Veterinarian’s Murder Sparks Outrage: Did NJ Police Fail to Protect Lauren Semanchik?
The murder of 33-year-old Lauren Semanchik and her new boyfriend, Tyler Webb has shocked the whole state of New Jersey and brought up major questions about how police responded to her repeated calls for help.
Semanchik, a well-known veterinarian, had been telling people for months that her ex-boyfriend, the high-ranking New Jersey State Police officer Ricardo J. Santos, was following her around and bothering her. But no one did anything in time.
Now, Lauren and Tyler are both dead. They were shot inside her Franklin Township home. The man suspected of killing them was a decorated officer who was part of the state’s top security unit that protected the governor. This makes the case even scarier.
Two people were killed on the night of August 2, but the crimes had been planned for almost a year. Family members say that after Lauren broke up with Santos in September 2024, he became more and more obsessed and dangerous. He is said to have scratched her car, followed her, and wouldn’t leave her alone. Lauren reportedly tried to get help from both local and state police departments but was unable to get the safety she so badly needed.
Jennine Semanchik, her mother, has called this a “failure of duty” in public, saying that her daughter even tried to get a protection order but wasn’t protected. Jennine also said that Lauren didn’t want to put Santos’ job at risk, which could have affected how hard she tried to get help. But the threat was real, and it was deadly.
According to reports, Lauren put surveillance cameras in her car herself to keep herself safe. Santos followed her home from work before her death, according to footage. Tyler Webb arrived at 6:45 p.m. Gunshots and shouts were reported by neighbors shortly after. At 7:08 p.m., someone contacted the police about noise, but they found nothing and left. By morning, someone in the family would find the horrible news: both Lauren and Tyler had been killed.
After several hours, Santos’s dead body was found in Piscataway, having killed himself with a gun. He had been a police officer for 20 years, made $147,900 a year, and was on the governor’s security detail.
The Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s Office has now started a formal review into the case. They will be looking into Lauren’s past interactions with police. The purpose is to determine if the correct procedures were taken and if more might have been done to prevent this horrible loss.
Although the investigation is ongoing, the local police agencies’ silence is deafening for many who believe Lauren’s life may have been saved.
Not merely a sad domestic violence story, this is a warning. When someone asks for help, especially from a powerful person, take every warning seriously. Community members, especially families, are seeking justice.
Help is available for home abuse victims.
Contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or the New Jersey Hotline at 1-800-572-SAFE. Also, text LOVEIS to 22522.
