AUSTINTOWN Police hunt killer who strangled a mother in her home

The victim's neighbors describe her as a good mother.
By IAN HILL
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
AUSTINTOWN -- Police here are looking for a killer who strangled a young mother and left her body in her Compass West apartment.
The body of Amber Zurcher, 22, of 1031 Compass West, was found by her mother about 3:30 p.m. Monday. On Tuesday, the Mahoning County coroner performed an autopsy and determined that Zurcher had been strangled.
Compass West is an apartment complex off Burkey Road.
Zurcher's 6-year-old son was staying with his grandparents when the killing occurred, Police Lt. Mark Durkin said. Durkin added that police haven't determined when Zurcher died or what was used to strangle her.
Some of Zurcher's neighbors described her as a nice person and caring mother.
"Most of the time, she was with her son," said Cary Gurley, who lives two floors above Zurcher's apartment. "She seemed like a very good mother."
Nicole Mediate, who lives a floor above Zurcher's apartment, said she felt it was sad that Zurcher's son would grow up without a mother.
"She had the cutest little boy," she said.
Argument overheard
Mediate noted that she heard a loud argument on the floor below her Sunday night, though she said she couldn't be sure if it was coming from Zurcher's apartment.
Gurley said she was home Sunday and Monday and she didn't hear an argument. She added that Zurcher had moved to the building about six months ago.
"She was really nice," Gurley said. "She didn't have a lot of company."
Gurley moved to Compass West from Youngstown about three years ago in an effort to escape crime in the city. She said that her building is quiet, and that most residents know one another.
"In this building, everything was cool," Gurley said. "That's why I was appalled with what happened."
She noted that she placed her couch in front of her door Monday night as protection in case the killer returned.
"This is scary," Gurley said. "I hope they catch who did it.
"I really have to worry now," she said.
The strangling of Zurcher was the first homicide recorded in Austintown since November 2000, when trucker Roy Patterson, 45, of Hackensack, N.J., was stabbed during a fight with another trucker behind the Rebel Lounge on Seventy-six Drive. Police are still investigating Patterson's death.
hill@vindy.com