CARLSTADT, N.J. — A 43-year-old man killed his ex-wife and then turned the gun on himself in a murder-suicide in the New Jersey village of Carlstadt, officials in Bergen County confirmed Sunday.
Police in the village received a call at 11:48 a.m. Saturday from a family member of Massiel S. Deoleo, 34, who said she was missing and that they were concerned for her well being. The last person she was seen with was her ex-husband, James T. Cox, who lives on 6th Street in Carlstadt.
Another family member of Deoleo called police in the town of Mahwah, about 19 miles away, at 11:55 a.m. and asked them to respond to her residence, where officers found numerous items of Deoleo’s personal property outside.
At around that time, Carlstadt police responded to Cox’s residence in an attempt to communicate with him. Cox presented a semi-automatic weapon, pointed it to his head and said he was not going to shoot officers but take his own life.
A shelter-in-place was established by police in the area at around this hour.
Officers then exited the residence and contacted the Bergen County Regional SWAT team. Crisis negotiators spent hours trying to resolve the situation peacefully.
At around 8 p.m., SWAT team members finally entered the residence. They found Cox dead with a single gunshot wound. They later found Deoleo’s body at the residence and determined she had been fatally shot sometime the night before.
An investigation determined that Cox had murdered Deoleo and then committed suicide.
On Saturday night, prosecutors had determined that no one else was involved in the incident.
If you or someone you know are dealing with domestic violence, click here for resources.
