Beloved NJ mom named as victim of horror murder-suicide after cops found chilling clue in house fire
A beloved New Jersey mom has been identified the victim of a horror murder-suicide that was initially thought to be a housefire until cops found a chilling clue amongst the rubble.
Michelle Whiting was identified as one of the bodies pulled from a devastating property fire that erupted at around 2am on Sunday in Washington Township.
Whiting was found in a bed destroyed within the leveled home with a fatal gunshot wound to the hear, which the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office said sparked a murder investigation.
Her death was subsequently ruled as a homicide by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner's Office, ABC News reported.
The body of a man, who has not been officially identified, was found in the living room of the home with a handgun lying near his body, the prosecutor's office said.
They added that his death was ruled a suicide by fire.
Neighbors previously said the male body was that of Daniel Steele, while Whiting's longtime friend, Tammy Ventura, described the man as Whiting's ex-boyfriend, reports NBC.
The investigation into the house fire also revealed that accelerant had been used, according to prosecutors.
'The investigation conducted in the aftermath of the fire revealed the presence of an accelerant and that the home's gas line had been tampered with, enabling unrestricted flow of natural gas into the home's interior,' a statement from the prosecutor's office said.
The fire erupted just after 2am on Sunday, prompting multiple calls from neighbors who reported a loud explosion and a fire, Washington Township Police said.
'Responding officers arrived at 13 Tranquility Court and observed that the residence was fully engulfed in flames and appeared to have been heavily damaged by an apparent explosion,' the police statement said.
Ventura, Whiting's friend of 25 years, created a GoFundMe to help Whiting's three children, Gavin, Dakota, Summer, and described her as their 'rock.'
'These kids are heartbroken. Their mom was their rock,' she wrote. 'I can only tell you, she has an army of friends. She always smiled and often tried to find the positive in everything.'
'She had so many friends and she was so young,' Ventura added.
'Michelle was full of life and certainly got mom of the year from me daily...It wasn't her time to go.'
Ventura told NJ Advance Media: 'She was just happy-go-lucky. Always tried to look at the positive. Was always there for everybody, no matter what anybody needed. Her kids were her world.'
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