2 men charged in kidnapping of Cuyahoga Falls nurse; murder of her Belmont County mother

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Two men are charged in the kidnapping of an Akron area nurse and the murder of her mother.

Nicole Bronowski was found alive after a shootout with FBI in Louisiana.

Her mother, Norma Matko was killed in her Belmont County home on Thanksgiving.

Cuyahoga County Prosecutors have now charged two men in the case, Lester Foster and Andrew Welch.

According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Cleveland Fire Department responded to a report of a vehicle explosion near Jennings Road and Bradley Road.

The investigation revealed that Andrew Welch, 28, and Lester Foster III, 27, were involved in the torching of the vehicle which belonged to 69-year-old, Norma Matko.

Police said she was murdered by James Hawley, 47, earlier that same day.

Prosecutors believe Hawley kidnapped both the deceased victim and her daughter, in Cuyahoga Falls before driving them to Belmont County where he committed the murder.

He then brought the 45-year-old victim to Cuyahoga County. While in Cuyahoga County, Welch and Foster aided Hawley in Bronowski’s kidnapping and helped him flee the state with her afterward.

Investigators discovered that Welch provided Hawley with his ID to use as an alias to check into hotels during his escape.

The investigation also revealed that Foster sold the daughter’s phone and lied to detectives while being interviewed.

Both men are being held in the Cuyahoga County jail on a 100 thousand dollar bond. They’re char

Foster was indicted on two counts of Kidnapping, one count of Tampering with Evidence, and one count of Obstruction of Justice.

Welch was indicted on three counts of Kidnapping and two counts of Tampering With Evidence.

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