Submitted by RLS Staff on Aug 27 2018 - 4:56pm.

Staff at the Department of Children and Families Office in Paramus today are in mourning after an employee of the state's child welfare agency shot and killed herself inside her office.

Authorities say, officers responded to the 200 block of Frisch Court shortly after 9:30 a.m. Monday.

Upon their arrival, police found the 57-year-old woman suffering from what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

EMS transported the woman to Hackensack University Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries.

Department Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer issued the following message:

"This morning, our Bergen Central Office in Paramus experienced the tragic loss of a dedicated colleague. Law enforcement and agency leadership are on the scene supporting employees who are dealing with this crisis," Beyer's statement said. "We are offering counseling and other supports to assist employees in processing this tragedy."

"For anyone reaching out to our Department for assistance in the area, please know that your calls will be answered, and that we have engaged emergency protocols to route calls intended for the Bergen Central office to sister-offices within the region," according to Beyer's statement.

"We are cooperating fully with law enforcement to determine the circumstances around this tragedy," Beyer added. "We are still learning what happened, and at this time, we would defer to law enforcement for any additional information that can be shared."

The incident is under investigation by detectives from the Paramus Police Department, assisted by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and investigators from the NJ Division of Child Protection and Permanency.