By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | October 6, 2026 11:30 pm
Skillman, NJ – A postmortem examination positively identified the victims of a recent murder-suicide in Skillman as Lora Grodnick, 62, and her daughter Sloane Grodnick, 24. The cause of death for both victims was gunshot wound of the head, and the manner of death was ruled to be homicide.
The deceased male was positively identified as David Grodnick, 61, husband to Lora and father to Sloane. His cause of death was a gunshot wound of the head, and the manner of death was ruled a suicide. The investigation, which remains ongoing, has yielded that the homicide deaths of both Lora and Sloane Grodnick were an isolated incident and there are no threats to the public from this tragic occurrence. No further information will be available for release at this time, according to the Somerset County Prosecutor's Office.
Montgomery Township police discovered the three bodies in a mansion on Wild Azalea Lane in Skillman on Friday at about 5:30 pm while performing a wellness check.
Officers found two victims, both adult females, located within two separate bedrooms of the residence. Both victims appear to have suffered from apparent gunshot wounds. A deceased adult male was also located in the residence with what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
David and Lora “Lori” Grodnick resided at 39 Azalea Lane with their daughter Sloane Caroline Grodnick.
Somerset County Prosecutor John P. McDonald issued a statement this morning, Oct. 6, that gave the names of the victims of the double murder, and the suicide.
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McDonald stated that on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 2:59 pm, Montgomery Township Police received a call requesting a check on the occupants of a residence on Wild Azalea Lane. Montgomery Township Police Officers responded to the residence to contact the occupants with negative results.
Officers initiated an investigation into the whereabouts of the occupants. Subsequently, on Friday, Oct. 2, at about 5:52 pm, Montgomery police officers were able to successfully make entry into the residence. While performing a check of the residence, officers discovered two deceased adult females located within two separate bedrooms of the residence. Both victims appeared to have suffered from apparent gunshot wounds. A deceased adult male was also located in the residence with what appeared to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The deceased male was found in possession of a firearm.
Both females and the male were pronounced deceased at the scene by medical personnel from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, Somerset.
Prosecutor McDonald stated that detectives from the Montgomery Township Police Department along with detectives from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Crime Scene Investigation Unit, and Medical Investigators from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office responded to the scene to investigate.
39 Wild Azalea Lane, which has nearly 6,000 sq ft of living space, is valued at about $2 million. Public records show ownership had been transferred multiple times since 2021.
David B. Grodncik was senior vice president and Underwriting Counsel for Land Services USA. His responsibilities included business development and underwriting multi-site commercial real estate transactions nationwide. He and Lori previously lived in Princeton, and, according to neighbors, had been members of the elite and exclusive Bedens Brook Country Club in Skillman and TPC Jasna Polana, a premier private club offering world-class golf in Princeton. He had a degree in business administration from the University of Miami and a BA in English from McDaniel College, where he played lacrosse. He earned his juris doctorate from Quinnipiac University School of Law.
Sloane graduated from the Hun School of Princeton in 2020, earned a bachelor’s degree from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2024, and was enrolled in the master’s of fine arts program at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Sloane was the subject of a 2011 newspaper article titled "Princeton Twp girl sparks aid to abused Trenton 8-year-old girl who was tied to bannisters, door knobs." Sloane was just 9 years old and living in Princeton Township when she read about an 8-year-old girl who was found in a squalid Trenton home, according the nj.com article by Matt Fair posted on June 7, 2011.
The Trenton girl had allegedly been tied up and left to starve by her mother. Lori Grodnick said her daughter started packing her toys and wanted to deliver them to her peer. "There's a little girl who has a horrible mommy and she needs my things,'"Sloane told her mother, according to the article.
Lori Grodnick suggested Sloane start collecting new items with the girls in her Brownie Troop, which included girls from Johnson Park School and Stuart Country Day School. So they did that to try to help the girl, who had been placed in foster care.
Over the years, David and Lora Grodnick were plaintiffs in multiple class action lawsuits, including Grodnick v. Johnson & Johnson Consumer Companies, a federal class-action lawsuit dismissed in 2025 because the plaintiff failed to prove a personal injury or legal standing regarding benzene in coal tar shampoo; and against Capital One and Discover in 2024. Also, multiple personal lawsuits, including those for breach of contract, landlord disputes, and more.
Prosecutor McDonald, Chief McKay, and Chief Bet request anyone with information relating to this investigation to contact the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit at (908) 231-7100 or the Montgomery Police Department at (908) 359-3222 or via OPS Tips. OPS Tips allows citizens to enter SCPO.TIPS as the URL into the address bar of any internet enabled device to provide anonymous reports including videos and photos. Information can also be provided through the Somerset County Tip Line at 1-888-577-TIPS (8477). All tips will be kept confidential.
