A quiet North Carolina neighborhood was shaken after a longtime housekeeper was found fatally stabbed inside a home where she worked, and the man accused of the crime was captured hours later in another state.
Authorities say 54-year-old Paula Floyd was discovered dead Friday inside a residence on Running Pine Court in Hillsborough, a small town in Orange County. According to investigators, Floyd had worked for the homeowner, 53-year-old Matthew Vukmer, as a housekeeper for years.
The grim discovery was made after Vukmer’s wife reportedly heard a disturbance inside the home and went to investigate. When she entered the room, she found Floyd on the floor suffering from stab wounds. By the time deputies arrived, the suspect had already fled the scene, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies quickly launched a search, and within about five hours, authorities located Vukmer across state lines in Virginia. Members of the U.S. Marshals Service Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force tracked him to a cabin near Galax, Virginia, that investigators say was connected to him.
Sheriff Charles Blackwood praised the coordinated effort that led to the arrest, saying investigators relied on traditional investigative work to locate the suspect.
“This individual was found through good old-fashioned police work,” Blackwood said, noting that authorities worked quickly to follow leads and track the suspect’s movements.
Vukmer was taken into custody and is now facing a murder charge in North Carolina, along with a fugitive from justice charge in Virginia while he awaits extradition back to North Carolina. Officials say that process could take several weeks.
For residents of the quiet Hillsborough community, the violent incident has come as a shock.
Neighbors described the neighborhood as typically peaceful and said the news of a homicide investigation nearby was difficult to process. One neighbor told local reporters he heard a vehicle speeding away from the area the morning the crime occurred but initially thought little of it.
Investigators say they have not yet determined a motive for the stabbing, and the case remains under active investigation.
Meanwhile, those who knew Paula Floyd are remembering her as a kind and caring person whose life touched many others.
Sheriff Blackwood said Floyd was a wife and mother who was deeply loved by her family and friends. He also noted that former Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews, who attended church with Floyd, reached out to express his condolences and share memories of her character.
“She was someone who touched many lives,” Blackwood said, describing Floyd as a person who left behind a “legacy of goodness.”
As the investigation continues, authorities are working to determine what led to the fatal encounter inside the home.
