Crime & Safety

2 Dead Inside Union Co. Restaurant After Owner's Body Found: Cops

A day after a restaurant owner was found dead of a gunshot wound in a car, the mother of his children, and her sister, were found deceased.

After a restaurant owner was found dead of a gunshot wound in his car in Union Township, the mother of his children, and her sister, were found deceased in his restaurant near the Hillside/Newark border.
After a restaurant owner was found dead of a gunshot wound in his car in Union Township, the mother of his children, and her sister, were found deceased in his restaurant near the Hillside/Newark border. (Google photo)

UNION COUNTY, NJ — A day after a 45-year-old restaurant owner was found dead in a rental car with a gunshot to his head, the mother of the man's children and her sister were found dead inside his restaurant near the Hillside/Newark border.

[UPDATE: Grief, Tributes For 2 Moms Found Dead In Union Co. Restaurant]

An autopsy conducted Wednesday by the Union County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the manner of death for the two women as homicide.

Find out what's happening in New Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Acting Union County Prosecutor Lyndsay Ruotolo's office said Wednesday that on Monday morning, Union Township police noticed a vehicle parked in the rear lot of an Enterprise Rent-A-Car facility in Union Township. They found 45-year-old Akanni A. Martin, of Hillside, inside with a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators said they do not believe foul play was involved in Martin's death. A weapon was recovered near his body.

Find out what's happening in New Brunswickwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Union Township police then visited Martin's home on Summit Avenue in Hillside to notify next of kin. They determined that "two individuals close to Martin" were missing, the Prosecutor's Office said.

Tuesday, police visited K & K Jamaican Restaurant, which Martin co-owns, on the same street in Hillside. That's where they discovered the body of the mother of his children — Karen A. Lemaitre, 39 —and her sister, Wanita A. Joffer, 41.

Property records show that Martin and Lemaitre owned their home together.

"At this time, there is no known further threat to the community," the prosecutor's office said, language often used in domestic violence killings if the suspect is not at large.

The Prosecutor's Office confirmed that the three deaths were connected but would not respond to followup questions on Thursday.

This matter remains under active investigation, led by the Union County Homicide Task Force with assistance from members of the Union Township Police Department, Hillside Police Department, and Union County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit.

Anyone with information about this matter is being urged to contact Prosecutor’s Office Lieutenant Johnny Ho at 908-403-8271 or Detective Lamar Hartsfield at 908-451-1873.

Don't miss breaking news alerts when they are announced, or get a free daily morning newsletter with local news. Sign up with your preferences here.

Got news? Email caren.lissner@patch.com. To be the first to get news alerts with breaking stories in your town, or to get a free local newsletter each morning, sign up for Patch breaking news alerts or daily newsletters.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.