A tragic double homicide in rural Hunterdon County has left two families shattered and a community demanding answers, after authorities determined a New Jersey State Police sergeant was behind the killings of his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend before taking his own life.
Dr. Lauren Semanchik, a 33-year-old veterinarian, and 29-year-old volunteer firefighter Tyler Webb were found dead inside her Franklin Township home on August 2. Both had suffered fatal gunshot wounds. Police believe the killings occurred the night before, but a delay in connecting 911 reports to the home likely gave the gunman time to flee.
Authorities say the suspect, 37-year-old Sgt. Ricardo Jorge Santos, took his own life in a park nearly 60 miles away after allegedly stalking Semanchik and ambushing the couple at her residence.
The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that Semanchik and Santos had previously dated for only a few months, but their brief relationship ended in September 2024. In the time since, Semanchik had accused him of harassment and threatening behavior. According to her family, Santos showed up at her workplace, tampered with her car, and planted recording devices inside her home. Attempts to obtain protection, they say, were met with silence.
“She tried to block him. He kept calling from restricted numbers. He keyed her car, put water in her gas tank, and stalked her relentlessly,” one family member told CBS News. “She tried to get help, but no one called her back.”
Surveillance footage recovered from a camera inside Semanchik’s car documents a disturbing timeline. On the evening of August 1, the footage shows Santos’s white 2008 Mercedes SUV trailing Semanchik from her Long Valley workplace to her Pittstown home. Shortly after she arrived, a figure was recorded walking through the wooded area along her driveway. At 6:45 p.m., Webb pulled into the driveway and parked beside her car. Police believe the killings occurred soon after.
Later that night, Santos was located in Johnson Park in Piscataway. He had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A semiautomatic handgun was found in the vehicle.
The response to Friday night’s initial 911 calls—reporting gunshots and screams in the area—has also come under scrutiny. Police responded but weren’t able to locate the source of the noise. Unfortunately, Semanchik’s father discovered the victims’ bodies the following day.
Prosecutor Renée Robeson acknowledged that while there’s no way to go forward in a legal sense, the authroties are committed to supporting survivors and preventing future tragedies.
Dr. Semanchik was remembered by her loved ones as compassionate, deeply devoted to animals, and deserving of a future she was robbed of. Tyler Webb, a young firefighter, had just begun a new relationship with her. Both were building their lives—and both were taken in an act that those close to them say should have been prevented.
