Bodies Of Missing NJ Couple Found Near Home: Police

STAFFORD, NJ — The bodies of a Stafford Township couple who were reported missing one week ago were found Tuesday in a densely wooded area near their home in Warren Grove, Stafford Township police said.

They were located by the police department’s drone. Autopsies will be performed later this week, though police do not suspect foul play was involved.

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The search for the Parkers began last week on Tuesday, Nov. 23. The police department's ATV unit conducted off-road searches in a wooded area of Warren Grove with assistance from State Police helicopters.

Authorities conducted a "search and rescue" operation near County Road 539 and Warren Grove Road in Barnegat and Stafford involving more than 100 people in an extensive grid search by foot with assistance from ATVs, K9 dogs and drones.

After their disappearance was reported, the couple's daughter said on social media that police found her parents' quad with her father's shotgun attached to it.

On Wednesday, the missing persons investigation was turned over to the Stafford Township Police Department's Detective Bureau and the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.

“Our department sends its condolences to the Parker’s family and friends. We would also like to thank all of the assisting agencies, especially the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office, Ocean County Sheriff’s Department, New Jersey State Police, and the Warren Grove Fire Company,” Stafford police said Tuesday.

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