A mother of three has been identified as the victim of a murder-suicide, which unfolded shortly before a fiery explosion occurred at a home in New Jersey last weekend.
The blast erupted shortly after 2 a.m. on Sunday in Washington Township, police said in a statement. When officers arrived on the scene — located on a street named Tranquility Court — the house was “fully engulfed in flames and appeared to have been heavily damaged by an apparent explosion,” the statement continued.
Washington Township Fire Department firefighters arrived shortly after law enforcement and quickly contained the flames, officials said. First responders also pulled a pair of bodies, one man and one woman, from what little remained of the burn-out home. Their deaths have since been labeled a murder-suicide.
The woman was identified as Michelle Whiting by family on social media and via a GoFundMe fundraiser created by her longtime friend, Tammy Ventura. And while she declined to name the man, she described him as Whiting’s ex-boyfriend.
Neighbors have previously said the man as Daniel Steele, but authorities have yet to confirm either of their identities.
According to a statement from the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s office, Whiting was found in a bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head that occurred prior to the fire. Steele, who is believed to be the tenant, was meanwhile found dead in the living room with a handgun next to him. His death was ruled a suicide caused by the fire and Whiting’s death was listed as a homicide, WPVI reported, citing the Gloucester County Medical Examiner.
An investigation into the fiery blast revealed “the presence of an accelerant” in the house and the home’s gas line had been tampered with, allowing the flames to faster spread.
Ventura said she met Whiting 25 years ago, when they lived on the same street in Gloucester City in Camden County.
“She was just happy-go-lucky. Always tried to look at the positive,” she told NJ Advance Media. “Was always there for everybody, no matter what anybody needed. Her kids were her world.”
