Peggy Wright

@PeggyWrightDR

ROXBURY A murder-suicide occurred Monday evening at a Wills Road home in Landing, where one of the deceased, a grandfather, had been babysitting his two young grandchildren, according to neighbors.

Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Roxbury Police Chief James Simonetti released a joint statement Wednesday that said an investigation is continuing into the deaths of Cheryl DeSombre, 48, and her husband, Jay Allen DeSombre, 65. The release did not characterize the deaths as a murder-suicide but three neighbors said authorities at the scene called the deaths a murder-suicide.

Police went to 527 Wills Road, which is owned by the DeSombres, at 6:10 p.m. Monday "concerning a report of shots fired," the release said.

"Upon their arrival, they located the deceased victims within the home. The investigation did not reveal any evidence of outside intrusion into the home and there is no cause for concern to the community," the release said.

Several neighbors, including Joseph Iapalucci, said that Jay DeSombre had been struggling with alcoholism but was a good-hearted man. Cheryl DeSombre had begun dating another man but she and her husband continued to cohabit, living together in a finished basement unit of the house while Cheryl DeSombre's adult daughter from a prior relationship occupied the rest of the house with her two sons, a 7-year-old and an 11-month-old, neighbors said.

"When Jay drank he had some anger issues. I think his heart was broken. They had problems but nobody really thinks you're going to go crazy like that," Iapalucci said. He said he never saw Jay DeSombre be physically violent but he expressed anger if he were drinking.

Cheryl DeSombre had been laid off at her job at a Lowe's store and took the summer off while her husband was known in the neighborhood for doing odd and handyman jobs, neighbors said. One neighbor said that Jay DeSombre had been going to Alcoholics Anonymous and was sober for awhile for "fell off the wagon" about six months ago.

Neighbor Madeline Korovich said that Jay DeSombre helped her husband install a floor in their home and during Superstorm Sandy he and a friend earned money by using a chainsaw to break apart fallen trees.

Township Councilman Richard Zoschak, who lives on Wills Road, said he also learned that a murder-suicide occurred between the married couple in the house. One neighbor said he saw Cheryl DeSombre leave the house in an angry mood early in the afternoon on Monday and saw her return around 4:30 p.m. He said he never heard gunshots but his dogs may have heard noises because they were "going crazy" in the backyard.

Cheryl DeSombre's adult daughter was not home when the killing occurred but her step-father -- Jay DeSombre -- was babysitting her children while she was being tested at a hospital for heart palpitations, a neighbor said.

After arriving at the home, police armed with shields and rifles forced their way in, according to neighbors who said they witnessed much of the drama.

The children were unharmed and brought to the homes of several neighbors until their mother could be located. Both Korovich and Iapalucci said they cared for the children for a period of time and kept curtains drawn and the 7-year-old boy occupied so he couldn't look onto the street and see the commotion and emergency vehicles at his house.

"Police were trying to talk to the little boy," Korovich said.

Tuesday evening, some neighbors conducted a candlelight vigil on the street, a neighbor said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the major crimes unit of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office at 973-285-6200 or the Roxbury Township Police Department at 973-448-2100.

Staff Writer Peggy Wright: 973-267-1142; pwright@njpressmedia.com.