A New Jersey mom and her own mother were fatally shot after at least one intruder broke into their home and carried out the double homicide while the woman’s young son was inside early Wednesday, officials and neighbors said.
Catherine Nunez, 33, and her mother Marisol Nunez, 54, of Willingboro Township, were both killed after a suspect or suspects barged in through a first-floor window, the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said.
Both victims were found in an upstairs bedroom when police officers responded to a burglary in progress around 4 a.m., the prosecutor’s office said. The two women were pronounced dead at the scene.
So far, no suspects have been arrested, though authorities believe it was “not a random incident” and stressed the surrounding community is not in harm’s way.
The gunman or gunmen fled before police reached the scene.
Neighbors told local news outlets that Catherine’s young son was inside the home during the slayings.
“We found out that the baby was underneath the bed while his mom got killed and the grandmom was already gone,” local Charlee Harris told NBC 10.
Another neighbor, Glenda Sprauve, who lives next door, said the family mostly kept to themselves but were nice.
“She was cool, a very nice person though. She was kind enough for me to break a tear or two and more and then some. I couldn’t even sleep last night,” Sprauve told the station. “It hurts. It hurts. And I feel so bad for her son.”
Sprauve added the Nunez family moved from Brooklyn at least a couple of years ago, ABC 6 reported.
“It’s sad. It’s sad, especially in Willingboro. On our street, we don’t have this type of thing,” Harris told the station.
Willingboro is about 20 miles east of Philadelphia.
