A budding Republican politician who had just begun her political career and was currently serving her first term as a New Jersey councilwoman was found shot and dead in a vehicle, according to a report in The New York Times.
Eunice K. Dwumfour, a 30-year-old with Ghanaian roots, was found lifeless with multiple gunshot wounds Thursday, said the Sayreville Police Department who responded to a call at a residential complex alongside the Garden State Parkway.
Investigators say they were searching for a weapon in a wooded hill near the area where she was found. They discovered Dwumfour in a white vehicle that rolled down a hill and crashed into two cars. Police have not revealed any possible suspects nor is it unclear if there was a motive.
“The fact that she was taken from us by a despicable criminal act makes this incident all the more horrifying,” said Victoria Kilpatrick, the mayor of Sayreville.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy also released a statement stating that he was “stunned” by the “act of gun violence,” and said that the victim “had already built a reputation as a committed member of the Borough Council who took her responsibility with the utmost diligence and seriousness.”
The single mother had just married late last year and was a business analyst and project manager who graduated from Newark Public Schools. She was awarded a bachelor’s degree in women’s studies from William Paterson University in 2017, according to her LinkedIn page.
Dwumfour was considered “deeply faithful, self-made, self-motivated, driven and disciplined,” said Kennedy O’Brien, the former mayor of Sayreville who served in the role for 20 years. “She just had so much to give. It’s just an incredible loss.”
A local resident in the neighborhood where Dwumfour was found said that in the early evening hours on Wednesday, she heard what appeared to be fireworks around the same time investigators believe the victim was murdered.
The shots were heard “two times, right after one another,” Alexandra Bryan told The New York Times. “Like five seconds apart.”
Dwumfour’s campaign manager, Karen Bailey Bebert, who also serves as the Sayreville Republican chair said that the victim was an “inspirational woman” who overcame challenges “with grit and a smile.”
Dwumfour “took on the challenge of this leadership position at a young age and she set a great example for others to follow: If you can see me, you can be me,” Bebert said.
