With no sign of a South Jersey man accused of killing his estranged wife, New Jersey State Police hoped a reward could help them track down the 32-year-old father.
State Police found a 1994 blue Chevrolet S10 pickup truck belonging to Jeremiah Monell, 32, on Saw Mill Road in Cedarville, New Jersey Tuesday. They searched inside the vehicle as well as Monell's Cedarville home but did not find him.
Monell is accused of stabbing his estranged wife, Tara O'Shea, inside her home on Raymond Drive in Commercial Township early Monday morning.
O'Shea was found unresponsive and unconscious at the home and was later pronounced dead. Police said the estranged couple's 12-year-old son and 4-year-old daughter were inside the home at the time of the stabbing. Child protective services cared for the children.
"He just had pure hatred in his heart to do something like this," said O'Shea's cousin Bryan Dunn. "Especially with the kids in the house." [[407697145, C]]
Investigators said Monell fled the scene in the same pickup truck that they later found Tuesday. They continued to search for Monell as he faces a murder and weapons charges.
O'Shea's best friend Jen Messek told NBC10 if not for custody issues regarding the couple's pending divorce, Tara would have left New Jersey for good and moved to Tennessee.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
"I didn't see the restraining order but she did have one," Messek said. "This is a tragedy. Not just for the family and the children but for the community." [[408158805, C]]
Monell stands 5-feet 9-inches tall and weighs about 140 pounds. On Christmas Eve, troopers offered a $1,000 reward for his arrest.
If you have any information on his whereabouts, please call the New Jersey State Police Port Norris Station at 856-785-0036.
