CALIFORNIA, PA — Authorities in southwestern Pennsylvania have charged an 18-year-old college student and his mother in the stabbing death of his girlfriend after police say they found the victim’s body in her vehicle and later uncovered an alleged effort to hide evidence.
Royce Moser, of North Strabane Township, is charged with homicide in the death of Karoline Heintz, a PennWest California University student whose body was found Aug. 20 after she did not return to campus. Police say Moser told investigators he became enraged during an argument in her vehicle and then heard a “demon” tell him to stab her.
His mother, Rachel Moser, is accused of helping him cover up the killing. The pair had a preliminary hearing Tuesday, and both remain jailed without bail in Washington County.
Bodycam footage shows officers finding Heintz unresponsive in the Jeep
California, Pennsylvania, police released 37 minutes of body-worn camera video Thursday showing the moment an officer approached Heintz’s Jeep in the dark and tried to determine what had happened inside. The footage shows the officer shining a light through the rear window, then calling for help after spotting an unconscious woman.
In the video, the officer requests emergency medical services and says there is “blood everywhere.” Another voice over the radio asks whether the woman is breathing, and the officer answers no. Sirens can be heard in the background as the officer breaks two windows to reach into the vehicle.
The bodycam release gives a stark look at the discovery that led investigators to Moser and his mother. Police have not said that emergency responders were able to revive Heintz. The video also helped establish the timeline after her father reported her missing and asked police to locate her vehicle.
Police say Moser described an argument, then a sudden attack
According to a criminal complaint and affidavit, Moser told investigators that he and Heintz argued while sitting in her car in his driveway. He allegedly said he then went into his home, got a knife and returned to the vehicle.
Police say he told Heintz, “wait, I have something for you,” before the stabbing. The affidavit says Heintz fell out of the vehicle after being attacked and that Moser placed her in the back hatch before moving into the driver’s seat.
Investigators say Moser then asked his mother to follow him to PennWest California University so he could leave the vehicle there. That sequence, if accurate, placed the campus less than a cover story and more like the final stop in a suspected attempt to distance himself from the killing. Moser’s lawyer has declined to comment on the charges.
An AirTag in the vehicle helped police trace Heintz’s last movements
Heintz’s father contacted police after she failed to return to campus and asked officers to search for her vehicle. According to the criminal complaint, an AirTag inside the car showed the Jeep in a parking lot, which helped officers zero in on its location.
The tracking device also showed that Heintz had been at Moser’s home earlier, investigators said. Police later found her body in the vehicle, a grim confirmation of the family’s fears after she did not make it back to the college.
That digital trail became one of the clearest pieces of evidence in the early stages of the case. It tied the victim to Moser’s home before her disappearance was fully understood and gave officers a way to connect the campus search to a specific vehicle and address.
Investigators say Rachel Moser helped clean up and destroy evidence
Police later located Royce Moser and Rachel Moser at Rachel Moser’s home in Beallsville. In the affidavit, investigators say the older Moser told her son to bathe and change clothes, then put the clothing into a washing machine.
Authorities also say she took the knife used in the killing, placed it in a garbage bag and tried to throw it away outside her house. Investigators recovered the weapon after getting a search warrant, according to the affidavit.
The charges against both include tampering with evidence, abuse of a corpse and obstruction of justice. Rachel Moser, 56, also faces accusations of hindering the apprehension of a fugitive and criminal use of a communication device. Police say the combined allegations point to a coordinated effort to hide what had happened after the stabbing.
The family seeks privacy as the case moves toward arraignment
Heintz’s family issued a statement asking for privacy as they grieve her death. They described the loss as a parent’s worst nightmare and said the impact has spread beyond the family to friends and the wider community.
They also remembered Karoline Heintz as kind, smart and beautiful, and said they want justice for their daughter. The statement underscores the emotional toll of a case that has drawn attention not only because of the accusations, but because of the alleged explanation Moser gave in court papers.
Royce Moser and Rachel Moser are scheduled to return to court for a formal arraignment on Oct. 13. Until then, both remain in the Washington County jail as the homicide case and the related charges continue to move forward.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
