A family is speaking out after a Mother's Day tragedy left a woman and her ex-boyfriend dead.
On Sunday, May 11, 2025, first responders arrived on Tranquility Court in Sewell, New Jersey, around 2 a.m. to find a home fully engulfed in flames.
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WATCH HEREWhile searching the house, officials found 59-year-old Daniel Steele, of Sewell, in the living room with a gun near his body, according to police. Then, they found 45-year-old Michelle Whiting, of Gloucester City, in the bedroom with a gunshot wound to the head.
Police have called this a murder-suicide.
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A friend of the woman told NBC10 that Steele was Whiting's ex-boyfriend.
“I just kept on saying, 'This can’t be true. This can’t be true,'" Whiting's friend of 25 years, Tammy Ventura said. "He was just an evil person."
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.
The last time Ventura heard from Whiting was two days before her death and Ventura explained that she is still grappling with the loss of her friend.
Whiting's family said they have been left with so many questions, including asking why she was at Steele's house that day.
Her father praised her for being a great mother and daughter.
"Everything was for the kids," he said. "We know how much she loved us."
As the family waits for more answers, that is how they want Whiting to be remembered.
"We want her kids to know that their mother will never be forgotten," Ventura said. "She's always in our hearts and now they have the best guardian angel ever."
Whiting leaves behind three children.
Officials are still investigating and searching for a motive. Ventura, meanwhile, created a GoFundMe for Whiting's family.
