Ukrainian Refugee’s Family Decides to Bury Her in the U.S.

The family of a Ukrainian refugee who was tragically murdered has decided that her body will remain in the United States because she “loved America.”

Iryna Zarutska was violently stabbed in August while traveling on a light rail train in Charlotte, North Carolina. The suspect, 34-year-old DeCarlos Brown Jr., has a history of violent offenses, making this incident particularly alarming.

Zarutska had relocated from Ukraine to escape the turmoil following Russia’s invasion, having spent time in a bomb shelter during that crisis. In Charlotte, she worked at a pizza restaurant and often used the train after her shifts.

Las Ferguson, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, spoke at a press conference, mentioning that Zarutska secured a job on her very first day of receiving her work permit. “She was determined to start her new life here,” he emphasized.

Despite an FBI agent offering to repatriate Zarutska’s body, her family insists on burying her in the U.S., stating that she “loved America.”

“She loved America. We’re going to bury her here,” they told the agent.

The Justice Department has directed legal actions against Brown, who is a repeat offender with an extensive criminal record, for the murder of 23-year-old Zarutska.

Attorney General Pam Bondi remarked that Zarutska was a young woman pursuing the American dream, lamenting that her brutal murder underscores the failures of a lenient crime policy that endangers innocent lives.

“I’ve overseen federal prosecution for DeCarlos Brown Jr., a recurring, violent criminal,” Bondi noted, highlighting the ongoing issues with violent crime and public safety.