BREAKING: Iryna Zarutska’s Final Hours: Surveillance Captures Her Leaving Work with a Mysterious Box, Missing from the Crime Scene

In the soft glow of Zepeddie’s Pizzeria’s neon sign, 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska clocked out of her evening shift at 7:38 p.m. on August 22, 2025, her laughter lingering with coworkers as she grabbed her jacket and a small, unmarked box from behind the counter. Surveillance footage, newly obtained from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD), shows her cradling the package—roughly the size of a book, wrapped in plain brown paper—as she stepped into the humid North Carolina night. Hours later, she would be fatally stabbed on the Lynx Blue Line, her blood staining the train floor. But that box, so carefully held in her final moments at work, was never recovered at the crime scene, sparking fresh questions in a case already steeped in heartbreak and mystery.

The revelation comes as authorities continue to piece together the senseless murder of Iryna, a Ukrainian refugee whose dreams of a new life in America were cut short by Decarlos Brown Jr., a 34-year-old drifter now facing federal and state charges for her death. The missing box, described by coworkers as “something she seemed excited about,” has ignited speculation online and among investigators. Was it a personal item, a gift, or something tied to the attack? The absence of the box—coupled with Iryna’s chilling, two-second final call to her boyfriend Alexei Novak, in which she gasped “Run”—deepens the enigma surrounding her last hours.

A Routine Shift, an Unusual Exit

Zepeddie’s Pizzeria, a cozy haunt on South Boulevard known for its wood-fired pies and community vibe, was Iryna’s second home. Having fled Kyiv’s war-torn streets in 2022, she found solace in the rhythm of kneading dough and sketching cartoon pizzas on napkins for amused customers. On August 22, coworkers recall her as buoyant, despite a grueling double shift. “She was humming some folk song, talking about a poetry slam she wanted to hit later,” said Maria Delgado, a fellow server, in a statement to CMPD. “When she clocked out, she grabbed this little box from her locker, hugged us, and said, ‘See you tomorrow.’ She was glowing.”

The pizzeria’s exterior camera, timestamped 7:39 p.m., captures Iryna exiting through the glass door, her backpack slung over one shoulder and the box tucked under her arm. The grainy footage shows her glancing at her phone—likely sending the 7:42 p.m. text to her mother in Kyiv: “Shift over! Heading home—miss you, Mama ❤️.” She then walks toward the East/West Boulevard Lynx station, a 10-minute stroll, where she would board the train that became her deathbed. The box, plain but distinct, is visible until she turns the corner. Yet, when police scoured the crime scene, the train, and the platform, no trace of it was found. “It’s as if it vanished,” a CMPD source close to the investigation told this outlet, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We’ve got no leads on what it was or where it went.”

The Box: A Clue or a Coincidence?

Theories about the box’s significance swirl across platforms like X, where #JusticeForIryna has trended for weeks. Some speculate it was a gift for Alexei, perhaps tied to their budding plans—she’d hinted at “big news” in texts that day. Others, fueled by true-crime forums, suggest it could have been a target, though no evidence links the box to Brown’s unprovoked attack. The assailant, apprehended with the bloodied knife, made no mention of a package in his incoherent rants about “cleansing the city.” His history of untreated schizophrenia and prior arrests points to a random act of violence, not a robbery gone wrong. Still, the box’s absence gnaws at Alexei, who learned of it only after police shared the footage with him last week.

“I keep thinking, what was in it? Why did she care so much about it?” Alexei said, his voice heavy with exhaustion, during an exclusive interview in his NoDa apartment. Surrounded by Iryna’s watercolors—vibrant dogwoods and serene cats—he clutched the ultrasound printout they’d never gotten to share. “She called me at 9:51, said ‘Run,’ and now this box… it’s like she’s still trying to tell me something.” The two-second call, confirmed by recently unsealed phone logs, remains his only clue to her final thoughts. Forensic analysis of the call, conducted by CMPD’s audio team, verifies the word “Run” amid static and a faint gurgle, suggesting Iryna was already gravely wounded when she dialed.

A Life Interrupted

Iryna’s journey to that fateful night was one of resilience. Born in Kyiv in 2002, she survived the 2014 Crimea annexation and the 2022 Russian invasion, restoring war-damaged art in bomb shelters before fleeing with her mother and siblings. In Charlotte, she rebuilt: studying at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, working at Zepeddie’s, and dreaming of veterinary school. Her love with Alexei, sparked at a community art workshop, was a quiet rebellion against her past—plans for a future filled with hikes, pierogies, and maybe a pet to call their own. “She’d sketch animals on everything,” Alexei recalled. “Napkins, receipts, my laptop. That box… maybe it was a sketchbook for her next project. Or something for us.”

The attack, captured on Lynx Blue Line surveillance, was brutal and swift. At 9:51 p.m., Brown rose from his seat, drew a pocketknife, and stabbed Iryna three times—in the neck, back, and shoulder—before fleeing at the next stop. She collapsed, blood pooling as she dialed Alexei, her phone slipping from her hand. The box, if she still carried it, was nowhere in the footage. Bystanders, paralyzed by shock or fear, failed to intervene; only Marcus Hale, a construction worker, tried to staunch the bleeding with his shirt. Paramedics pronounced her dead at 10:05 p.m. Brown, arrested on the platform muttering about “white girls,” faces life without parole or the death penalty under federal and state charges.

A City Seeks Answers

The missing box has reignited scrutiny of Charlotte’s transit safety. Governor Josh Stein, addressing the tragedy, promised 24/7 police patrols on the Lynx system, while CATS officials face lawsuits alleging lax security. “A young woman boards a train with her whole life ahead, and now we’re chasing ghosts of a box?” activist LaToya Freeman posted on X, echoing community frustration. Iryna’s family, particularly her mother Olena, who arrived from Ukraine post-funeral, clings to the mystery as a tether to her daughter. “She was always giving—sketches, smiles, hope,” Olena said through a translator. “That box was her heart, maybe. We need to know.”

Investigators are retracing Iryna’s steps, canvassing South Boulevard for additional footage and interviewing pizzeria staff. Was the box left behind? Stolen by a bystander? Dropped and overlooked? CMPD’s forensic team is analyzing her backpack, recovered bloodied but empty of any package. Online, amateur sleuths comb grainy stills, theorizing everything from a love letter to a relic from Ukraine. Yet, without concrete leads, the box risks becoming another unanswered question in a case that already haunts a city.

A Legacy Amid Loss

Alexei, grappling with the dual loss of Iryna and their unspoken future, has turned her art into a cause. Her watercolors now fund a scholarship for refugee artists, with a gallery show planned in Charlotte next month. Vigils continue, from Kyiv’s candlelit squares to the East/West Boulevard station, where sunflowers pile in her memory. The hashtag #WhatWasInTheBox trends alongside #JusticeForIryna, blending grief with curiosity. “She said ‘Run’ to save someone,” Alexei insists. “Maybe that box was her last gift—to me, to her family, to the world.”

As Brown’s trial nears, the box remains a phantom, its absence as loud as Iryna’s final word. In a city wrestling with its safety and a family mourning its light, the mystery endures: What did Iryna carry that night, and why did it vanish with her life? For now, Charlotte holds its breath, waiting for answers that may never come.