ROCKY MOUNT - In her last conversation with Debbie Kornegay a week ago, Barbara Raynor fretted about crime in New York City, where her daughter was moving.

But Kornegay, her neighbor, reassured her.

"She said bad things can happen anywhere," Raynor said. "She said my daughter is probably just as safe there as she is in Rocky Mount."

On Thursday, Rocky Mount residents were reeling from the stabbings of Kornegay and another woman at a church Thursday as they prepared food for the Meals on Wheels program.

Kornegay, 58, coordinator of the program that distributes food to the elderly and disabled, died in the kitchen of Lakeside Baptist Church. Her co-worker, Eve Beasley, 60, was in critical condition at Pitt Memorial Hospital.

The two were preparing meals for delivery Thursday morning when a man stabbed both of them multiple times, said Rocky Mount police Capt. Martin McCoy. A church employee found the victims just after 9 a.m.

Investigators think robbery was the motive; one of the victim's purses was rummaged through. Police found a kitchen knife at the scene they say could be the murder weapon.

"It's very difficult to explain," said Mayor Fred Turnage, a member of Lakeside Baptist Church. "It's clearly had an impact on our community, both on those who knew them and those who didn't."

The assailant fled in Kornegay's 2002 charcoal gray GMC Yukon XL with a red Outer Banks ferry pass sticker on the windshield. Another car, a dark blue four-door sedan, was seen leaving the scene about the same time.

Witnesses described the attacker as a man with a dark complexion and a mustache, standing about 6 feet tall and weighing about 200 pounds, according to Rocky Mount police. He was seen wearing a long white T-shirt, baggy dark jeans with some faded gray on them and another white T-shirt wrapped around his head.

The assailant is thought to be in his late 20s to mid-30s and has tattoos on much of his forearms.

The city, which has been grappling with a series of violent crimes, had recently stepped up police patrols. But those efforts have been concentrated in areas that had reported gang activity or other violence, not the tree-shaded neighborhood several blocks from downtown. The church has a complex of neat brick buildings that overlook City Lake, a park near the Tar River.

Yellow crime scene tape circled the kitchen area and driveway Thursday. Traffic was backed up on nearby streets as Nash County sheriff's deputies stopped vehicles to distribute fliers and ask for information.

Kornegay is survived by her husband, lawyer Robert Kornegay Jr., and two grown children.

She was a longtime coordinator of the Meals on Wheels program.

"For her, this was much more than a job. It was a ministry to individuals who, for a variety of reasons, are not able to obtain adequate nutrition on their own," said Jody C. Wright, senior minister at Lakeside Baptist.

"It appears this was a random act of violence," Wright said. "Why the suspect chose this place or those individuals is unclear."

More than 20 children were at a day-care facility adjacent to the kitchen when the stabbing occurred. They were shuttled home to their parents within hours without knowing what had happened, officials said.

"There were children here, but they were never in any danger," Turnage said.

Police are not sure how the attacker entered the building but said he might have been let in. There was no sign of a struggle.

"We do believe they were trying to assist him in any way possible," McCoy said of the victims.

Anyone with information is asked to call the area CrimeStoppers line at (252) 977-1111. Callers may remain anonymous.

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