Man Allegedly Strangled Ex in Front of 5-Year-Old Just 3 Weeks After She Gave Birth to Fourth Child

A New Jersey mother has died in a horrific act of domestic violence just three weeks after giving birth to her fourth child. Roman Romanovskiy, 41, allegedly strangled 38-year-old Lauren Saldana in her home in South Brunswick. Sadly, it appears Romanovskiy, who shared two children with Saldana, killed her in front of two of her children. According to NJ.com, the couple had a history of domestic violence, and authorities issued a restraining order before the killing.

According to a press release from the South Brunswick Township Police Department, police responded to Saldana’s home after receiving a call about an unresponsive female about 3:15 p.m. January 9, 2025. Emergency responders pronounced Saldana dead at the scene a short time later.

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Police arrested Romanovskiy without any issues and took him to Middlesex County Adult Correctional Center, per police. The Middlesex County Prosecuting Attorney’s office charged Romanovskiy with multiple offenses: first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, and third-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

According to her adult daughter, Maddie Saldana, Romanovskiy killed her mother in front of their own 5-year-old son. The grieving daughter wants her mother’s killer to pay.

She wrote on Facebook, “My mother had so much more life ahead of her, and Roman took that from her. May he face the full extent of the law and rot for the life he took and all the lives that are now affected by his actions. I could go on about the hate in my heart that many of us share for him but I will not give him the power. I want everyone to know what he did and see him for what he is.”

A GoFundMe account was created by Saldana’s sister, Kayla GD, to help Saldana’s surviving children. On the page, she described Saldana as a mother of four “beautiful children” ages 19, 16, 5, and 3 weeks old. Kayla shared that her sister was “tragically and senselessly” taken from her family and loved ones by domestic violence. While the family grieves the loss of Saldana, they also worry about her children.

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“This tragedy is made even more painful and brutal by the fact that Lauren was 3 weeks postpartum and her 5-year-old son witnessed her murder,” Kayla wrote on the page. “He is now faced with trauma no child should ever have to endure. His sister is fighting to gain custody of him to ensure he has the stability, care, and love he needs to begin healing.”

She added that life wasn’t always easy for Saldana but said she valued her children and adored being a mother.

“Lauren faced many challenges in her life, but one thing was clear: she loved her children in the best way she knew how and wanted them to have more out of life than she did,” she wrote. “Lauren was a person. She was a mother, a daughter, a sister, a niece, a cousin, a grandchild, and a friend. She did not deserve for her life to be taken in such a heinous and disgusting way.”

The GoFundMe has raised nearly $26,000 of a $28,000 goal thus far.

If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women’s shelter (domesticshelters.org).