A tragic incident unfolded in North Carolina when a Ukrainian refugee and her partner were brutally killed on Valentine’s Day by a jealous former boyfriend, in the presence of her younger siblings, according to police reports.
Kateryna Tovmash, known as Kate in the U.S., aged 21, and her boyfriend Matthew Wade, a 28-year-old U.S. soldier stationed at Fort Bragg, were discovered deceased in her Vass apartment early on Saturday morning, around 7:45 a.m., as reported by Moore County deputies.
Caleb Fosnaugh, 25, the ex-boyfriend, was apprehended hours later in Ohio following a routine traffic stop conducted by state troopers, according to the Coshocton County Sheriff’s Office in Ohio.
The arrest was made after the Moore County Sheriff’s Office notified Ohio authorities regarding the double homicide, prompting swift action to apprehend the alleged perpetrator.
Fosnaugh faces multiple charges, including breaking and entering, along with two counts of murder.
Authorities allege that Fosnaugh drove approximately seven hours from Ohio to force his way into Tovmash’s apartment, where she was looking after her younger siblings, before making his way back to Ohio.
The young children then let Fosnaugh into the house, not knowing what terror was going to face them as their sister was killed in front of them, WRAL reports.
‘He forced one of our siblings to wake her, then shot her in her bed, taking her life,’ Tovmash’s brother, Misha, shared in a heartbreaking Instagram post. ‘He also shot her boyfriend, who was sleeping next to her.’
The grisly scene unfolded right in front of Tovmash’s six-year-old brother, her friend, Kirill Pryshchepchuk said.
Kateryna Tovmash, 21, who went by Kate in the US, and her boyfriend, Matthew Wade, 28, who was stationed at Fort Bragg, were found dead inside her apartment in the small town of Vass at around 7.45am on Saturday
Tovmash’s ex-boyfriend Caleb Fosnaugh, 25, is now facing charges in connection with their double homicide
He described to WBNS how he and Tovmash grew up together in Ukraine, and she moved to the United States to flee the war – with her parents and five younger siblings eventually following.
‘She came here because of the war, to hide from death and the danger,’ Pryshchepchuk said. ‘She came here with family.’
‘This is not normal.’
The longtime friend also told WRAL how Tovmash was happy living in the United States, where she played the piano, traveled and loved taking photographs.
She also spent her time caring for her youngest siblings, he said.
‘That’s one thing that she always was doing,’ Pryshchepchuk said. ‘And even, I know in the church, or anywhere, if we had new babies or new kids, she’d be like “Alright, give it to me. It’s mine. I’m gonna be with the kid.”‘
Tovmash was a devout Mormon, and her father and her brothers are living in Utah, where Misha said he was attending a state wrestling competition when he received the harrowing news.
He shared on Instagram how he was staying at a hotel for the competition along with his teammates, and woke up to see ‘multiple missed calls from my youngest sister, older brother and my dad.’
Tovmash was described as a devout Mormon who fled the war in Ukraine for a better life in the United States
‘I started worrying, so I texted my brother,’ Misha recounted. ‘As soon as I reach the door to leave my room, my dad rings my phone. He said, “Misha,” and then started crying. He continued, “Kate was shot dead. I’m so sorry I couldn’t save her, I’m so sorry.”
‘I fell to the floor in the hallway, speechless at what he has just said,’ Misha wrote.
Soon, he said, his older brother called him back and started to cry.
‘At that point, I was crying as well,’ Misha said, noting that his brother asked him to pray for Kateryna.
‘I listened to my brother. I sat down at the end of the hall, on my knees, and started weeping. I couldn’t have imagined that I ever [had] to hear that terrible news.’
‘A refugee who fled the war in Ukraine seeking safety in the United States was murdered in her own home in North Carolina,’ he continued.
‘This is the second time [this] past year when a Ukrainian woman who is a refugee and is hiding for safety in North Carolina gets murdered by a man,’ Misha noted, following the stabbing death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska in August.
Tovmash’s family now wishes to bury her in Utah, and friends are helping raise money online to help transport her remains and pay for her services
But Misha said he now wants to focus on Kateryna’s life, noting: ‘As long as I can remember, she has always been there for me. Luckily, she was in my life ever since I was born.
‘As much as I can be mad, upset and wroth with God about what happened, I am thankful the murderer didn’t touch any of my younger siblings who were at the house during that time,’ he continued.
‘I know I will see her again. Rest in peace, Kate.’
The family is now working to bury Kateryna in Utah, and friends are helping raise money online to help transport her remains and pay for her services. As of Monday night, the GoFundMe raised over $20,200.
Meanwhile, Fosnaugh is now being held at the Coshocton County Jail without bond.
It remains unclear when he will be extradited to North Carolina to face charges, WBTV reports.
‘This is a tragic and senseless loss of life,’ Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields said. ‘Our hearts go out to the families of the victims during this difficult time.’
He added that he is ‘grateful for the swift coordination and assistance from our law enforcement partners in bringing [Fosnaugh] into custody.’
