Authorities say Paula Floyd was stabbed inside a Hillsborough-area home where she had long worked.
HILLSBOROUGH, N.C. — A woman’s 911 call from her desk at a Hillsborough-area home has become a key account in the murder case against her husband, Matthew Jared Vukmer, who is accused of fatally stabbing longtime housekeeper Paula Tilley Floyd.
The call placed Floyd’s death inside a home where investigators say she had worked for years. It also gave authorities their first report that Vukmer, 53, had left the house after the stabbing. Deputies found Floyd, 54, dead from stab wounds March 6 at the Running Pine Court residence, and Vukmer was arrested that evening in Virginia.
Vukmer’s wife told the dispatcher she had been working at her desk when she heard a fall or commotion elsewhere in the home. She went to check and found Floyd on the floor. In the call, she said her husband had been upstairs, heard someone and came down before attacking the housekeeper. “He attacked our cleaning lady because he thought she was someone else,” she said, according to audio described by local outlets. She also said Floyd was a friend of theirs. The call did not explain who Vukmer allegedly believed Floyd to be, and investigators have not publicly said they know what led to the stabbing.
The call continued as the wife stayed near Floyd and tried to describe what had happened. A male voice could be heard in the background making a reference to Vladimir Putin, according to reports that reviewed the audio. The wife interrupted him and remained on the line with the dispatcher. She then said Vukmer had gotten into his truck. At that point, she said she thought he might have been going to get help. Investigators later said Vukmer left the home in a dark Ford Super Duty, setting off a search that crossed state lines before the end of the day.
Orange County deputies were sent to the home southeast of downtown Hillsborough on March 6 and found Floyd dead. Sheriff’s investigators identified her as Vukmer’s longtime housekeeper and obtained a first-degree murder charge against him. The sheriff’s office released his name, age, description and vehicle information while looking for him. Officials said he should be considered dangerous and might still have a knife or another weapon. The search notice said he was about 5 feet 11 inches tall, had no facial hair and had last been seen in a dark T-shirt and green shorts. The truck was listed with a North Carolina plate.
By about 5:15 p.m. that same day, the search had reached Grayson County, Virginia. An Orange County investigator assigned to the U.S. Marshals Carolina Regional Fugitive Task Force worked with the Capital Area Regional Task Force there to take Vukmer into custody. Sheriff Charles Blackwood said after the arrest that investigators had moved quickly with help from federal partners. He said Floyd’s relatives and friends had suffered a “life-shattering event” and that authorities continued to offer condolences. Vukmer declined to speak with investigators and requested an attorney, according to the sheriff’s office. His truck was to be towed back to Orange County for processing.
For weeks after his arrest, Vukmer remained in Virginia while North Carolina authorities sought his return. On April 6, he waived extradition in Grayson County, allowing officers to bring him back to Orange County. He was later formally served with the murder charge issued March 6. A magistrate ordered him held without bond, a step authorities described as standard in a case involving a charge of that severity. He is now held at the Orange County Detention Center. Public reports have not shown a plea, and it was not clear whether an attorney had publicly responded to the allegations on his behalf.
The court case changed again April 21, when Orange County District Attorney Jeff Nieman announced prosecutors would not seek the death penalty. The decision does not reduce the murder charge but removes capital punishment as a possible sentence. The case remains a first-degree murder prosecution, and prosecutors can continue seeking a conviction that would carry severe penalties under North Carolina law. The decision also gives Floyd’s family and the defense a clearer view of the path ahead, though the timeline for hearings, evidence disputes and a possible trial has not been fully set in public court reports.
Floyd’s family and friends have spoken about her as more than a worker who came into the home. Sheriff Blackwood said Floyd was a wife and mother and that her death had a deep impact on people who knew her. He said former Durham County Sheriff Mike Andrews, who attended church with Floyd, described her as someone who touched many lives. Her obituary called her a lifelong member of the community and said she had a gift for keeping joy alive even when life was heavy. Family members also remembered her love of dancing, board games and the people who gathered around her.
The case now stands on two public tracks: the evidence gathered from the home and the statements made in the 911 call, and the formal prosecution moving through Orange County court. Investigators have not publicly named a motive, and the next key developments are expected through court filings and hearings.
Author note: Last updated April 28, 2026.