Mom and kids massacred in home — dad hanged himself in woods, cops say

PENNS GROVE — A woman and her two young children were found stabbed to death in their home Wednesday after police found her husband and the father of the children hanged in the woods.

Authorities on Thursday identified the mother as Ruth Reyes Severino, 30. Her daughter Euriany Severino was 5 and her son Eury Severino was 2.

Salem County Prosecutor John Lenahan said the three were repeatedly stabbed and their deaths were ruled a homicide. Lenahan, however, stopped short of naming their killer or what motivated the bloodshed.

The slain family was discovered after police conducted a wellness check on the address after finding the body of Eugenio Severino, who they believe hanged himself in a wooded area off Sportsman Road in Carneys Point.

Police told CBS Philly that the woman had a restraining order against her husband.

Mayor LaDaena Thomas said the killings prompted a community response, from police increasing patrols to the school district offering grief counselors to students and parents. Thomas said that Gov. Phil Murphy called "to express his condolences and offer state resources."

"A representative of my office met with the family of the deceased to express the borough’s condolences and to offer the Borough’s assistance with anything the family needs," Thomas said Thursday. "My heart is torn for the families of those we lost yesterday."