Lacey Patch: Top Stories Of The Summer Of 2017

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - Here are the top stories in Lacey for the summer of 2017.

Lacey murders-suicide

It goes without saying that the top Lacey story came in mid-August. Residents were shocked when Gregg Scott brutally murdered his wife Kimberly Dunphey, 48, their 7-year-old son Owen and the family's small Welsh Corgi dog in their Nautilus Boulevard home.

Neighbors described Scott as a friendly man, with no indication there were any problems. Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato remained tight-lipped about the circumstances, other than to describe the murders as "unspeakable." Few details emerged. The murders apparently stemmed from a marital dispute.

Kimberly and Owen died of blunt force trauma injuries. Scott died by his own hand, according to the autopsy results. To read the story, click here.

Owen Koehler's fight ends

Residents prayed and hoped that 11-year-old Owen Michael Koehler could beat the brain cancer that eventually killed him on June 22.

Owen was diagnosed with anaplastic astrocytoma, a malignant brain tumor, on September 4, 2015. He soldiered through two surgeries, several different chemotherapies, and radiation treatments. But his tumor was very aggressive and spread rapidly over the last month.

His parents, who had done everything to save their boy, eventually made the decision to end the treatments, which were not working. They wanted to let Owen enjoy whatever time he had left. He died at home. To read the story, click here.

Oyster Creek Nuclear Plant

Oyster Creek asks the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to waive some emergency planning procedures in place a year after the plant closes, which is scheduled to close in 2019.

Exelon wants to end the 10-mile emergency planning zone around the plant in Lacey Township, eliminate emergency sirens, reduce the emergency response staff and stop the dissemination of emergency plan information to the public. To read the entire story, click here.

Mabel - The Face Of Animal Cruelty

Popcorn Park shelter workers cried when they saw Mabel, an elderly dog who had been dumped in the Assunpink Wildlife Preserve and found trapped up to her neck in a muddy swamp. She was blind from cataracts, was emaciated, had a severe urinary tract, and could barely walk. But she didn't die alone. She died surrounded by love. To read her entire story, click here.

Three Lacey Boys Helped Save Owl Trapped In Construction Pipe

The boys were riding their bikes to a pond behind a new development when they found the Great Horned Owl in a construction pipe sunk in the ground, his yellow eyes peering up at them. This story has a happy ending. To read the whole story, click here.

Lacey Woman Files Suit Over Boating Accident That Killed Her Husband

Kimberly Sturman, widow of captain Jeffrey S. Sturman, filed the civil action in U.S. District Court back in July. She named the boat manufacturer of "No Worries," the boat's crew and lobster fisherman in the area on July 26, 2014. To read the entire story, click here.

Photo credits: GoFundMe - Owen Scott and his mother; Owen Koehler - Owen's Fight Facebook page; Oyster Creek -Patricia A. Miller; Mabel, Owl - Associated Humane Societies Popcorn Park Animal Shelter.