For the people who knew Cheryl Macy, the story of her final hours is only part of what they want remembered.
Macy, 76, was found fatally shot inside her Iowa Hill home on Sunday, Sept. 20, during a rapidly developing law enforcement search for Derek Spencer, 44. Authorities later identified Spencer as the suspect in Macy’s killing. He was fatally shot by Placer County deputies early Monday after an hourslong standoff in a heavily wooded area.
But as the investigation continues, Macy’s family is choosing to focus on the woman they knew rather than the circumstances of her death.
“She was just so sweet,” Chase Dowling, a member of Macy’s extended family, said while remembering her. He described her as someone who readily welcomed people with a hug and seemed genuinely happy simply to be around those she cared about.
Macy had married into the family, Dowling said, but it did not take long for her to become a natural part of it.
To relatives, she was not someone who remained on the outside of the family. She became someone who felt as though she had been there for decades.
That same warmth was remembered by people who worked with Macy during her years at the Placer County District Attorney’s Office. She worked there from 2006 until 2020, becoming a familiar and valued member of the office before retiring.
District Attorney Morgan Gire also remembered Macy during a Placer County Board of Supervisors meeting, describing her as kind, generous and willing to help others.
The circumstances surrounding her death have also raised questions about Spencer’s recent encounters with the criminal justice system.
According to court information cited by local reporting, Spencer had been booked three times in Sacramento County during September. The arrests involved allegations including felony vandalism, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and resisting arrest, burglary, and vehicle theft. He was released following those arrests, including a release on Sept. 17, just days before Macy was killed.
The sequence of events has prompted officials to examine what happened before Spencer ended up in Iowa Hill. Gire said his office plans to review the circumstances surrounding Spencer’s release.
The investigation into the Iowa Hill incident unfolded through difficult terrain and a dangerous overnight search. Deputies said Spencer rammed a patrol vehicle and fired shots at law enforcement during the search. He later fled into a heavily forested area, where authorities located him early Monday.
The standoff lasted for hours before deputies fatally shot Spencer. Officials said no deputies were injured. A nearby fire also complicated the operation, with firefighting and law enforcement efforts taking place in rugged terrain.
Authorities have also said they believe Spencer was involved in other incidents before arriving in Iowa Hill, including an armed carjacking in El Dorado County. Those events remain part of the broader investigation into the sequence that led to Macy’s death.
For Macy’s family, however, the investigation does not define who she was.
Dowling remembered her as someone who brought energy and affection wherever she went. She was the kind of person who did not hold back her warmth, he said.
“She really cared about everybody around her,” another family member told local reporters, describing Macy as a motherly presence to those around her.
Macy died just one day after her birthday, according to family members who spoke with local media.
Her death has left relatives, former colleagues and people in the Iowa Hill community mourning a woman they knew for her generosity and connection to others.
The investigation into the circumstances surrounding her killing and Spencer’s actions remains ongoing, but for those closest to Macy, the memory they want to preserve is much simpler: she was a woman who made people feel welcomed, cared for and part of her life.
