Michelle Whiting was fatally shot in what authorities say was a murder-suicide by fire at a Tranquility Court home in the township on May 11.
An investigation continues into the deaths of a township man and woman in an apparent explosion at a Tranquility Court home on May 11.
Law-enforcement agencies have not yet released the identities of the two people, pending official confirmation, but a GoFundMe page identified the female victim as Michelle Whiting, a mother of three. The deaths were ruled a murder-suicide, Tom Gilbert, chief of detectives of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office (GCPO), said on May 13.
Two days earlier, a Sunday, police and fire departments responded at approximately 2:03 a.m. to multiple reports of a house fire and loud explosion at 13 Tranquility Court in Sewell, according to a press release from the prosecutor’s office. The home was in a cul de sac in the area of Tranquility Court and Orion Way, police said.
Upon arrival, first responders found the residence fully engulfed in flames. The township fire department – with assistance from neighboring companies – was able to extinguish the blaze. But investigators discovered the bodies of the man and woman inside.
A male believed to be the tenant of the residence was located in the living room with a handgun near his body. The county medical examiner ruled his death a suicide caused by fire. A female victim was located on a bed; police believe she suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head before the fire. Her death has been ruled a homicide by the medical examiner.
An investigation conducted in the aftermath of the fire revealed the presence of an accelerant and evidence that the home’s gas line had been tampered with, enabling unrestricted flow of natural gas into the home’s interior, according to the press release. The explosion of the home caused damage to homes next to and nearby, Gilbert said.
Whiting has a son and two daughters, according to her friend, Tammy Ventura. The latter is also organizing a fundraiser on behalf of the children.
“Her kids were her world,” Ventura said, noting Whiting’s daughters are in high school, and one of them will graduate this year. “These kids are heartbroken. Their mom was their rock. She also leaves behind her dad, mom, and her brothers, who have also suffered so much loss.”
Photos of Whiting on the GoFundMe page show her with smiles and kisses from her children.
“She always smiled and often tried to find the positive in everything,” noted Ventura, who added Whiting has an army of friends. “She had so many friends and she was so young. I was her old-lady friend. When she just wanted to sit by the fire outside and chill while drinking her Twisted Teas, she would visit.”
GoFundMe page funds will go directly to Whiting’s son, who will make sure his younger sisters have what they need.
“They need some sort of stability,” Ventura said.
As of May 16, the GoFundMe page had raised $24,015, exceeding the goal of $18,000.
The circumstances surrounding the fire and the deaths are being jointly investigated by the prosecutor’s office, the township police department and the county fire marshal’s office. Further information will be released as it becomes available.
Anyone with information on the case is encouraged to contact Det. Allen Williams, of the prosecutor’s office, at (856) 384-5622, or township police Det. Matthew Laudenslager at (856) 589-0330, ext. 1176. Information can also be e-mailed to the prosecutor’s office at tips@co.gloucester.nj.us.
