Boyfriend Killed Woman, Died in Dlaze, Officials Say
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HAMILTON TOWNSHIP - A West Atlantic City man stabbed his girlfriend to death Wednesday, then died in a fire he started, Atlantic County Prosecutor Ted Housel said in a statement released Thursday evening.
The bodies of Saily Abreu, 36, and her 31-year-old boyfriend were found by law enforcement officials inside her burnt-out Oak Crest Estates home on Wednesday afternoon......Continue Reading
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Abreu died from multiple wounds and the boyfriend died from burns and smoke inhalation, according to an autopsy done Thursday afternoon by Atlantic County Medical Examiner Dr. Hydow Park. Abreu was identified through dental records. The boyfriend was identified by co-workers through an unusual tattoo.
Abreu was the mother of five girls from 6 to 14 years old. The children are staying with relatives and friends, Housel said.
It was unclear what time the deaths occurred, where the bodies were found inside the house and what led to the killing. The name of the boyfriend was not being released pending the notification of family, Housel said.
Housel did not confirm the two deaths until Wednesday night, several hours after the fire was put out. A statement that mentioned the bodies were adults was sent out late Thursday afternoon.
Ricardo Perez, the father of one of Abreu’s girls, told The Press of Atlantic City in a phone interview from Tampa, Fla., that he was shocked to hear the news about the deaths and he was worried about the effect it will have on the family.
“That woman should have lived forever, for a long time,” Perez said. “Some-thing like that should not have come to my ears. She was very young. To actually die like that was very unfair.”
Perez, who knew Abreu since they worked at the Claridge Casino Hotel in 1995, called her a beautiful, wonderful mother. “She took care of our children, that was her first thing. There was nothing she wouldn’t do for the kids, always worrying about them, not leaving them from her sights,” Perez said.
Perez, 34, said they lived together in Atlantic City for about four years. Even though they split up a couple of years ago, Perez said, they stayed in touch by phone. He planned to fly to New Jersey soon and try to gain custody of his daughter and one of her sisters, whom he raised as his own, he said.
The home in the 4000 block of Laydon Court was cordoned off by yellow police tape Thursday and monitored by Hamilton Township police officers. A well-wisher left brown and tie-dyed stuffed dogs on the snow-covered lawn. Curious spectators walked and drove by the house all day.
The girls were in school during the time of the fire, according to Glenn Martins, the Hamilton Township school emergency management coordinator. The girls have met with the district’s grief team, Martins said.
The district sent a letter home to parents to notify them about the fire and deaths, offer counseling services and organize a donation collection for the families displaced by the fire, which caused some neighbors to be evacuated Wednesday.
Martins noted that the district was concerned for the safety of all the students who live in Oak Crest Estates, and a group of principals, vice principals and counselors escorted the children from the buses through the scene near the house Wednesday afternoon.
Carol Johnston, the Oak Crest Estates property manager, called the event “horrific” and said it shocked the tight-knit townhouse community. Johnston said several residents called the office wanting to help, and the homeowners association is working with the school district to collect clothing, gift cards and other nonperishable supplies for the families.
“Our concern right now is if we can help the children,” she said. “Whatever we can do, this community is ready to help out.”
More than 50 firefighters fought the large blaze, which started at about 2:16 p.m. Wednesday and burned the home from the second floor up, said Chief Dave Connelly of the Mays Landing Fire Company. The three-story, four-bedroom building was completely gutted. Firefighters had to break the wall of the neighboring house to battle the flames.
It took about 40 minutes to control the fire. Firefighters worked until 10:30 p.m. putting out hot spots and helping investigators, Connelly said. The families who lived in three neighboring homes were evacuated.
E-mail Michelle Lee: MLee@pressofac.com
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