On a tragic Friday night in Franklin Township, New Jersey, the local community was shaken by the murder-suicide that unfolded involving Dr. Lauren Semanchik, a 33-year-old veterinarian, her boyfriend, 29-year-old volunteer firefighter Tyler Webb, and her ex-boyfriend, New Jersey State Trooper Ricardo Jorge Santos, aged 29. Neighbors recounted harrowing experiences of hearing gunshots and chilling screams emanating from Semanchik’s residence, illustrating the terror that unfolded that evening. Reports indicated that Santos, consumed by jealousy, had followed Semanchik home from work, leading to the deadly confrontation that ended in fatality for all three individuals involved.
Witness accounts described the palpable fear surrounding the incident. One neighbor reported hearing the sound of gunfire, identifying it as a pistol — an unusual and alarming noise coming from the normally quiet neighborhood. Their distressed observations included descriptions of screams followed by additional gunshots, painting a picture of chaos and horror. Semanchik’s evident terror was apparent; neighbors claimed she seemed to be in a desperate flight for her life. In the immediate aftermath, a 911 call was made by witnesses, but they expressed frustration that local police took a considerable time to arrive at the scene.
Dashcam footage revealed that Santos’s vehicle had trailed Semanchik closely for the duration of her drive home from work in Long Valley, Morris County. He had exited his workplace around the same time as her, indicating premeditated tracking rather than random coincidence. This footage showed Santos’s vehicle closely following Semanchik’s car back to her home, significantly heightening the distressing nature of the incident. Following her arrival, Webb’s vehicle was seen entering the driveway, shortly before the situation escalated into violence.
Despite neighbors reporting gunshots and screams, Franklin Township police did not respond adequately, according to witnesses. Initial checks in the vicinity did not yield any findings, leaving the community in shock and disbelief. It wasn’t until the following afternoon that police were alerted once more, this time to an unconscious woman at Semanchik’s property. Tragically, both Semanchik and Webb were found with gunshot wounds; the police search did not uncover them until many hours later.
The situation escalated further with the discovery of Santos’s body in his vehicle in a nearby Piscataway area, where he was found deceased from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. In the aftermath of the incident, a semiautomatic handgun was discovered within his vehicle, confirming the tragic conclusion of the events that had transpired. The Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office provisionally ruled the death as a suicide, adding layers of complexity to a situation that had escalated from a relationship fraught with jealousy and anger.
As the community grapples with the shock of this violent event, the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office continues to investigate the matter actively. They are soliciting information from anyone who may have additional insight into the case. The tragic circumstances surrounding Semanchik and Webb’s deaths serve as a somber reminder of the destructiveness that can arise from jealousy and unresolved emotional turmoil, leaving behind a grieving community seeking answers and closure.
