Three people were found dead inside different rooms of a suburban New Jersey home last week. They have now been identified as a husband, wife, and daughter, with officials saying they believe the cause of death was a murder-suicide.
In a news release on Tuesday, October 6, the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said that the bodies, which were discovered Friday evening, have been identified as those of David Grodnick, Lora Grodnick, and their daughter Sloane Grodnick.
Who was David Grodnick?
Investigators believe 61-year-old David shot his 62-year-old wife and 24-year-old daughter in the head in separate rooms of the family’s home on Wild Azalea Lane. He later shot himself.
Montgomery News reported that David and his wife were members of multiple exclusive country clubs in the Montgomery Township area over the years. According to Montgomery News and the local NJ Patch, David worked as a senior vice president with Land Services USA.
Sloane, like her dad, had completed an undergraduate degree at Princeton University and was set to complete a master’s degree program at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2027, according to the NJ Patch.
According to officials, David was found dead with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound around 6 pm local time on Friday, a day after authorities got a call requesting a welfare check at the home. According to ABC 7, investigators initially responded to the welfare request on Thursday but were unable to make contact with anyone. They returned again on Friday and found three deceased family members inside.
“The investigation, which remains ongoing, has yielded that the homicide deaths of both Lora and Sloane Grodnick were an isolated incident and there are no threats to the public from this tragic occurrence,” the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office said. “No further information will be available for release at this time.”
The Montgomery News reported that the three members lived together at the Montgomery Township home, roughly 40 miles southwest of Newark.