'LET'S BRING KIM HOME'

THE family of Kim Towne (née White), the Cape Town woman who was allegedly murdered by her husband in the US, are looking to bring her body home. 

Thorne, 32, died on 25 May, with the Weekend Argus reporting that her husband Alexander Towne simply told emergency services in a 911 that he doesn’t think “she’s with us any longer.”

Inside their home in West Virginia, authorities found the lifeless body of his wife, Kim. She had been strangled, reportedly while their toddler son was in another room. 

Kim, originally from Parklands, had visible upper body trauma and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Of the incident, her brother Jason White says: “Kim was in love. 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.

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

The situation was all the more painful because of the siblings’ past, with Jason saying: “Our own father was abusive. Kim knew the signs. We begged our mom to leave our dad and it took years. 

“It was awful. So for this to happen to Kim is devastating.”

Eventually, Kim made the decision to leave Alex. But she wanted to try one last time, for the sake of her child.

Jason explains: “She wasn’t back long before the fights started again. She would call us in tears, locked in the bathroom or her bedroom while he shouted and banged on the doors. We told her, ‘Come home, Kim...

Of the incident that led to her death, Alexander, a US military veteran, told police that an argument had escalated and he had fatally choked his wife, according to reports. He was arrested at the scene and charged with second-degree murder. He is currently being held without bail.

Kim’s family has now taken to BackaBuddy, with Lauren Delcarme writing on behalf of the family: “The process of repatriating a loved one’s remains is both complex and costly. Expenses possibly include cremation, documentation, and international transport. The estimated cost to bring Kim home ranges from $4 000 to $6 000.” 

At the time of writing, they have raised R89 704 of the R108 000 goal.