Three people were found dead inside a home on Wild Azalea Lane in Montgomery Township, with two women discovered in separate bedrooms and a man found with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound and a firearm in his possession. Police had been asked to check on the home's occupants the previous afternoon but could not reach anyone inside, and it took officers more than 24 hours to finally get through the door.
A Welfare Check That Went Unanswered
According to dailyvoice.com, Montgomery Township police received a request to check on the home's occupants just before 3 p.m. last Thursday, October 1. Officers responded to the residence but were unable to make contact with anyone inside, the outlet reported. Police did not force their way in at that time, and the home sat unentered through the night and into the following day.
It wasn't until Friday, October 2, at 5:52 p.m. — more than 24 hours after the original request — that officers finally made it inside, according to nj1015.com. Once inside, they found all three occupants dead. The station reported that the delay stretched well over a full day between the initial welfare-check request and police gaining entry.
Two Women, One Man Found Dead
Inside, officers found two adult women dead in separate bedrooms, both appearing to have suffered gunshot wounds, per the same dailyvoice.com report. A man was also found dead elsewhere in the home with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, in possession of a firearm. All three were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the outlet's reporting, which cited Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald.
As reported by ABC7 Eyewitness News, police recovered a firearm near the deceased man, and the Montgomery Township Police Department and the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office are jointly investigating the deaths. Authorities have not released the identities of the three people pending positive identification, the station noted.
Case Now With Major Crimes Unit
The investigation has since been turned over to the Somerset County Major Crimes Unit, according to themontynews.org. Montgomery Police Chief Silvio Bet said there is no cause for public alarm and no further threat to the community, the outlet reported.
The Northern Regional Medical Examiner's Office is scheduled to conduct postmortem examinations to determine the cause and manner of each death, per dailyvoice.com's reporting. Prosecutor McDonald said the investigation is ongoing, and no further details have been released as the case continues.
