The Union County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed an ongoing investigation into the double homicide of a mother and her 9-year-old daughter in a Roselle, New Jersey, home, multiple outlets report.
The homeowner’s sister, Atasha Scott, alleged that the young girl’s uncle, who she said had been told to leave the home, killed his niece and sister-in-law with an axe he found in the garage, NBC New York reported Thursday.
The homeowner identified the victims as his wife and daughter, according to the outlet. He called the police after he allegedly noticed bloody sheets and discovered an axe tucked between mattresses.
Kiesha Morrison and her daughter Kelsey were found deceased under a mattress at the home, the New York Post reported. Scott said Kelsey would have turned 10 on Sunday, according to NBC.
Sources told CBS2 the bodies of a woman and young girl were found under a mattress inside a home in Roselle, New Jersey. @csloantv reports. https://t.co/GFNqou2vOf
— CBS New York (@CBSNewYork) April 20, 2023
The uncle reportedly stole Morrison’s new BMW that she had purchased a week prior. Police tracked the car to Maryland and subsequently arrested the uncle on a charge related to vehicle theft, according to NBC.
“It’s heartbreaking, who does that to a family … but to a baby girl who’s defenseless, I’m in the military so it’s hard to see this, I will never ever get used to having to face something like this,” a neighbor told ABC7.
Schools in the area were briefly locked down until the afternoon, NBC reported. There was no threat to the surrounding community, according to the outlet.
Prosecutors are expected to release additional details later Thursday.