In a tragic turn of events that stunned a quiet Voorhees, New Jersey community, 57-year-old Gregory Kelemen was found dead, bringing a grim conclusion to a brief but intense manhunt. His body was discovered in a wooded area near Preston Avenue on a Tuesday morning, the result of what authorities described as an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The discovery of the male's body marked the final chapter in a violent outburst that had unfolded a day earlier within the family's home on Round Hill Road.
The events leading to Kelemen's death began to unfold when his wife, Sheri Kelemen, made a frantic 911 call. She reported that her husband had attacked her and their daughter. According to Sheri's account to investigators, she was awakened by her husband beating her with a baseball bat, repeatedly saying, 'I can't take it anymore.' After the assault, Gregory Kelemen fled the home in his silver Toyota Rav4.
Sheri managed to make her way to her daughter's bedroom, where she found 22-year-old Katherine Kelemen unresponsive and severely injured from an apparent beating with the same bat.
First responders arrived to a horrific scene. Katherine was rushed to a nearby hospital but succumbed to her injuries. Sheri was also hospitalized with serious injuries but was reported to be in stable condition. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, law enforcement launched a search for Gregory Kelemen, who had been charged with first-degree murder in the death of his daughter and attempted murder for the assault on his wife. The search involved local police and U.S. Marshals and concluded with the discovery of his body less than a mile from his home. The motive for the sudden and shocking violence remains unclear. Neighbors described the Kelemens as a nice family, often seen spending time together, making the tragedy all the more difficult for the community to comprehend.
