Friends on slain Phoenix woman: 'Everyone loved her'

A woman was brutally killed inside her central Phoenix apartment, and her 20-year-old son is sitting in a California jail.

He's being called a person of interest in his mother's death.

So far, Phoenix Police have not arrested her son in the murder. They're not calling him a suspect.

Still, they believe he may know what happened inside of that apartment when his mother was killed.

Why would anyone kill 46-year-old Danette Baxter? Her friends and co-workers can't understand why.

"Any way you turn it it's a horrible tragedy," says colleague P. Casey Fernandez.

"She was such a vibrant life-force energy, she had a brilliant smile."

Baxter was a massage therapist. When Baxter missed her Sunday morning appointment, Fernandez knew something was wrong.

"Didn't hear back from her and that was unusual."

By Monday morning, a co-worker went to Baxter's apartment and found police there. She'd been killed inside her central Phoenix apartment. Her son, 19-year-old Zachary Baxter, was arrested in Long Beach driving his mom's car.

Police say he was driving under the influence and told them he killed his mom.

"Nobody really saw it coming, just everyone loved her," said another friend.

Friends say Baxter's son had recently moved in with her and they'd been having trouble getting along.

"She was compassionate she was a loving mom she wanted to help him," says Fernandez.

"She'll definitely be missed. I've already had a number of emails from clients, they really did like her."

Phoenix police detectives are still in Long Beach, California.

Zach Baxter will have a court hearing soon and detectives will have to decide whether to charge him with something other than DUI or release him.