Authorities are investigating the deaths of two men and a woman found inside a Mount Holly home after a postal worker raised the alarm.
MOUNT HOLLY, NJ — Three elderly people were found dead inside a Burlington County home Friday after a postal worker noticed a handwritten note on the front door indicating that 911 should be called, authorities said.
Mount Holly Township police responded Nov. 6 to the home on the first block of Winding Way, near the township’s border with Eastampton. Inside, officers found two men and one woman dead. Burlington County Prosecutor LaChia L. Bradshaw and Mount Holly Police Chief Clifford Spencer said the deaths remain under investigation and that authorities do not believe there is a danger to the public.
The note became the first publicly known clue in a case that authorities have otherwise described in limited detail. Images shown by local media showed a handwritten message reading “9-1-1 Inside,” along with two roughly drawn sad faces. Investigators have not said who wrote or posted the message, when it was placed at the home or what circumstances led to the deaths.
The postal worker who found the note was later identified in published reports as Dom Clements. Clements said he was making his normal deliveries when he noticed the message near the entrance and saw that the home’s mailbox had been sealed with clear tape. He told reporters that the placement struck him as unusual because the message was difficult to see from the street and he routinely approached the front door while delivering mail.
Clements said he spoke with a nearby resident before calling 911. Police arrived and secured the residence after finding the three people inside. The Mount Holly Police Department said officers began working with the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office on the investigation. Authorities have not announced whether anyone is being sought in connection with the deaths.
The names of the three people had not been publicly released as of Sunday. Officials initially said their identities would be withheld until relatives were notified. A neighbor told local reporters that the people who died were two brothers and a sister, but authorities have not publicly confirmed their relationships or released their exact ages.
Officials said the Burlington County Medical Examiner’s Office was expected to perform autopsies over the weekend. No cause or manner of death has been publicly announced, and investigators have not said whether they believe the deaths resulted from a crime, accident, medical causes or another circumstance. Police also have not released information about how long the three people may have been dead before officers entered the house.
Neighbors described the Winding Way residents as people who largely kept to themselves. Clements said those living at the home had been pleasant in his encounters with them. Those accounts provide some context about the household but do not explain what happened inside the residence, and investigators have not publicly connected any neighborhood observations to the deaths.
The handwritten message remains a central unanswered question. Authorities have not said whether investigators recovered evidence indicating who placed it on the door or whether the person who wrote it was one of those found inside. Officials also have not disclosed whether surveillance footage, fingerprints or other physical evidence has played a role in the investigation.
Bradshaw and Spencer have emphasized that investigators do not believe the incident poses an ongoing threat to residents. The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office and Mount Holly Township Police Department continue to investigate while awaiting or reviewing medical examiner findings. No arrests, suspects or official findings about how the three people died had been announced as of Sunday.
Author note: Last updated November 8, 2026.