A New Jersey mail carrier who discovered a disturbing message and alerted police to three bodies inside a Mount Holly home believes the reclusive family may have left the note specifically for him.
Don Clements told the New York Post that he was completing his regular route Friday when he noticed a sign on the door of a run-down house. It read “9-1-1 Inside” and featured crude drawings of two frowning faces with Xs over their eyes.
“I thought it was weird, because the only person that would have been able to see that sign would have been me, ’cause I’m the only one that goes to that house every day,” he said.
“And it’s just like, nobody else can, you can’t see that sign from outside.”
Clements also saw that the mailbox had been wrapped shut with clear tape—the same type of tape apparently used to secure the unsettling message to the front door.
“The only person who goes up to the door is the mail carrier,” Clements said.
“It’s weird. The whole situation was weird. Definitely don’t want it to happen again.”
He called 911, and responding officers found what authorities described as a bloody scene inside the home. Three “elderly individuals” were discovered dead. Their identities have not been made public.
A postal worker found a note that read ‘911 inside’ with two drawings of frowning faces with X’s for eyes next to the mailbox by the front door
A neighbor said two brothers and their sister lived in the home
Neighbors said the property was occupied by several siblings. Clements estimated that three or four people lived in the deteriorating house, which had peeling paint and rotting window frames.
One neighbor, who asked not to be identified, told the Post that four brothers and sisters had lived there and generally kept to themselves.
“I mean, we’ve been here 50 some years. They were here before us, but pretty much stayed by themselves,” she said.
“I do know that one sister was a crossing guard for years. My kids knew her and everything like that. And so she worked parades and other things as a crossing guard here in town.”
She said one of the brothers followed a predictable daily routine, walking to a nearby 7-Eleven at about 2:30 or 3 p.m. before returning home.
“I think he got lottery tickets and something to drink,” she said.
Another neighbor, David Babcock, told NBC 10 that one of the brothers had worked at Boscov’s for four decades.
“They were very nice, they didn’t bother anybody,” Babcock said.
However, the longtime resident who spoke with the Post said that, aside from the brother who regularly walked to the convenience store, the people in the home rarely went outside and did not drive.
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David Babcock said he was not surprised something bad happened in the home, but never expected for his neighbors to be found dead
Babcock said he had worried that something might eventually go wrong at the property, although he never imagined the residents would be found dead.
“We thought the house would be condemned and they would send them to a group home,” Babcock said.
Neighbors described the area as quiet, and the longtime resident said she had heard nothing suggesting violence before Friday’s grim discovery.
Still, she recalled seeing something out of the ordinary when she passed the neglected house on Tuesday.
“Tuesday is our trash day,” she said. “And I saw someone coming out of the house.”
“All the years I’ve been here, I’ve never seen anybody come in, go out of the house [except for the man who walks to 7-Eleven each day].”
She said the person carried a small garbage bag to the curb and placed it beside another container.
“But it was trash day. He had a bag in his hand, took it down to the curb, dropped it next to another container,” she recalled. “It was just a little bag. He put it down and walked away.”
The man, she said, was dressed entirely in black as he continued down the street.
The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office said there is no known threat to the public. Autopsies are pending.
The cause of death for all three victims remains under investigation.
Clements said the discovery continued to weigh on him.
“That sign is so bizarre. It just felt weird… That’s not like that happens every day, you know,” he said.
“It’s just, this is the first time I’ve ever, ever seen something like that.”
Police Chief Clifford Spencer said he understands that the deaths have deeply unsettled the community.
“As your Chief of Police, I want to assure you that the safety and security of our residents remain my highest priority,” he said, adding that his “thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives in this tragic incident.”
“As this remains an active investigation, I ask for the community’s patience and understanding as investigators work to determine the circumstances surrounding these deaths.”