New Details In Case Of Missing NJ Couple Found Dead

STAFFORD, NJ — Many details surrounding the death of a missing Stafford Township couple found outside their home on Tuesday are still unknown.

After a week-long search, Gary and Lorraine Parker were found on the ground in a densely wooded area near their home in Warren Grove, police said Tuesday.

A drone located the couple who were about 200 to 250 yards from their house and about 75 yards from the ATV that police believe was driven by the Parkers into the woods, Stafford Police Captain James Vaughn said Thursday.

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As of Thursday, Vaughn said police do not know why the Parkers landed in the underbrush or what may have caused their death.

"We hope the autopsies will shed some light on that, but again, they take some time," Vaughn said.

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.

More than 100 volunteers assisted police during a "search and rescue" operation near County Road 539 and Warren Grove Road in Barnegat and Stafford for an extensive grid search by foot with assistance from ATVs, K9 dogs and drones.

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

The police department also continued to search for the Parkers, until the department's drone located the couple in dense brush early Tuesday afternoon.

"We searched that area, but due to the denseness of the area, including mountain laurels, thickets and scrub pine, our grid searches did not locate them. Neither did the K-9 or helicopter," Vaughn said. "You would have to walk over them or nearly right next to them to see them on foot."

Investigators have said they don’t believe foul play was involved in the death of the Parkers.

On Sunday night, police investigated a suspected meth lab near the Parker home and recovered methamphetamine, heroin and drug paraphernalia from the property on Gray Road in Warren Grove. Read more: Galloway Man Charged With Running Meth Lab In Stafford: Police

“This investigation was not related to the missing person’s investigation involving Gary and Lorraine Parker of Warren Grove,” Stafford police wrote in a news release about the incident.

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