Multiple neighbors called 911 as couple was killed — and NJ trooper got away

FRANKLIN (Hunterdon) — A police department in Hunterdon County remains under scrutiny after a couple was killed by a jealous state trooper two weeks ago.

Pittstown resident Lauren Semanchik and her boyfriend, Tyler Webb, were found dead on Aug. 2 in the beloved veterinarian’s home on Upper Kingtown Road.

Their gunshot wounds appear to have been delivered the evening prior, as described in three separate 911 calls made just minutes after 7 p.m. on Aug. 1.

In 911 calls, three women who lived in Semanchik's rural neighborhood described how gunshots and screams rang out so loudly and eerily that it moved them to call for help.

The callers seemed embarrassed or apologetic for reaching 911, but their gut feelings proved right.

While dispatchers assured the callers that a patrol officer was on the way to investigate, police reportedly turned up nothing. Until, that is, the next day, after the killer had fled and taken his own life before he could be brought to justice.

In a development from the case, the township suspended the police chief and a sergeant while the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's Office took over the police department citing undisclosed concerns with its handling of this case.

The following day, a loved one who discovered the bodies of the veterinarian and volunteer firefighter placed a harrowing 911 call around 12:30 p.m.

Authorities declined to release a recording of that call.

“It is beyond doubt that the victims’ survivors would reasonably expect that they would never have to share their loved ones’ words with an inquisitive media or curious public,” Hunterdon County Prosecutor Renée M. Robeson's office said in response to a public records request for the audio.

Below is a partial transcript of all three recorded 911 calls from Aug. 1.

Read More: NJ seeks justice for Semanchik, Webb killings in police fallout

Pittstown 911 Call 1: Closest neighbor on Upper Kingtown Road

Caller: “I’m calling from ** Upper Kingtown Road in Pittstown, New Jersey. It’s not actually on this property but I just heard a bunch of gunshots. It sounded very loud. And it's not hunting season.”

The dispatcher asks the caller’s location again. She repeats it and adds, “And I heard some screaming.”

The neighbor then adds, “I think it came from down the hill.”

When asked how many shots, she says maybe “five to six” and says, “It was really loud — the sound carries here.”

When dispatch tells her that someone is being sent out to check, the caller adds, “I haven’t heard anything since. It was the screaming that made me a little nervous.”

Pittstown 911 Call 2: A neighbor on White Bridge Road

Caller 2: “Hi, I’m sorry we don't typically do this, but we just heard something that sounded really strange.”

The dispatcher cuts in and says, “Over Upper Kingtown Road area?”

“There were like seven gun shots," the caller says.

Caller 2 says the shots happened about five minutes ago and “It just sounded really weird so we sounded like we had to say something.”

"Yeah, I have an officer on his way to the area," the dispatcher says.

Caller 2 says it sounded like it came from a little bit closer to the bridge.

Pittstown 911 Call 3: Another neighbor on Upper Kingtown Road

Caller 3: “I’m on Upper Kingtown Road and I don’t know if I’m watching too many movies or what, but my boyfriend and I just heard something very strange. We heard gunshots and also screaming.”

The dispatcher asks for the woman’s full name and address.

"When we’re facing the road from where we are, it was to our right, which would be either next door or the house after. And the screaming sounded pretty close. The houses are far apart here," the caller says.

“And then when it stopped, the last shot, it was quiet. And I thought maybe it was kids laughing or something. I couldn’t tell, we had music going.”

The dispatcher says they had a patrol going out to check the area and asks for a phone number.

“I hope I’m not bothering anybody, but it just — it was too weird," the caller says.

Franklin police officers said they responded to the area but found nothing amiss.

Semanchik’s home sits above road level, with trees and shrubbery along the front of the property and a driveway that inclines and turns toward the house.

Prosecutors shared evidence that State Police Lt. Ricardo Jorge Santos had stalked Semanchik, who he had dated for several months last year until they broke up in September.

The longtime state police trooper followed her home on Aug. 1 and lurked in the woods outside her house until her new boyfriend arrived, according to dash camera footage from inside the victim's vehicle.

Santos, of South River, was found dead of apparent suicide in his Mercedes SUV in a Piscataway park on Aug. 2.

Read More: NJ couple is mourned as NJ state trooper's rampage is revealed  

Semanchik’s parents, sisters and other heartbroken relatives, friends and co-workers gathered for a visitation in Whitehouse Station last weekend.

After keeping its doors closed for a week following Semanchik's killing, Long Valley Animal Hospital in Washington Township has been reopened since Monday.

"Our staff is still grieving. We are trying our very best to move forward and focus on our patients. Lauren would be upset with us if we didn’t give each pet the focus and attention they deserve. Please be patient as we navigate this new normal," the veterinarian practice has said on its Facebook page.

Read More: Services planned for homicide victims of NJ trooper 

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $83,000, to support her family through funeral expenses and to ultimately honor her in establishing a non-profit to help care for older pets, a relative told New Jersey 101.5.

Webb, of the Forked River area of Lacey, has been remembered for a blend of “integrity and grit,” always helping others in his work as a mechanic and a volunteer firefighter.

A GoFundMe campaign to help his family cover funeral expenses had also received more than $20,000 in donations.

Family, friends and fellow firefighters memorialized 29-year-old Webb this week, with services at Central Regional High School and a celebration of life at the Bayville Fire Department, both in Berkeley Township.

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