Tragedy strikes as Cape Town teacher strangled to death in US

KIM Towne and Alexander Towne met in Dubai, where she worked as a teacher and he served in the military. Their relationship began as a whirlwind romance. However, Kim's brother, Jason White, of Parklands in Cape Town, noted that there were early signs that all was not as it seemed.

- KASHIEFA AJAM

Then on May 25, a chilling call was made to US emergency services, 911.

“I don’t think she’s with us any longer.”

With those haunting words, 32-year-old Alexander Towne requested police assistance at his home in Chantilly, West Virginia.

Inside, authorities found the lifeless body of his wife, Kim. She had been strangled, reportedly while their toddler son was in another room. Kim, also 32 and originally from Parklands, had visible upper body trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

“Kim was in love,” her brother Jason White said.

“Then she found out she was pregnant. In Dubai, having a child outside of marriage is a big issue, so they got married in December 2021.”

After the wedding, the couple relocated to South Africa, first settling in Milnerton before moving to Gordon’s Bay. When their baby turned three-months old, Alex returned to the US to secure Kim’s visa, which would allow her to move and join him there.

“When he was in Cape Town, he seemed calm, almost shy,” Jason recalled.

“He was supportive during her pregnancy and kind to our whole family. But it was all a facade. Behind closed doors, he was abusive to my sister. We knew it, but she loved him. We tried to see it from her perspective.”