Crime & Safety
Police Investigating Possible Murder-Suicide in East Dover
Police investigating incident discovered at 11:30 a.m. today
Editor's note: Story updated at 7 p.m.
A possible murder-suicide involving an elderly couple in East Dover was discovered at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, police said.
Chief Michael Mastronardy said a gun was recovered from the living room of the home of a couple in the East Dover section of Toms River. Police converged on the home after a Meals on Wheels employee arrived at the home, and discovered two victims had been shot in an apparent murder-suicide, said the police chief.
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George Spangler, 88, and Anna Spangler, 85, of Scrimshaw Court in Toms River both died of apparent gunshot wounds, Mastronardy said.
“Initial investigation indicates both parties were shot, and a gun was recovered at the scene,” Mastronardy said. "There is nothing suspicious about the investigation at this time."
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The police chief said details such as time of death and other sequence of events had yet to be determined. He said local first aid had responded to the home for medical issues within the last year and a half.
The Ocean County Prosecutors Office, the Toms River Police Department and the Ocean Sheriff’s Department are investigating.
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