Overview

• Attorneys for the families of Lauren Semanchik and Tyler Webb announced plans to sue Franklin Township Police and the New Jersey State Police after filing notices of claim.
• Semanchik left a May 20 voicemail seeking to file a report or restraining order over alleged harassment by ex-boyfriend Sgt. Ricardo Santos, and lawyers say police never called her back.
• Investigators say Santos followed Semanchik home on Aug. 1, fatally shot the couple, then died by suicide; prosecutors say responding officers left the scene that night and the bodies were found the next day.
• The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office has assumed control of the Franklin Township Police Department’s investigation, with local leadership placed on leave during the review.
• Family attorneys allege a “blue wall of silence” and say the claims will be followed by lawsuits within six months seeking damages and policy reforms, noting Semanchik also alerted a trooper on the governor’s security detail.