NJ Couple Dies In Apparent Murder-Suicide Concealed By House Fire

READINGTON, NJ - An investigation into a house fire in Hunterdon County on July 3 has evolved into an apparent murder-suicide probe, authorities said.

Police responded to the fire in the Whitehouse Station section of Readington Township in the early morning to find a man and woman with fatal gunshot wounds inside the damaged home, according to a joint press release from the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office and Readington Township Police Department.

The victims were later identified as Kathryn Shern, 70, and Charles Shern, 71.

The fire had ignited just before 6 a.m. at the home in the 600 block of Route 523 with heavy fire showing, according to Fire & EMS Alerts Of Hunterdon & Warren County.

The fire was under control just before 7:30 a.m.

Further information was not available as of Saturday, July 9. The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office’s Arson Task Force, Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Unit and the Readington Township Police Department are actively investigating.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office’s Criminal Investigations Unit at (908) 788-1129 or Readington Township Police Department Detective Phares at (908) 534-4031.

Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-321-0010, going online to www.CrimeStoppersHunterdon.com, or through the free “P3 Tips” smartphone app. All tips are anonymous and kept confidential. Crime Stoppers pays cash rewards for valid tips.

With additional reporting by Alexis Tarrazi.