Phone records and location data outlined the hours surrounding Karoline Heintz’s death as prosecutors secured another charge against a suspect’s mother.
WASHINGTON, Pa. — Text messages, internet searches, GPS records and surveillance footage formed a digital trail prosecutors used Tuesday to reconstruct the hours surrounding the death of 18-year-old PennWest California student Karoline Heintz and the alleged actions of her boyfriend and his mother afterward.
The evidence emerged during a preliminary hearing for Royce Moser, 18, and his mother, Rachel Moser, 56. Royce Moser is charged with criminal homicide and related offenses in Heintz’s Aug. 19 death. Rachel Moser faces charges alleging that she helped her son conceal evidence and avoid detection. A judge ordered all charges to proceed and prosecutors added a criminal use of a communications facility charge against Rachel Moser during the hearing.
Investigators used messages between Royce Moser and Heintz to describe their contact before she arrived at his North Strabane Township home. A detective testified that Moser asked Heintz to stop at the house and exchanged several messages with her before an eight-minute phone call. GPS information showed Heintz’s phone arriving at the residence about 9:46 p.m., where authorities say she remained for about 30 minutes.
State police allege Royce Moser became angry during a conversation with Heintz, went inside the house for a kitchen knife and returned to her vehicle before stabbing her. Trooper Jessica Bishop testified that Moser later described what happened during an interview with investigators. Authorities allege he placed Heintz in the rear cargo area of her Jeep. The allegations have not been proven at trial.
Phone records then became part of the prosecution’s effort to show how the case moved from the alleged killing to an attempted cleanup. Bishop testified that Royce Moser made several calls to his mother, including one lasting about 10 minutes. According to the trooper’s testimony, he told Rachel Moser he had stabbed Heintz and that she was in the Jeep as he drove toward his mother’s home in Beallsville.
Location evidence indicated the Jeep reached Rachel Moser’s home before 11 p.m. Prosecutors allege the vehicle was pulled into a garage and cleaned with disinfectant. Royce Moser told investigators that his mother gave him latex gloves and later led him in another vehicle toward California Borough, according to testimony. Authorities say surveillance cameras, GPS information and license plate readers helped document that trip.
The Jeep was eventually left in a Wood Street parking area near the California Area Public Library. Heintz’s family had grown concerned when she did not return to the PennWest campus and used location information to help find the vehicle. California Borough police responded and discovered Heintz in the cargo area after an officer noticed blood on the Jeep, according to hearing testimony.
Prosecutors also focused on internet searches recovered from Royce Moser’s phone. Investigators testified that searches made during the hours after the alleged killing asked what could remove fingerprints from objects and how long Ring doorbell cameras retain recordings. Other searches dealt with murder, claims about demonic control and whether an 18-year-old could receive the death penalty.
The searches were among more than 32 pieces of evidence presented at the hearing. Prosecutors also called six witnesses and introduced evidence recovered during searches of property connected to the defendants. Testimony described blue latex gloves, clothing in a washing machine and a knife found at Rachel Moser’s residence. A forensic investigator testified that DNA found on the knife matched Heintz.
The new communications charge against Rachel Moser adds to allegations that she hindered apprehension, tampered with evidence, obstructed authorities and abused a corpse. Prosecutors have not publicly established at trial what role each phone call or digital record will ultimately play in proving those charges. The preliminary hearing determined only whether sufficient evidence existed for the case to advance.
Heintz, a recent Peters Township High School graduate, was preparing to begin her freshman year at PennWest California and was a member of the university’s women’s soccer program. Her death prompted vigils and memorial efforts in the surrounding community while investigators continued building the criminal case.
Royce and Rachel Moser remain held without bond in the Washington County Jail. Their formal arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 13, when the cases will continue in Washington County court. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Author note: Last updated Sept. 2, 2026.