Community mourns slain PennWest student

Fundraisers have been set up to aid the family and to create a scholarship in memory of Karoline Heintz.

Support is pouring in for the family of Karoline Heintz after the 18-year-old PennWest California soccer player was found stabbed to death early Thursday morning.

Heintz’s family released a statement Friday through the Pennsylvania State Police conveying that they are going through “a parent’s worst nightmare.”

“It has been devastating for family, friends, and the whole community,” the statement read. “Karoline was loved by all. She was a kind, smart, beautiful girl. We want justice for our ‘sweet’ Karoline. Please respect our privacy as we grieve.”

A support registry has been established for the Heintz family where people can donate money, send meals or lend a hand in other ways. It can be found at www.supportnow. org/the-heintz-family.

Another fundraiser was set up in Heintz’s honor on GoFundme to help ensure that her memory makes a difference for others.

Donations will be dedicated to establishing a scholarship in her name and supporting organizations that work to prevent domestic abuse and assist those affected by it.

Karoline Heintz
Photo by Cal U Athletics

“Karoline was a beloved daughter, sister, family member, friend, classmate, and teammate whose life touched so many people,” the fundraiser states. “We hope that through these efforts, Karoline’s legacy will provide opportunities for young people in the years ahead while also helping individuals and families affected by domestic violence.”

The GoFundme page, which had raised more than $22,000 of its $40,000 goal late Friday night, can be found at:

www.gofundme.com/f/in-memory-of-karoline-heintz-building-a-legacy-of-hope

Suspects remain in jail

Police released no new information Friday about the final moments before, they allege, Royce Moser was overcome by a “demon” and stabbed Heintz, his girlfriend, in the chest.

Moser, 18, of North Strabane, was held without bail Friday on homicide and related charges at Washington County Prison, court records show.

His mother, Rachel Moser, also remained in jail on a felony charge of hindering apprehension and misdemeanor counts of tampering with evidence, obstructing authorities and abusing a corpse.

The 56-year-old Beallsville resident had few previous run-ins with police — and their severity paled in comparison to Thursday’s charges, according to court records. Her criminal history includes a 2024 guilty plea to a summary count of disorderly conduct, court records show. Before that, police fined her three times for driving without a valid inspection sticker.

Police were quick Friday to remind Washington County residents that there was no threat to the general public.

“All of the actors involved in the incident are in custody and have been charged,” California Police Chief Jim Smith told TribLive Friday afternoon.

Details of the crime

A police complaint filed late Thursday laid out in graphic detail how Heintz was killed.

Her father, Jerad Heintz, told police that Karoline left his home in Peters Township around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday with possible plans to go to Target before heading back to her dorm room.

He checked his daughter’s location on his phone and saw that she had stopped at her boyfriend’s house in North Strabane. After about 30 minutes, she began traveling on Route 40 toward Scenery Hill.

After failed attempts to reach her, Karoline’s family called California Borough police and told them an Apple Airtag in her vehicle showed she was in a parking lot in California.

Police found Heintz’s body around 12:25 a.m. Thursday inside a parked vehicle near California Area Public Library.

She had been stabbed in the chest, police said, and there was fresh grass on her body and her mouth.

Surveillance footage recovered as part of the investigation showed Moser driving Heintz’s vehicle near where the body was discovered, the complaint said.

Police also said Moser could be seen in the video wearing blue latex gloves while driving the vehicle, and that he was following another vehicle being driven by his mother, who was also wearing gloves.

Both Royce and Rachel Moser were later found at her residence in Beallsville, police said.

Royce Moser told police that Heintz arrived at his house around 10:15 p.m. Wednesday, and she spoke with him while sitting in her car in the driveway.

After Moser “got angry by something (Karoline) said to him,” then “told her ‘wait, I have something for you,’” the complaint said. He went inside the home and retrieved a knife.

Royce Moser told police he didn’t remember what the couple was discussing in Heintz’s Jeep late Wednesday night.

“During the conversation, he got angry by something she said to him, but he could not remember what,” police wrote in a criminal complaint. “He then had a ‘demon take over’ him and tell him to stab Karoline.”

More tributes and memorials

Heintz’s death lingered over Penn West’s campus as students began trickling into their dorm rooms this weekend, preparing for classes to start Monday.

PennWest spokeswoman Wendy Mackall said the school community is mourning what would have been one of its newest students. The university’s counseling center is offering support.

“We extend our deepest condolences to all who knew and loved her, and we will hold them close in our thoughts during the difficult days ahead,” Mackall said.

“FOREVER A VULCAN,” a handwritten note read Friday at a makeshift memorial to Heintz outside California Borough library, in the parking lot where her car was found. A nearby flagpole was flanked with roses and carnations in shades of red, white and peach.

Meals on Wheels of Elizabeth Forward, where the Heintz family served as volunteers, posted on Facebook they were deeply saddened by the murder.

“May (the family) find comfort and the love of family and friends as they grieve their loss,” the post said. “May they find strength in times of weakness, and courage to face the future. God be with them.”

The Peters Township field hockey team that Heintz was part of paid tribute to her on Instagram, saying she brought comfort, laughter and joy to the people around her.

“To know Karoline, is to love her,” the post said. “She was kind-hearted, sweet, hardworking and beautiful inside and out. She was the kind of friend and teammate you could always count on, and someone that was always there for you, always in your corner and always ready to cheer you on.”

Heintz also played for Victory Soccer Club in Washington, which posted photos on social media welcoming her to the team in March. In a social media video posted from the team’s first practice, Heintz said she was most excited to make new friends during the soccer season.

On Thursday, the account shared photos of Heintz accompanied by the caption “Rest Easy Karoline” and a message that they were mourning her loss.

The California Vulcans athletics page and the PSAC created a joint Instagram post saying that Heintz was a bright and kind young woman who will always remain in their hearts.

PennWest women’s soccer also took to Instagram to pay its respects to the Heintz family. They said Karoline was a happy, bubbly teammate who was always smiling on and off the field.

“There are no words to describe the immense pain and sorrow we feel from the loss of our friend and teammate, Karoline,” the post read. “She is so much more than what happened to her, and we want to honor and focus on who she was as a person — she was a beautiful soul.”

A vigil for Heintz will take place at 6 p.m. Sunday at Trinity United Methodist Church, located at 530 Center Church Road in McMurray.

TribLive contributed to this story.