Seeking answers: Family of slain NJ councilwoman hires Bridgegate investigator

🔴Prosecutor Yvonne Ciccone has not offered any public comment or details about the investigation into the fatal shooting of Eunice Dwumfour

🔴The councilwoman's family wants to make sure nothing is being ruled out

🔴The family has not met with the investigators since the Feb. 1 shooting

SAYREVILLE — The family of slain Republican Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour has hired an attorney to get assurances from the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office about the seriousness of their investigation into her death.

Prosecutor Yvonne Ciccone has not offered any public comment or details about the investigation into the Feb. 1 shooting. When asked at a public event, she called the investigation her office's "number one priority."

The family has hired former assemblyman and gubernatorial candidate John Wisniewski to represent them.

Wisniewski led the legislative investigation into the closure of lanes on the George Washington Bridge during the Christie administration. He was skeptical that Gov. Christie was unaware of an order from his inner staff to close a travel lane that caused major backups from Fort Lee.

Wisniewski says the family, who attended Dwumfour's funeral Saturday in Newark, will have their first sitdown meeting with investigators this week. They have not had any conversation with Ciccone or investigators about the case. The family was concerned about early speculation about what led to the shooting of the councilwoman as she sat in her SUV in front of her home.

"They just wanted to have an opportunity to meet with the prosecutor's office to understand that they're not prematurely ruling things out, that they're taking everything seriously, that they're exhausting every possible lead, whatever they may be, so that they have that assurance," Wisniewski told New Jersey 101.5. "They lost their 30-year-old daughter."

Understanding the prosecutor's silence

Wisniewski doesn't fault Ciccione's handling of the case and understands why she has not commented about the investigation.

"You don't want your prosecutor out there saying 'here's what I'm doing today and here's what I'm doing tomorrow.' But by the same token, you also would hope that those investigating a homicide like this for somebody young and so tragically taken that they would be reaching out to provide the victim assistance that is statutorily created by New Jersey law that we are taking this seriously," Wisniewski said.

Wisniewski said the family is taking it one step at a time and doesn't have a plan for what happens after the meeting. He said that given the immigrant status of Dwumfour's family they are not completely familiar with the processes of the legal system.

Where's video of the shooting?

The Democrat who served in the Assembly between 1996 and 2018 has his own questions about the case and is "mystified" more video footage has not been released.

"The apartment complex where this murder happened has surveillance cameras. Across the street is the Eisenhower Elementary School that has surveillance cameras. The suspect is alleged to have clamored up the hill to the Parkway, which has surveillance cameras. Everybody's got Ring doorbells," Wisniewski said.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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