Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office takes control of Franklin Township police amid double homicide investigation
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Hunterdon County) — The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office has assumed control of the Franklin Township Police Department following an investigation into a double homicide that has raised serious concerns about the department’s operations and effectiveness.
Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson announced the supersession Thursday, stating that the Prosecutor’s Office will now oversee all day-to-day operations of the department “until further notice.” The decision comes in the wake of the August 2 killings of Lauren Semanchik, 33, of Pittstown, and Tyler Webb, 29, of Forked River.
Authorities said officers from the Franklin Township Police Department responded at approximately 12:22 p.m. on August 2 to a 911 call reporting an unconscious woman at a residence on Upper Kingtown Road. Upon arrival, police discovered Semanchik and Webb dead from apparent gunshot wounds inflicted by a semiautomatic firearm. The shooting was described as a “targeted act.”
Semanchik, a veterinarian at Long Valley Animal Hospital, had recently begun dating Webb, a firefighter with the Pinewald Pioneer Fire Company. According to investigators, Semanchik had previously been in a relationship with Ricardo Jorge Santos, a sergeant first class with the New Jersey State Police. Authorities said she had reported ongoing harassment and controlling behavior by Santos following their breakup in September 2024.
“As a result, it appeared to detectives that Santos may have been involved in the homicides,” the Prosecutor’s Office said.
While pursuing that lead, detectives were informed that Santos had been found dead inside a white 2008 Mercedes SUV at Johnson Park in Piscataway, Middlesex County. A semiautomatic handgun was found in the vehicle, and the Middlesex County Medical Examiner’s Office preliminarily ruled the death a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Surveillance footage reviewed by investigators showed Semanchik leaving work on August 1 at 5:25 p.m., with a white SUV matching Santos’ vehicle following closely behind. Additional footage captured an individual walking through a wooded area near Semanchik’s home shortly after her arrival. Webb arrived at the residence around 6:45 p.m. That evening, police had responded to reports of gunshots and screaming around 7:08 p.m. but were unable to locate a source at the time.
As a result of the homicide investigation, Robeson said the Prosecutor’s Office has determined that oversight of the Franklin Township Police Department is “immediately necessary.” Captain Paul Approvato of the Prosecutor’s Office has been named interim Officer-in-Charge. Township Police Chief Timothy Snyder and Sergeant Kevin Bollaro have been placed on administrative leave by the Franklin Township governing body.
The homicide and internal police investigations are ongoing.
Anyone with information related to the homicides is asked to contact Detective Sergeant David Petelle or Detective Quayshaun Brooks at (908) 788-1129. Anonymous tips can be submitted via the Hunterdon County Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-321-0010.
Those with information regarding the internal investigation of the police department may contact HCPO Detective Sergeant Kelsey Marsh at (908) 788-1129 or email hcpoia@co.hunterdon.nj.us.
