and went to the bar and my mom tried to stop me and I thought back against her because I thought that she was going to not return to herself. She said she was crazy. I really felt like she was trying to keep me from fading myself. Like I thought I had to get out of the house and live she was stopping. So, some of the theory was acting and so on. So I was like, well, wasn't he shooting like a real person who was danger to you? I don't want to hurt my mom. Sierra also reveals her car crash was no accident. Before they leave, detectives take photographs of Sierra, including a nasty gash on her thumb police suspect she obtained while she was stabbing her mother. Back at the crime scene, as CSI texts continue to process and collect evidence, detectives recover home security footage from a neighbor that shows Sierra fleeing the house minutes after she killed her mother. Through interviews with neighbors, detectives also obtain more insight into Heather and Sierra's relationship. By all accounts, they seemed close and they grew even closer after Heather's husband passed away from cancer in 2024. Neighbors also informed detectives that Heather and her husband had another daughter, Sierra's younger sister. She is away at college in New York. Detectives make contact with Sierra's sister and break the devastating news. Her mother is dead and Sierra is the one who killed her. Sierra's sister is stunned. She tells detectives that Heather was a wonderful, loving mother. Just months ago, Heather had taken her and Sierra on a cruise. According to her sister, Sierra seemed fine and they'd had a great time together. But she also discloses that Sierra has been plagued by serious mental health issues since she was a child. At one point, she says Sierra had to be admitted to an inpatient treatment facility. Despite ongoing treatments and counseling, Sierra's psychological troubles persisted into adulthood. Once a promising student, she dropped out of college and moved back home. Since then, she has struggled to maintain employment and relied heavily on her family for love and support, especially her mother. Sierra's sister tells detectives the last time she spoke to her mother was yesterday when Heather called to tell her that Sierra had suffered a mental break. But Heather reassured her not to worry. Police had come to the house and Sierra had calmed down. Although the evidence indicates, Sierra was in the midst of a psychotic episode when she stabbed her mother to death by law she still must be held accountable for her actions. Two days later, a detective returns to the hospital where Sierra remains under close supervision. Sierra? Sierra? Sierra? Sierra, can you do me? Sierra, let's detect your Facebook page by Sheriff's Office. I need to give you some information. Though she's alert, Sierra refuses to acknowledge the detective. Here I assume inform you that on your release from a mental health facility, you will be arrested and booked into the dangheight jail for first degree intestinal homicide, use of a dangerous weapon, and domestic disorderly conduct or domestic for the death of your mother. Do you have any questions? Sierra remains silent until the detective announces he's leaving. I'm going to do my best this card. It's got my phone number on it, okay? On the back of it, it has the name of your attorney. Your attorney is Jessa. Nickle said it should make him home on okay well your family hired Jessa You give us consent to talk to Jessa for you No, I want him home on I want my dad Okay, I want them know that all right In October of 2025 Ciera Schoonover pleads guilty but not guilty by reason of insanity to first degree intentional homicide Use of a dangerous weapon and domestic abuse Afterwards the judge sentences her to spend the rest of her life in inpatient institutional care and Ciera makes a statement expressing remorse for her actions The feeling I had in UW Hospital on April 14th when I realized that the delusions I had been acting on were true And that it was because of me that my mom was gone For a while I believed I was actually in hell I think partly because I couldn't imagine having to go on with my life after something so terrible And how that I've had time to reflect on everything and thanks to support from my family and friends I'm committed to making sure I'm properly managing my mental health so that nothing remotely like this ever happens again I'm grateful for the opportunity to receive treatment and to try to create a positive future for myself You are not alone if you need to talk the 988 suicide and crisis lifeline is available Simply dial 988 help is just a phone call away you