Burlington family’s deaths ruled murder-suicide

The gunshot deaths of a husband, wife and son in their Burlington Township house are determined to be a murder-suicide. Now, investigators struggle to determine why it happened.

Ruben Johnson, Jr., 50, shot his wife Mishanda, 48, and their 10-year-old before turning the gun on himself, according to information from the office of Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi..

Township police encountered the bloody scene in the Sunflower Circle home at about 10:15 PM, while conducting a wellness check requested by a relative of the family, authorities said.

Detectives of the township Police Department and the County Prosecutor's Major Crimes and Crime Scene Units determined that no one else was involved.

Authorities offered no details regarding the type of weapon used, whether Johnson was licensed for firearms, or whether he owned the gun.