NJ mom of 3 identified as victim in explosive Mother’s Day murder-suicide

🔺Victim was shot, killed
🔺Man caused intense gas fire
🔺Funds raised for victim's kids

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP (Gloucester) — Authorities have confirmed the identity of a 45-year-old Camden County mother brutally killed by an ex-boyfriend, who then took his own life with a gas fire that blasted apart a home in Gloucester County.

Michelle Whiting died on Mother’s Day, May 11, in the Sewell area home of Daniel Steele.

Her remains were recovered along with those of the 59-year-old Steele, who lived on Tranquility Court.

Police have said that Whiting was shot in the head and killed, before Steele tampered with a gas line and used an accelerant to cause a blast that leveled most of the residence.

6ABC Action News shared video from the scene on May 11, showing a burnt out vehicle and debris where the three-bedroom home had stood.

Steele had dated Whiting, NJ.com reported, citing a friend of the victim.

The beloved mother — of a young adult son and two high school daughters — has been mourned by many family and friends as gone way too young. One of the daughters is graduating from high school this season.

“She was the kind of person whose energy lit up every room she entered. With an easy smile and an open heart, she made people feel seen, heard, and welcome, like old friends, even if they’d only just met,” according to the victim’s online obituary

Read More: NJ man tells cops ‘I killed my wife’ after fight, as children hid

“Her laugh was contagious, her spirit magnetic, and it wasn’t long before everyone knew her name,” the remembrance added.

One of the victim’s good friends has been raising money for Whiting’s three children.

“It wasn't her time to go! Evil took her and the truth will come forth,” GoFundMe campaign organizer Tammy Ventura wrote.

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