Community Corner

Source: Warren Woman's Body Found in Boyfriend's Basement

Authorities continue to investigate killing of Pamela Schmidt.

Cranford Police found the body of  in the basement of Greaves Place residence—the home of her boyfriend William Parisio, according to a source close to the investigation.

The 22-year-old Schmidt was declared dead at the scene. Cranford Police and the Union County Prosecutor's office ruled the cause of Schmidt's death as a homicide.

While Cranford Police and the Union County Prosecutor said they are zeroing in on an individual who could be involved in the homicide, both departments emphasize that no one is a suspect yet. 

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"We have a person of interest in the case but nobody's been charged," said John Holl, spokesman for the Union County Prosecutor's Office. 

Cranford Police responded to the incident Sunday at about noon on and chief Eric Mason added that the homicide appears to be a singular case and not part of a cluster of crimes.

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"This is a isolated, tragic event. And the investigation is ongoing, " he said.

Schmidt, whose Warren residence is listed on Schindelar Woods Way, reportedly was in a relationship with Parisio, a 2006 Cranford High School alumnus. 

Parisio, who is roughly 6-feet tall, "could be a little intimidating, but he was always pleasant to everyone," said a neighbor, who has lived on the block for more than 20 years. The neighbor asked to remain anonymous. 

Neighbors of the Parisios said they often observed Schmidt parking her four-door BMW, which bore the vanity license plate—Karen1—on the street when visiting Parisio.

Schmidt, a graduate student interning at Amicus Therapeutics, was on schedule to graduate this year from Rutgers University in New Brunswick with a master's degree in Human Resources Management.

According to his Linkedin profile, Pariso is also a Rutgers University student in New Brunswick, part of the class of 2012.

Parisio and Schmidt also interned together at Sirius XM Radio in New York City; Schmidt worked from September 2009 to May 2010, serving in the human resources department, while Parisio worked for "shock jock" Howard Starn for less than a year in 2010, according to their LinkedIn profiles. It was unclear what department Parisio worked in.

Other residents of 17 Greaves Place include Parisio's father and mother, Joseph Parisio and Dianne McKernan. A woman answered the door Monday evening, but refused to comment about anything surrounding Schmidt's death.

Warren residents expressed shock and sadness at the news. Schmidt had attended Watchung Hills Regional High School and township elementary schools, leading Warren Township Board of Education President Gregory Przybylski to extend the board's condolences to her family at Monday's meeting.

Maryrose Mullen and John Celock contributed to this report.


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