WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — Officials in Gloucester County have determined a fatal fire early Sunday morning was a murder-suicide.
A home near Orion Way and Tranquility Court in Washington Township quickly went up in flames just after 2 a.m. on Sunday, and two bodies were recovered in the charred remains.
According to the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the tenant there is believed to have shot a woman in the head, then set the house on fire. Investigators said he also opened gas lines so the fire was continuously fueled and he died with a gun near his body.
Nicole Ruiz told our partners at NBC10 the man was her ex-boyfriend, who she identified as Daniel Steele. She said he dropped off his dog and dog food at her house and sent her an email.
“[It] said that ‘By the time you read this, I won’t be alive,’ and to take care of Billy,” she said.
Officials have not publicly identified the tenant or the gunshot victim. The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information has been asked to call the Washington Township Police Department or the prosecutor’s office.