Woman stabbed to death in an Orange County home was housekeeper for suspect, sheriff says

HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Hillsborough man accused of fatally stabbing his longtime housekeeper was captured in Virginia just hours after deputies discovered the crime, but a motive is not yet known, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said deputies responded Friday to a home on Running Pine Court, where they found 54-year-old Paula Floyd dead from stab wounds.

Investigators said Floyd worked as a longtime housekeeper for 53-year-old Matthew Vukmer, who lived at the home.

Authorities say Vukmer's wife called police after hearing a commotion between the two. When she went to check, she found Floyd lying on the floor. By that time, investigators say Vukmer had fled.

Within about five hours, members of the U.S. Marshals Service's Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force found Vukmer across state lines in Virginia. Blackwood said investigators tracked him to a vacation cabin near Galax, Virginia, connected to the suspect.

"This individual was found through good old-fashioned police work, boots on the ground and asking the questions that needed to be asked," Blackwood said.

Neighbors in the quiet Hillsborough community said the violence has left them stunned.

Mark Zack said he heard a truck leaving the neighborhood at a high rate of speed Friday morning, something he said was not unusual for his neighbor. Learning that the house was now the center of a homicide investigation came as a shock.

"Knowing Matt and talking with him as we're doing yardwork over the years, nothing about him indicated he would do anything like this," Zack said.

Another neighbor, Rob Minton, said the incident felt out of place in the neighborhood.

"It's totally out of place for this community," Minton said.

Investigators say they have not yet determined a motive.

"When you hear 'I don't know why this happened,' you think there's got to be more to that," Blackwood said. "But we don't see that there is."

Online fundraising efforts describe Floyd as someone deeply loved by family and friends. Blackwood said the Durham resident was a wife and mother whose death has deeply affected those who knew her.

The sheriff said he also received a call from former Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews, who attended church with Floyd.

"They talked about what a wonderful person she was. She was someone who touched many lives," Blackwood said. "It's a shame she lost her life in this way. She certainly leaves behind a legacy of goodness."

Vukmer is facing a murder charge in North Carolina and a fugitive from justice charge in Virginia. He is awaiting extradition back to North Carolina, a process that could take several weeks.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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