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Woman Returns Home to Find Family's Beloved Tree Cut Down Without Warning. No One Will Tell Her Why (Exclusive) New Foto - Woman Returns Home to Find Family's Beloved Tree Cut Down Without Warning. No One Will Tell Her Why (Exclusive)

New Foto - Woman Returns Home to Find Family's Beloved Tree Cut Down Without Warning. No One Will Tell Her Why (Exclusive)

Courtesy of Brooke Brooke returned home to find her cherished family tree gone — cut down without warning, leaving only confusion and heartbreak The tree had stood for generations, a symbol of home and memory. Its sudden absence felt like a personal and emotional invasion, she says With no answers from the homeowners' association or neighbors, Brooke turned to TikTok — sparking an outpouring of support When Brooke left for work, she planned to return to the comfort of her childhood home, expecting to find everything just as she left it. Instead, a now-viral TikTokvideoshows the moment she pulled up to her house and was met with a jarring emptiness as she found the tree that had shaded her front door for generations was gone, cut down without warning and leaving only shock in its place. "I didn't even recognize my home. I drove down the street a couple of times and I'm like, what is going on?" Brooke tells PEOPLE. The tree had stood since her father was a child, a living memory woven into the fabric of their family's story. Coming home to the empty space was more than unsettling — it felt like an invasion. "Someone has not only invaded my privacy, they came into my property. They had to walk behind a gate to get into where the tree was," Brooke explains, still reeling from the violation. Brooke's emotional TikTok recounting the ordeal quickly resonated with viewers, many of whom saw themselves in her heartbreak. "To come back and see something that I have seen since I was a little girl just gone was absolutely insane," she says. The mystery of who cut down the tree only deepened her distress. "I've reached out to the HOA president, I've asked the neighbors, no one seems to know who cut down the tree or how this happened," Brooke shares. No one from the HOA, or local authorities, has offered any guidance, leaving Brooke feeling abandoned in her search for answers. "It's been a week and I haven't heard anything. That also has been a little frustrating," she admits. Courtesy of Brooke Brooke is adamant that there was no practical reason for the tree's removal. "We don't have any power lines or anything near us, so my thought is that it probably isn't that," she says, dismissing the idea that utility workers were responsible. The loss has rippled through Brooke's family, and they share her sense of shock and sadness. "I think they were like, 'Whoa, okay, before you freak out, let's try to figure this out,' " Brooke recalls. But as the reality set in, her family realized the magnitude of what had been lost. "They realized they didn't just trim the tree. They totally cut it down," Brooke tells PEOPLE. For Brooke's father, the impact is especially poignant. "This is a home where he grew up in and his dad, who's no longer with us, grew up in, and to have that tree just gone, I think that has caused a lot of hurt," she shares. The absence of the tree has changed how Brooke feels about her home and neighborhood, too. "I don't want to say I don't feel safe, but I feel I'm a little more hesitant," she admits, describing the vulnerability that now lingers every time she steps outside. "That outside area was a place for me to just have a moment ... Not only that, it covered a big spot of my window. So now you can directly see into my home, which you couldn't before," Brooke says. Despite the heartbreak, Brooke has found unexpected comfort in the outpouring of support from the online community. "My next thing is going to find out how to make the tree regrow," she says, inspired by the advice and encouragement from strangers who became allies. She's also begun researching her rights, determined to seek justice for her tree. "Even living in an HOA, no matter the bylaws, they have to give you notice to cut down a tree, whether it's trimming, cutting it down, any sort on your property, they have to let you know, which they didn't," Brooke shares. But without knowing who's responsible, she's stuck in limbo, unable to pursue legal action or seek compensation. "It feels like I can't go forward and there's nothing I can really do until I figure out who did it," she says, contemplating hiring an arborist to assess the damage and help her plan next steps. Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE's free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Courtesy of Brooke Brooke hopes her story will remind others of the importance of trees in our lives and communities. "I just think that we are in an environmental crisis and trees are important. So I think everyone should be crying over trees and if trees are getting cut down ... it just can be really bare and really just blah," she notes. For her, trees are "living, breathing things" that bring life and healing to the spaces we inhabit. As she reflects on the outpouring of support, Brooke is grateful for the kindness of strangers. "Just to see this community come together about a tree, about something that's really important to me, just felt really amazing," she says. Brooke's journey is far from over, but she's determined to turn her pain into purpose. "I just want people to feel like they can feel their emotions and there are people that want to help others and uplift others, and that this world is not just so dog eat dog," she shares. Read the original article onPeople