By Hub City Times staff

MARSHFIELD – Marshfield’s annual community event remembering a native who was murdered in Madison drew near-record numbers to the city’s Wildwood Park on May 12.

The annual “Paws for Brittany” fun run and walk attracted 225 participants, and raised over $10,000 for the Marshfield Area Pet Shelter (MAPS) at the same time.

The weekend event was the fifth annual, held in memory of Brittany Zimmermann of Marshfield, who was found dead in her Madison apartment April 2, 2008, while she was attending UW Madison. Brittany’s mom Jean Zimmermann thought the event might have been the biggest yet, in terms of participants.

“The main thing is to raise money for the pet shelter,” she said. “Brittany had the three cats, and they were honestly her life, besides (fiance) Jordan, and for us to be a part of this – to see all of the animals out her, to know that (MAPS) is going to be building in the next couple of years – it is just a huge tribute to Brittany.”

Brittany loved animals, and was even planning to start a hobby farm after graduation with then-fiancé Jordan Gonnering.

It’s been 10 years since Brittany’s murder, which is still unsolved. But Jean says investigators are closing in on the person they think is responsible.

“We’re hoping that in the next couple of months we’ll have some type of answers, not just for us but for all of our family, friends, and people that have wondered what has been going on for the last 10 years,” Jean said in an interview with WDLB AM-1450.

“Within the next couple of months, everyone will know who did it. I am not sure if we will ever know why, but I think that we will all know.”

The money raised from the event will help offset the day-to-day operations of MAPS, as the organization cares for animals found in the community. Those animals are cared for at a temporary facility, which was once an airport terminal, along West 29th Street.