Carlie Beaudin
MEDICAL COLLEGE OF WISCONSIN
MILWAUKEE – Carlie Beaudin’s dog, Baloo, was the first to alert her husband, Nick, that something was wrong. It was about 4 a.m. and Baloo woke him up. Carlie wasn’t home.
She often worked late at her job as a nurse practitioner at the Medical College of Wisconsin and Froedtert Hospital and came home after Nick was in bed. But not this late.
“The rest of the morning was phone calls, terror and grief,” Nick Beaudin said of Friday morning.
Beaudin was found frozen and trapped under a car in the parking garage at Froedtert Hospital on Jan. 25, the Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office said.
A sheriff’s deputy found Beaudin trapped on the top level of the west parking garage. Her head was bleeding profusely, according to Faithe Colas, spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office. Beaudin died less than an hour after authorities arrived at 3:43 a.m.
Colas said the car had crashed into a wall of the parking structure and had moderate damage. No one else was inside the car.
The Wauwatosa Fire Department attempted to free the Beaudin, who was frozen to the ground. Paramedics said she had a weak pulse and was unconscious, Colas said.
She was taken to Froedtert, where she was pronounced dead at 4:21 a.m., Colas said. She was 33.
Milwaukee County sheriff’s officials have ruled it a homicide and say they have a 27-year-old man in custody.They arrested the man Friday near North 37th Street and West Wisconsin Avenue after receiving a tip. No charges have yet been filed.
Nick Beaudin said he was not able to talk about the investigation Sunday night per the advice of sheriff’s deputies.
He said it was Carlie’s laugh that first drew him to her when they met on the set of a musical back in 2003. She had the lead role in “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers” for a local theater company.
“Her laugh caught me off guard,” he said. “She was amazing…She had a wonderful singing voice…and she cared so much about people. She would ask you questions and she would care about your answer.”
Nick proposed to Carlie at a youth opera performance in South Milwaukee while they were on stage, just after singing a duet. Carlie wrote about the August 2007 day on Facebook.
“After the song, I was about to walk off stage when Nick stopped me, and then I instantly knew, lol,” she wrote. “He gave a very sweet little speech and then asked me in front of the entire audience.”
Carlie was an animal lover and the Greendale couple adopted, Baloo, an affectionate beagle-mix, from the Wisconsin Humane Society.
Carlie was also passionate about cancer care and when she didn’t get enough time to talk with patients, she decided to volunteer regularly in hospice care, Nick said.
Carlie was honored with a Daisy Award in 2012, recognizing her outstanding work with patients.
One of her nominators said Carlie’s caring and sensitivity saved her life.
“Her compassion helped to pull me from the depth of my despair and I am now recovering at home,” the nominator said. “Without Carlie’s help I do not believe I would be here today.”
“Carlie epitomized the kind of care the Daisy Award was created to celebrate,” said Bonnie Barnes, co-founder and president of the California-based Daisy Foundation. “This is a tragic loss to the Froedtert community and the patients who so dearly benefited from her compassion and skill.”
In her own words posted on Facebook in 2015, she talked about her favorite things: singing and talking to people.
“Singing because it gives you a sense of freedom and confidence,” she wrote. “I love talking with people because you learn something new every time you talk with someone.”
And she talked about her love for Nick.
“I adore him,” she wrote.
Froedtert and the Medical College released a statement Sunday night saying Carlie had worked at the campus for more than a decade and had a tremendous impact.
“She was a respected and loyal employee of the Medical College of Wisconsin since 2014 and Froedtert Hospital from 2007-2014,” the statement said. “Her presence was felt by all who knew her, providing both warmth and strength to patients as well as mentorship to new advanced practice providers (APPs) and nurses …
“We continue to work closely with law enforcement and remain vigilant about the emotional and physical safety of every person who works or studies at, is cared for by, or visits our campuses, clinics and hospitals. We have enhanced security measures to ensure a safe environment.”