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Gregory Kelemen Found Dead After Allegedly Beating, Killing Daughter With Baseball Bat, Seriously Injuring Wife In Voorhees

VOORHEES, N.J. (CBS) -- A Voorhees Township man accused of beating his daughter to death with a baseball bat and critically injuring his wife has been found dead. Authorities confirm 57-year-old Gregory Kelemen's body was found around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday in a wooded area near the 300 block of Preston Avenue. This is near the Robin Hill Apartments

Police say he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

But police say his attack on his daughter and wife happened about a mile away at the alleged killer's home, all of it stunning neighbors.

"I couldn't sleep at all last night," neighbor Kara Morley said. "I was up all night."

Kelemen had been sought by the U.S. Marshals Service and local authorities after he allegedly struck his 22-year-old daughter, Katherine Kelemen, with a bat multiple times, resulting in her death. He was facing a first-degree murder charge.

The photo below is from Facebook and was confirmed by neighbors to be Katherine Kelemen. Neighbors tell CBS3 she was a senior at Temple University and was set to graduate in May.

Katherine Kelemen

"They're a nice family. You don't expect that to happen, especially when you know them your whole life. It's very tragic, very heartbreaking," neighbor Tony Mascino said.

Gregory Kelemen was also facing attempted murder for allegedly attacking his wife. Police say he struck his wife, Sheri Kelemen, with the baseball ball multiple times, leaving her in critical condition.

Court papers show she was sleeping and was "awakened by her husband Gregory Kelemen, when he began striking her with the baseball bat," adding during that assault her husband was saying, "I can't take it anymore."

Both victims were found by Voorhees Township Police inside their home on the 100 block of Round Hill Road, just before 7 a.m. Monday after receiving a 911 call from the home. Police say both were suffering from injuries associated with blunt force trauma.

Katherine Kelemen was taken to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Sheri Kelemen is currently listed as critical but stable according to the hospital where she is being treated.

"Beyond sickening, that's for sure," neighbor Nick Bennett said. "Something you would never expect. Such a nice family, looked like they were always doing things together, going on a walk, doing groceries, things like that."

Police are still investigating and haven't said exactly what lead up to the deadly baseball bat attack.

Temple University issued the following statement following the attack:

"Our Temple University family is stunned and deeply saddened to learn about the death of Katherine Kelemen, 22, a junior in the College of Liberal Arts, following an attack at her family's home in Voorhees Township, New Jersey. Her mother, Sheri Kelemen, who is a Temple employee at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine, is hospitalized because of injuries suffered during the same incident on Monday morning.The circumstances surrounding this situation are tragic. We extend our thoughts and deepest sympathies to those who are closest to Katherine and Sheri, especially their family, friends, faculty, colleagues and classmates. We rally around Sheri and hope she will pull through her serious injuries to make a full recovery.This is a senseless tragedy that affects our entire Temple community, and the devastating incident remains under police investigation. Temple University is committed to supporting our community during this challenging time. When we return from fall break, we encourage any student on campus who may experience difficulty to seek support through Tuttleman Counseling Services, located at 1700 N. Broad St. For more information on services and hours of operation, call 215-204-7276 or connect at the Tuttleman Counseling Services website.Employees who are feeling overwhelmed or are in need of support are encouraged to take advantage of our Employee Assistance Program (EAP). LifeWorks provides free confidential counseling; referrals; and online access to articles, toolkits, podcasts, webinars and much more."

CBS3's Matt Petrillo contributed to this report. 

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