The wife of a prominent New Jersey dealmaker who was found dead alongside her husband inside their burning home died of a stab wound to the chest.
The wound punctured Joyce Sheridan’s aorta, state Attorney General's Office spokesman Paul Loriquet confirmed to NBC10.
Firefighters found Sheridan and her husband, former Cooper Health CEO John Sheridan Jr. in the burning master bedroom of their Montgomery Township, New Jersey home in late September.
The AG's office gave no cause of death for John Sheridan. The New Jersey Office of the Medical Examiner has yet to issue officials causes of death in the case.
A neighbor called 911 to report the fire shortly early on Sept. 28.
When rescuers arrived at the Sheridan home they found 72-year-old John Sheridan dead and his 69-year-old wife clinging to life. The retired schoolteacher died a short time later at a hospital.
John Sheridan was found under a large armoire and had been stabbed in the neck; his jugular may have been slashed, according to a source. He was also stabbed on one side, the source said. Joyce Sheridan's brother Peter Mitchko said that his brother-in-law's wounds were largely on the right side and that he had also suffered broken ribs.
John Sheridan was well-known in New Jersey political and business circles.
Sheridan was active in New Jersey politics before joining Cooper in 2005 and is credited with helping transform the health care system, including adding a cancer center and medical school. Mrs. Sheridan was a teacher at South Brunswick High School who had a passion for helping students in need.
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"The death of our parents has left a hole in our hearts and family that can never be filled," the family said in a statement.
No arrests have been made or suspects named in the case.
