Friends launch fundraiser to honor Somerset County homicide victim with memorial tree
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Somerset County) — Friends of a 24-year-old woman who was killed alongside her mother in a double homicide in Montgomery Township last month have launched a GoFundMe campaign to honor her memory with a tree and personalized plaque at Grounds for Sculpture.
Sloane Grodnick, 24, and her mother, Lora Grodnick, 62, were found fatally shot inside their Wild Azalea Lane home Oct. 2. Authorities also found Sloane’s father and Lora’s husband, David Grodnick, 61, dead inside the residence from what was later determined to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The deaths of Lora and Sloane Grodnick were ruled homicides, while David Grodnick’s death was ruled a suicide.
Friends who knew Sloane throughout her childhood are now raising money to create a lasting tribute at Grounds for Sculpture, an art museum and sculpture park in Hamilton Township, Mercer County. The organizers hope the memorial will provide a place for loved ones to visit and remember her.
“We lost our friend, Sloane Grodnick, a few weeks ago to a senseless act of violence,” the fundraiser’s organizers wrote.
The organizers recalled spending time with Sloane during her preteen years and watching her grow up, sharing memories of swimming, coloring, listening to music and talking about their lives. They also remembered her unusual ability to identify the day of the week for dates spanning the past 50 years.
“She was silly, she was funny, and she deserved so much more,” the organizers wrote.
According to the fundraiser, Sloane had a lifelong passion for art and attended the Savannah College of Art and Design. She was also close to completing her master’s degree at the Rhode Island School of Design at the time of her death.
Her friends hope to honor that passion by purchasing a living legacy tree and personalized plaque at Grounds for Sculpture, where gardens, sculptures and art installations share the landscape. The organizers said all money raised through the campaign will go toward purchasing the tree and plaque.
The fundraising effort follows the deaths of three members of the Grodnick family, which authorities began investigating after Montgomery Township police were called to the family’s home at approximately 2:59 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 1, to check on the occupants. Officers initially were unable to contact anyone inside the residence and began investigating their whereabouts.
At approximately 5:52 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, police entered the home and discovered Lora and Sloane Grodnick dead in separate bedrooms with apparent gunshot wounds. David Grodnick was also found dead inside the home with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, and authorities said he was found in possession of a firearm. All three were pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Somerset.
Postmortem examinations conducted by the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Lora and Sloane Grodnick each died from a gunshot wound to the head. Both deaths were ruled homicides, while David Grodnick’s death was attributed to a gunshot wound to the head and ruled a suicide.
The GoFundMe organizers stated that Sloane was killed Sept. 30, although authorities have not publicly established the exact time of the killings in the information previously released. Investigators said the deaths were an isolated occurrence and there was no threat to the public.
The investigation remains ongoing, and authorities have said no additional information is available for release.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at 908-231-7100 or the Montgomery Township Police Department at 908-359-3222. Anonymous tips may also be submitted by calling 1-888-577-TIPS (8477).
Information about memorial trees and tribute opportunities at Grounds for Sculpture is available at groundsforsculpture.org.
