North Grenville homicide victim was 'valued and respected' group home worker

A 63-year-old Ottawa woman whose body was found just outside the cityFriday is being remembered as a "valued and respected" employee of a local non-profitthatsupports adults with developmental disabilities or brain injuries.

Karen Gottschalk-Millar's body was found inside a home on County Road 18 near Somerville Road inNorth Grenville Township, Ont., south of Ottawa.

Kyle Pflieger, a 32-year-old man from North Grenville, has been charged with second-degree murder and assaulting a peace officer.

Pathways to Independence, which offershousing and support services in the Ottawa area, said in a statement to CBCthat Gottschalk-Millar's death followed an incident at one of its homes.

"It is a very difficult time for everyone and our thoughts right now are with her family, friends and colleagues," said CEOLorrie Heffernan.

Heffernan said she couldn't give more information because of the police investigation and declined an interview request.

Death was 'tragic'

Next-door neighbour Jane Kinnearopposed the group home when it was proposed 15 years ago,but said that apart from some difficulty with the residents in the home'searly years, her neighbours had been easy to get along with.

Kinnear, a retired dental assistant, said she had known Pfliegersince he was 10 years old. Shelamented not onlythe"tragic" death of Gottschalk-Millar, but also the fate of the man accused.

"I feel like I've lost a member of the family, because all these years, Kyle [would] be out there, smoking and coughing and spitting," she said.

She said Pflieger was one of the first to arrive at the residence and lived in his own unit in the rear of the the facility.

He would regularly greet her dog across their shared fence, she said, and would knit facecloths and larger items that he'd sell in Kemptville stores and on the streets.

While she'd alsoseen him have "fits of rage," Kinnear said she never contemplated the possibility of murder charges.She added, however, that she'dlong wondered if the arrangement next door was safe.

From her home across the road, Laura Carter said she'd been drawn outside at least twice in the past five years by loud arguments from the Pathways residence.

She said she's only recently started allowing her 13-year-old daughter to walk the family dog past the home.

"I hope it stays a group home but that they get more support," she said.

Fear of backlash

Two houses further down the street, Geraldine Taylor also called the situation "tragic".

"My biggest fear is that this incident will cause a huge, neighbourhood backlash," she said of the homicide investigation.

Taylor said the group home had provenits merit and was a better system for supporting people with acquired brain injuries and developmental disabilities than the old, institutional model of places like the Rideau Regional Centre.

"Every family, if you scratch the surface, has one person that suffers from mental illness. It's not a secret. It'sunder-recognized and underfunded," said Taylor.

Taylor said she'd purchased knitted facecloths from Pflieger herself.

"[The home] was a very good solution," she said. "Who knows what went wrong that moment, and why was that woman left alone to fend for herself?"