A Ukrainian refugee, Kateryna Tovmash, and her boyfriend were killed in the United States. The suspect shot them on the night of February 14 inside a private home.
Investigation Details
Police confirmed the deaths of the couple. According to investigators, the suspect is Kateryna’s former boyfriend, Caleb Hayden Fosnaugh.
After arriving from Ohio to North Carolina, he allegedly broke into the house during the night. Kateryna’s younger siblings were inside at the time: two school-aged girls and a six-year-old boy. Reports say the man woke the children up and ordered the youngest to show him the way to Kateryna’s room. He then fired several shots. Kateryna Tovmash and her partner died at the scene.
Kateryna was 21 years old, and her boyfriend was 28. She was originally from Bila Tserkva in the Kyiv region and had lived in the United States for about two years.
“On February 14, 2026, at approximately 7:45 a.m., Moore County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a report of a shooting at a residence on Daphne Lane in Vass and located two individuals deceased inside the home. Later that day, Caleb Fosnaugh was taken into custody in Ohio following coordination between Moore County investigators and partnering law enforcement agencies,” police said.
Fosnaugh fled the crime scene but later law enforcement arrested him. Authorities charged Fosnaugh with breaking and entering and double first-degree murder.
Statement from the Victim’s Brother
Mykhailo Tovmash, Kateryna’s brother, wrote about her death in an Instagram post. He emphasized that this is not the first time Ukrainian women who fled the war died in case of murder in the United States.
“A refugee who fled the war in Ukraine seeking safety in the United States, was murdered in her own home in North Carolina. This is a second time for the past year, when a Ukrainian woman who is a refugee and is hiding for safety in North Carolina, gets murdered by a man,” Mykhailo wrote.
Previous Killing of a Ukrainian Refugee in the US
In the same state, another Ukrainian refugee, Iryna Zarutska, became a victim of murder in August 2025. The attack took place in the Charlotte metro system. Officers arrested the suspect shortly after the killing. His name was Decarlos Brown Jr., who was previously under arrest for theft and armed robbery. He had served time for illegally possessing a weapon capable of causing fatal injuries. In January, the court released the suspect under a “written promise” to appear in court when required. Before that, he got schizophrenia as a diagnosis.
Earlier, The Ukrainian Review reported on the status of Ukrainian refugees in EU countries. In Poland has extended temporary protection status until June 2026. The Netherlands offers working Ukrainian refugees a three-year residency perspective, while Germany provides a less stable outlook for the future.
