In a tragic turn of events on the morning of March 5, 2018, Lydiah Okongo, a 40-year-old female of Kenyan origin, was found dead in her Jersey City, New Jersey, home. Authorities discovered her on the first floor of their Mina Drive residence with multiple gunshot wounds to her head and torso. The grim discovery was made after police responded to a report of an injured woman at the home around 8:45 a.m.
The investigation quickly pointed to a murder-suicide, with Lydiah's 51-year-old
husband, Henry Okongo, identified as the suspect. He was found in the basement of their home with a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head. A gun was recovered near his body, leading authorities to believe he shot his wife before taking his own life. The couple's two youngest children, a three-year-old boy and a one-year-old girl, were found unharmed inside the house at the time of the incident. Their eldest child, a 10-year-old girl, was reportedly at school.
Further details revealed a history of domestic turmoil. In the 15 months leading up to the fatal incident, police had been called to the Okongo residence for domestic disputes on at least three occasions. Just over two weeks before her death, on February 17, Lydiah had called 911 to report that her husband had threatened to kill her and send her back to Africa in a coffin. Despite these calls for help, it is unclear what, if any, protective measures were taken. Neighbors and members of the local Kenyan community described the couple's marriage as troubled, with frequent quarrels and periods of separation. Lydiah, who had moved to the United States in 2001, worked as a visiting home nurse, while her husband owned a local laundromat.
