On Christmas Day in 2015, eight-year-old Nellie Stasko was found dead in her Edgewater, New Jersey, apartment, the victim of a shocking act of violence that also claimed the life of her mother. The young girl, who had just celebrated her birthday days earlier, was discovered in her bed, having been shot in the back of the head as she slept. Her mother, Melissa Stasko, 49, was found in a similar tragic state in the family's luxury high-rise apartment.
The grim discovery was made after relatives grew concerned when the family failed to arrive in Missouri for a planned Christmas celebration. A call to the Edgewater police prompted a welfare check at their residence in the Windsor at Mariners Tower. Inside, authorities found a scene of domestic horror. Alongside Nellie and Melissa, authorities also found the body of 53-year-old Michael Stasko, Nellie's father and Melissa's husband.
He was found with a self-inflicted gunshot wound under his chin.
Investigators quickly determined the incident to be a murder-suicide. The evidence suggested that Michael Stasko, a watch salesman who operated his business from their home, had shot his wife and daughter before turning the. 45-caliber handgun on himself. The shootings are believed to have occurred as early as December 22nd. The motive for the devastating act remains unclear, though authorities did not find any notes or immediate indications of financial or legal trouble. The family's apartment was described as well-kept, with neatly wrapped Christmas presents under the tree, offering a stark and heartbreaking contrast to the violence that had unfolded within its walls.
