Officials: Family Found Dead in NJ Mansion Fire Were Stabbed, Shot Before

A tech company CEO’s wife and children were found stabbed inside a New Jersey mansion that burned down on Nov. 20, according to reports. The CEO, Keith Caneiro, was also found shot dead outside the house.

Law enforcement officials told NBC New York on Nov. 21 that Caneiro, 50, was shot in the back of his head, while his wife and two children suffered injuries consistent with stab wounds.

The children were identified as Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8. Their bodies were recovered inside the family’s $1.5 million Colts Neck mansion.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said Keith Caneiro and his family were victims of “homicidal violence” before the fire, CBS News reported.

“The case has transcended into a multiple homicide investigation in addition to the arson matter,” Gramiccioni added. “Unfortunately, sadly, each of these individuals were the victims of homicidal violence at some point prior to when the fire was set.”

“We believe that in some form or fashion, this family was targeted,” he added, NBC New York reported. “This is one of the most heinous cases we have ever seen,” he said.

There is no motive yet in the case, said the prosecutor. “That is something that of course we want to answer in any of our investigations,” Gramiccioni said.

Sources also told NJ.com that Caneiro was found with a gunshot wound that doesn’t appear to be self-inflicted.

On Nov. 21, before the NBC report, Caneiro’s brother, Paul Caneiro, was arrested for a charge of aggravated arson in connection with a fire that affected his own home in Ocean Township earlier in the day on Nov. 20, which was hours before Keith’s home burned down.

Paul Caneiro, the brother of Keith Caneiro, who was found dead outside his burning home with a gunshot wound, was taken into police custody and is at the Monmouth County jail. (Monmouth County)

The New York Post reported that Paul set fire to his residence “by using gasoline and igniting the gasoline causing the residence to catch fire while his wife and two daughters were inside.”

The brothers were business partners of tech company Square One.

Gramiccioni was asked if Paul is a suspect in the homicide case. “I can’t confirm or deny that at this time,” he said.

Neighbors Shocked

Joy Gamache, a local told the Asbury Park Press “the lady” from 15 Willow Brook was “so nice and beautiful” that she would regularly bring her children over to see the horses.

Another neighbor told the Daily Mail they saw the Caneiros at their Ocean Township home after the fire broke out.

“‘He said it must have been a gas leak, he had tears in his eyes. Susan was devastated,” the neighbor said. “He said, “I’m in complete shock, I can’t believe this is happening to me. ‘They were here until about noon.”‘

Investigators discovered gas cans near the Ocean Township home. According to real estate website Zillow, the 5,784 square-foot house in Colts Neck was built in 2003. The house is surrounded by fields and a pool, AP reported.

Colts Neck is a community about 50 miles south of New York City that is home to horse farms. Some homes in the town of 10,000 are worth about $750,000 each, AP noted.

“The last thing I should say is that if anyone has any information about this incident, or the Ocean Township fire, please call the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office or Colts Neck police,” Gramiccioni said in the Patch.com report. “Any little bit can constitute a piece of the puzzle that can make things clearer.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.