Mother speaks out after daughter’s murder; Creates memorial in her memory

(ABC 6 News) – It’s been exactly a week since the body of 25-year-old Sabrina Schnoor was discovered under a bridge in Owatonna.

Police and state officials are confident they have the person responsible, 38-year-old Jason Horner.

Horner was Schnoor’s ex-boyfriend. She was a mother found shot to death. Friends of Schnoor found her body on Tuesday using an app to track her location which stopped Monday evening.

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“My child was stolen from me,” said Stacia Schnoor, Sabrina’s mother said.

Sabrina Schnoor was a daughter, a friend, a mother, and a niece taken from the world too soon. Someone Sabrina’s mother says her entire family will greatly miss.

Sabrina is described by her mother as someone who would do anything for anyone, someone who would give their last dollar to someone who needed it.

“I’m never gonna get to hold her again or hug her or be there when she gets married,” Stacia explained.

Stacia says Sabrina was vibrant, constantly giving back to everyone around her.

“She just had a good heart she cared about others more than she cared about herself,” Stacia explained. “It’s not fair that something so ugly happened to something so beautiful.”

In the days following Sabrina’s death, the dozens of people from the community, including Sabrina’s family and friends, came back to where her body was found surrounded by garbage. They cleaned up the area, filled it with gifts, and painted her a memorial just as vibrant as she is.

“She was able to show that there is goodness in this world even with her death and that’s what she would want and I’m proud of her for that,” Stacia said.

The memorial is painted purple for domestic abuse awareness. Stacia hopes that anyone suffering in an abusive relationship will ask for help to get out. Stacia wants Sabrina to be a light for others. A light, that still shines brightly for her family.

“If you see a sunset it’s me smiling behind it. If I go away far and you see a star, if you find it I’m inside it,” said Stacia, reading a poem that Sabrina’s sister dedicated to her, on Tuesday.

Stacia hopes to get the area officially recognized as a memorial for her daughter, and to add a bench and a stone path. She wants to give those who loved Sabrina a space to continue to remember her and find hope through her.

Stacia took a moment Tuesday to thank the countless number of community members that submitted tips to law enforcement to help arrest Horner.

She also says Horner’s arrest would never have been possible if not for the dedication of the Owatonna Police Department, the Steele County Sheriff’s Office and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

Stacia says she hopes now she can continue to grieve with her family and wishes for the public to respect their privacy at this time.