In the early morning hours of April 6, 2022, the quiet of a New Cumberland, Pennsylvania neighborhood was shattered by a violent intrusion that left a family irrevocably broken. Jessica G. McCulloch, a 36-year-old woman, was tragically shot and killed in her home on the 1200 block of Bridge Street. The incident, which police responded to as a domestic disturbance around 6:15 a.m., also left another adult injured.
The perpetrator was identified as 32-year-old Joseph P. Pentz of Etters, who was described as McCulloch's ex-boyfriend. According to authorities, Pentz broke into the residence and opened fire, shooting two adults before turning the gun on himself. The Cumberland County Coroner later confirmed that McCulloch's death was a homicide caused by a gunshot wound, and Pentz's death was a suicide from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The tragedy unfolded while McCulloch's three children, including teenage sons and a 7-year-old daughter, were present in the home. Fortunately, the children were physically unharmed and were safely removed from the scene to be with family. The second adult victim, identified as McCulloch's husband, sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to the hospital for treatment.
A graduate of Red Land High School, Jessica McCulloch was a beloved mother who co-owned a daycare center called Little Bulldogs Academy with her mother and had plans to open a second location. The community was left in shock by the sudden and violent loss of a woman described by a neighbor as part of a seemingly happy family. The incident was classified as a murder-suicide, and with the suspect deceased, authorities have stated there is no ongoing danger to the public and have not identified any other suspects or made any arrests in connection with the shooting.
