Community Mourns Death Of Mahwah Mom Killed By Ex-Husband

MAHWAH, NJ — Friends and Bergen County community members have used a GoFundMe page to share fond memories of Mahwah mom Massiel Deoleo, who died in what authorities are calling a murder-suicide over the weekend.

The mother of three was shot to death by her ex-husband, James T. Cox, who, after a hours-long standoff with police, turned the gun on himself, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office said.

Yesenia Torries created the fundraiser page originally to raise money for Deoleo's funeral and three children. It's done that, collecting over $24,000 in just two days, but has also turned into a memory board for many who knew the beloved Mahwah mom.

From family members to former employees, at least 275 people have donated to the cause.

"I only worked with her for a few months at the Renaissance but she really was a straightforward, gave in to no B.S kind of person. A great manager," wrote one former employee.

"She was still a caring human being when she was off the clock," wrote another.

As many share memories of what Deoleo meant to them in life, her family and friends are scrambling to cover the costs of her funeral, and provide assistance to her three children.

Mahwah Police Benevolent Association Local #143 shared the fundraiser, as well as a gutting anecdote from the scene, where officers from Mahwah responded.

"One thing in particular really bothered us - a family member of Ms. Deoleo told us they didn't even know how they would pay for her funeral," they wrote.

The fundraiser is still active, and is looking to raise $50,000 for funeral costs and "after care" for Deoleo's three kids.

Click her for a link to the fundraiser.

Murder-Suicide

Carlstadt Police received a phone call from a member of Deoleo's family which reported her missing around 11:48 a.m. Saturday. The family member said the last person she was with was her ex-husband, James T. Cox, 43, of Carlstadt.

At 11:55 a.m., another member of Deoleo's family contacted the Mahwah Police Department and asked them to respond to her residence, where officers located numerous items of Deoleo's personal property outside her residence, authorities said.

Around that time, officers from the Carlstadt Police Department responded to Cox's residence at 601 6th St. to speak with him. Upon arrival, Cox presented a semi-automatic weapon, pointed it to his head, and told officers he wouldn't shoot them, but that he would take his own life, authorities said.

What began was a standoff that lasted until 8 p.m.

Officers exited the residence and contacted the Bergen County Regional SWAT team. Crisis negotiators from the SWAT team spent hours attempting to resolve the situation peacefully, authorities said.

Members of the SWAT team eventually entered the house that evening, where they found both Cox and Deoleo's bodies.

Authorities determined that Deoleo had been fatally shot sometime the previous night.

An investigation conducted by detectives from the Mahwah Police Department, the Carlstadt Police Department, and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit revealed that Cox murdered Massiel S. Deoleo and then committed suicide.

NJ.com reports that Cox was a registered sex offender, stemming from a 2002 aggravated assault with a weapon conviction.

RELATED: 2 Dead After Standoff, Murder-Suicide In Bergen County

With reporting from Tom Davis.

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