2 women shot dead in their home in Willingboro, New Jersey, officials say
Two women died after they were shot by an intruder in their home in Willingboro, New Jersey, Wednesday morning, Burlington County officials said.
Police were called to the first block of Harrington Circle in Hawthorne Park just after 4 a.m. for a burglary report, according to the Burlington County Prosecutor's Office. At the home, they found the bodies of Catherine Nunez, 33, and her mother Marisol Nunez, 54, prosecutors said.
"We heard some noise around about 3:30 in the morning, and then after that, everybody came outside. We'd seen all the police," neighbor Charlee Harris, who lives a few houses down from the Nunez's house, said. "And then the saddest part is you got to see somebody's body; two bodies come out of the house."
A preliminary investigation indicates the intruder entered by breaking a window on the first floor. An autopsy showed gunshot wounds were the cause of death for both women, who were pronounced dead at the scene, the prosecutor's office said.
The suspect fled before police arrived, and no arrests have been made.
Even though investigators believe the mother and daughter were targeted, Harris said it's still frightening
"It's very scary for me because I know everybody on this street, so we don't want anything like that to happen," Harris said. "For this to happen, it's overwhelming."
Both Harris and Agnes Shuford said they knew the Nunez's in passing, often through waves and smiles from across the street.
"Just waving. You know, she might come out and clip her rose bushes, and I might come out and do mine," Shuford said. "Just seeing her doing garden work."
Harris is organizing a candlelight vigil Saturday at 6 p.m. in front of the Nunez's house to honor the family.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Willingboro Township Police Department are handling the investigation. Officials ask anyone with information to call the police department's tip line at 609-877-6958 or email tips@co.burlington.nj.us.