Police identify the man and woman who died in a New Jersey house fire and murder-suicide
First responders found Michelle Whiting, of Gloucester City, and Daniel Steele, of Sewell, inside the charred remains of a home on Tranquility Court in Washington Township.
The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has identified the man and woman who were found dead in a Washington Township house fire and murder-suicide, according to a statement released Monday.
First responders found the bodies of Michelle Whiting, 45, of Gloucester City, and Daniel Steele, 59, of Sewell, inside a burning home around 2 a.m. Mother’s Day after receiving a call about a fire in the cul-de-sac on Tranquillity Court.
The home was “fully engulfed in flames” when the Washington Township Fire Department arrived, the statement said, and had melted the sides of two neighboring homes before being fully extinguished.
» READ MORE: New Jersey house fire that killed two ruled a murder-suicide. Neighbors are stunned.
Police found the body of Steele — who investigators believe lived in the Tranquility Court residence — lying next to a handgun in the living room. Whiting was then found in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head, which investigators believe preceded the fire.
The county medical examiner has ruled Whiting’s death a homicide and Steele’s a suicide caused by the fire, the statement said.
A preliminary investigation revealed that the home’s gas line had been tampered with to enable “unrestricted flow of natural gas into the home’s interior,” the statement said. An accelerant was also present.
Prior to the fire, Steele had left his dog, Billy, and some money with Nicole Ruiz, an ex-girlfriend who told NBC10 that Steele sent her a cryptic email that day.
“I am a terrible person. By the time you read this I won’t be alive,” Steele wrote in part of the email. “Billy loves you more than anyone I’ve ever seen. Take care of yourself.”
The incident is being investigated by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office, the Washington Township Police Department, and the Gloucester County Fire Marshal’s Office.
“I just thought at first it was a tragic accident,” neighbor Suzanne Pinto previously told The Inquirer. “Boy, was I wrong.”