5-Year-Old Found NJ Mother's Slain Body, Didn't Tell Anyone For A Day: Report

The body of 26-year-old South Jersey woman who was killed while house-sitting over the weekend was reportedly found by her son and a nephew. The Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office previously reported that the body of Shawneeq M. Carter, of Camden, was found at about 7:30 p.m. on Saturday in a house she was watching in Woodbury.

However, new reporting reveals her body may have been found earlier than that. Carter’s father, Sean Carter, told 6ABC his grandson and a cousin — both five years old — found her body on Friday. However, they didn’t seek help until the following day, most likely because they were too young to understand what they should do, according to philly.com, which cited the 6ABC interview.

The owner of the house she was watching wasn’t in the area when the body was discovered, the prosecutor’s office previously said.

There were no signs of forced entry, and the only item missing from the home was Carter's cell phone, nj.com reports. Her father said he wasn’t sure why the Camden County College student was watching that house.

An autopsy by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner’s Office determined the cause of Carter’s death was blunt-force trauma and the manner of death was homicide.

Anyone with information about the death is asked to contact Detective Warren Rivell of the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-384-5625 or Detective Carl Villone of the Woodbury City Police Department at 856-845-0065.

Photo courtesy of family and friends of Carter