Latest news with #DanielSteele
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Daily Mail
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 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.'
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Yahoo
‘No one deserves this': Portsmouth business owner trying to bounce back after fire destroys newly-opened shop
PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — A Portsmouth business owner is trying to bounce back after an early morning fire Monday. According to Portsmouth Fire, at 5:49 a.m. Monday, crews from Portsmouth Fire Rescue & Emergency Services, Navy Regional Mid-Atlantic Fire Rescue and Chesapeake Fire Department responded to a report of a commercial structure fire in the 3900 block of George Washington Highway at Dan the Piercing Man Tattoo and Body Piercing, a new business that owner Daniel Steele had recently opened. Crews were able to get to contain the fire and announced it under control at around 6:13 a.m. Steele said the situation was heartbreaking. 'No one deserves this,' he said. 'I can't believe it happened to me. I'm still in a little bit of shock.' Steele has been in the industry for 24 years and said it's been his dream to own his own business, and it had finally come true. 'It was beautiful. This was the nicest tattoo shop I've ever worked at, gorgeous, painted, brand new everything,' Steele said. But just one week after opening, he got a call from Portsmouth Fire Marshal Office. '[They told] me that it was a Molotov cocktail [that was thrown] through my window,' Steele said, 'and the first words out of my mouth were, 'Are you joking? I can't believe it.'' Portsmouth Fire has not confirmed the cause of the fire to 10 On Your Side. A spokesperson for the department said it is still under investigation by the Portsmouth Fire Marshal Office. But Steele said he already knows what caused it. 'I was the victim of arson,' he said. 'Someone threw a firebomb through the window and torched the place [and caused] thousands of dollars in damage.' He said he now has to replace everything inside the shop. But he has started a GoFundMe to offset the cost, and has already raised more than $1,000. 'All of the donations will go to help me rebuild my dream,' Steele said. 'I want to say thank you to all who have donated. It means a lot to me.' He said since Monday, they've finished demolition and now they're working on cleaning and rebuilding. 'I'm going to reopen,' Steele said. 'I will be here every day until this place is brand new again. I am here because it means that much to me.' He hopes to reopen his shop within the next couple of months. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
