Friends, family and neighbors say they are shocked by the murder of Nancy Cooper and they are in disbelief that a homicide like this could take place in their community.

"I would have never guessed it would happen in Lockmere," Cooper's neighbor Rachel Bentley said.

 Rachel Bentley has lived in the Lockmere neighborhood since she was a child and grew to love her home and neighbors like the Coopers.

"My parents always told me this is a safe place to live and I shouldn't be scared," Bentley said. Although the murder puts questions in her head, she said she has faith in the Cary community.

"I'm not scared because I know the cops are taking care of it and I know they will solve it soon," Bentley said.

Since Cooper disappeared on Saturday, Cary Police Chief Pat Bazemore has been assuring the community that this is an isolated incident. Although some people are comforted, others like Josh Knatmeyer hope additional crimes do not follow.

"If they say it's an isolated incident, I'm pretty sure it is, but isolated problems could develop into other situations," Knatmeyer said.

Many residents believe that Cary is one of the safest places in the nation but they say with all the growth the town has had, crime follows.

"Especially because Cary has been growing so much and it's bringing a whole lot of people in, there's bound to be more people who just go over the deep end," neighbor Matthew Schmitt.

But overall, residents say the Lockmere neighborhood and the Cary community are nice areas with good people. They say they hope that the person who brought violence to their peaceful town is brought to justice.