Background: News footage of the scene in Vass, N.C. on Feb. 14 (WRAL). Inset (left): Matthew Wade (Facebook). Inset (center): Katya Tovmash (GoFundMe). Inset (right): Caleb Fosnaugh (Moore County Sheriff”s Office).
The Moore County Sheriff’s Office, responding to an early morning call reporting gunfire, discovered the lifeless bodies of 28-year-old Matthew Wade and 21-year-old Katya Tovmash at a residence. Both victims had been fatally shot, leading to a swift investigation that pointed to Fosnaugh, who had a prior relationship with Tovmash.
Fosnaugh’s capture came later the same day, as law enforcement tracked him down to Ohio. The authorities confirmed that he and Tovmash had previously been involved romantically while residing in Ohio. The sheriff’s office utilized social media to announce updates, maintaining public awareness about the developing case.
Following his arrest, further details emerged about the victims. Matthew Wade, an active-duty soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, had only recently begun dating Tovmash. According to Wade’s family and local news outlet WRAL, they were living together in Vass. Tovmash, a Ukrainian refugee, had been living with some of her younger siblings, whom she helped care for after they fled Ukraine about two years ago.
The Charlotte Observer revealed that these siblings shared the home with Tovmash, although the sheriff’s office has yet to verify whether they were present during the shooting. This heartbreaking incident has not only devastated families but also cast a shadow over a day typically associated with love and celebration.
The Charlotte Observer reported that Tovmash was also living with and raising some of her younger siblings after her family fled from Ukraine two years ago. The sheriff’s office did not confirm family accounts that some of those siblings were in the house at the time of the shooting.
A friend of Tovmash’s family started a GoFundMe page to raise money for her funeral.
Fosnaugh remains in the custody of the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio. He is expected to be extradited to Moore County to face charges for two counts of murder and one count of breaking and entering.
