'I've cried so much': Mother mourns death of daughter killed in Netherlands stabbing

A family is grieving a tragic loss after a young woman from Andover, Minn. was killed in the Netherlands.

A man stabbed 21-year-old Sarah Papenheim to death in her home in Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Papenheim was studying psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam.

It’s the second time the family has been hit with tragedy after losing Papenheim’s brother to suicide a couple years ago.

“I’ve been through this before,” said Donee Odegard, Papenheim's mother. “I’ve cried so much my ducts are dry. I am in the angry stage now.”

Family and loved ones are still trying to piece together the violent attack inside Papenheim’s apartment suite near campus.

“They found her in a bath of blood, stabbed to death and beat up and stabbed for no reason, but trying to be his friend,” said Odegard.

Odegard reports a mentally unstable roommate apparently snapped. Police eventually arrested him after he was caught fleeing and boarding a train out of Rotterdam.

“He’d have highs and lows and she noticed that and I told her she needed to get out of there because something ain’t right,” said Odegard. 

Papenheim was a talented drummer with a love for the blues, often jamming during her return visits to the Twin Cities. She made appearances at Shaw’s in northeast Minneapolis with members of the Bernard Allison Group.

“I used to hug her and sing Sarah smiles and she would just light up,” said Mario Dawson, a member of the Bernard Allison Group. “I am definitely going to miss her. Her heart was just gold.”

Musicians will be playing a concert in her honor at Shaw’s Thursday night, starting at 5 p.m.

A memorial fund for Papenheim on GoFundMe has already raised more than $7,000.