SWAT finds decomposed body in hoarder house after gunshots rock Somerville, NJ neighborhood

🔴 Somerville man arrested after SWAT enters home and discovers woman’s body.

🔴 Prosecutors say four handguns were found near the suspect.

🔴 Bullet holes in a nearby house add to unfolding questions.

SOMERVILLE — A Somerset County man has been arrested amid an ongoing death investigation after SWAT found a woman's body inside a home early Sunday afternoon.

Thomas M. Shaulis, 66, is charged with second-degree weapon possession. He's being hospitalized for observation, according to Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald.

However, investigators are still unraveling the horrific scene they found at the home on Mastogen Drive.

Shaulis could face more serious charges after medical examiners complete an autopsy.

Neighbor reports gunshots before police discover grim scene

According to prosecutors, a neighbor heard gunshots coming from the home and saw a man run back inside.

Police said they knew the residents of the Somerville home and tried to contact them. While officers were looking around, they looked through a window and saw an unresponsive woman on the kitchen floor.

SWAT enters home with “hoarder-like conditions”

At 3:18 p.m., after more failed attempts to contact the residents, SWAT officers entered the home. Officials described its "hoarder-like conditions" and said it was infested with bed bugs.

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They found Shaulis in the living room, lying on the couch. There were four handguns next to him, prosecutors said.

And in the kitchen, the SWAT officers made a stomach-churning discovery: a woman's body on the floor.

"The deceased female was in advanced stages of decomposition," McDonald said in a press release. Medical examiners are working to confirm the woman's identity and figure out how she died.

Gunshots strike neighbor’s house, adding to mystery

Investigators said they also found more guns and ammunition throughout the home.

As for the gunshots heard earlier in the day, two bullet holes were later found in the side of a neighbor's home.

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