"I don't have any tears anymore. I haven't eaten all day. It's just really, really hard," said Cristofer Puente-Mendoza, the husband of the victim, Jylin Matute-Ayala.
Puente-Mendoza told ABC11 of how he's struggling with grief. While he was in Durham, she texted him Monday morning as she was leaving their home on Walden Drive to drive to work.
"And then, she, all she said was, 'I love you, in Spanish. And I said, OK, and then, I love you, too. And then after that, I get no calls, no, nothing."
Only minutes later, police were called to a shooting on Topeka Street. That's where they found Matute-Ayala shot dead in the street. Investigators said the assailant had also initially driven off with her car but then left the car nearby.
"I really can't, you know, point any fingers at anybody because she really didn't have no problems with nobody," Puente-Mendoza said. "She knew better. She was sweet. Everybody loved her."
He also said it's strange his wife ended up in that neighborhood, as it's in the opposite direction of her job. The police department said this is the fifth homicide in Fayetteville only 15 days into the year. Fayetteville only had three homicides for the first quarter of 2024.
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In another case, a 25-year-old woman last seen Jan 4 getting into a car was later found dead. Another homicide case involved a fiancé charged with first-degree murder in a 24-year-old woman's death. And finally, in another notable incident, a man was charged with killing his mother.
Assistant Police Chief Christopher Joyce said the department is actively investigating.
"It doesn't bring that family member back, and we completely understand that, but we hope it gives them some comfort in knowing that we are still following up on it until we can get the person in custody responsible," Joyce said.
Fayetteville police also asked anyone who knew Matute-Ayala and what her day-to-day life was like here in the city to contact the department. They say that can help fill in many of the missing puzzle pieces in this investigation.
Crimestoppers information can be submitted electronically.