Oak Island woman killed, man in custody charged with 2nd degree murder

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) – A woman is dead and a man is in custody after police were dispatched to an Oak Island home for a welfare check.

A community awakens to police cars and lights in front of a home early Saturday morning, Zeb Starnes and his wife live nearby.

“We looked out of our kitchen window and there were police cars, probably eight or 10 of them all up and down the street and gathered around this particular house,” he said.

According to Starnes, the home was rented by a woman he barely knew.

“I got dressed and went out to see what was going on but they wouldn’t give me any information,” he said.

Starnes and a neighbor who didn’t want to be identified said the tenant lived alone but was in a relationship with a man who often visited.

“I have seen them around a lot, she had moved in and then this guy became a boyfriend and we’d see him on and off,” said Starnes.

An Oak Island spokesperson said police were dispatched to the 5000  block of Minnesota Drive for a routine wellness check just before 1 a.m. Saturday, when police arrived, they found 50-year-old Tina Sedberry Carlton dead with an apparent stab wound.

Kevin Michael Allen Vaughan was also at the home, he was arrested and charged with second-degree murder.

Starnes said despite what happened he still feels safe in his neighborhood.

“Did not make us nervous, or dislike the neighborhood, or feel threatened in any way,” he said.

The State Bureau of Investigation is helping with this case, which officers are treating as a domestic homicide.

Vaughan is being held in the Brunswick County Detention Center without bond.