New details confirm that state police were responding to a report of sexual assault when they found the victim.
A month after he was fatally shot in Warren County, some new details about the death of a 24-year-old Navy ensign were revealed, though much of the incident remains clouded.
New Jersey State Police were sent at 4 a.m. March 19 to a home in the Panther Valley section of Allamuchy Township for a report of a sexual assault and shooting, the Warren County Prosecutor's Office said in a news release Friday.
The victim, later identified as Gage Theard, was found on the home's second floor landing. He had been shot twice in the upper torso with a 9 mm handgun, the prosecutor said.
Authorities said Theard resided in Milton, Florida, where he was attending U.S. Navy flight school. The chapel at Naval Air Station Whiting Field on April 1 posted photos on Facebook of a memorial service for Theard.
The sexual assault report and Theard's military status had not previously been disclosed.
But Theard's connection to the area is not clear, nor is the shooter's identity. Prosecutor Richard Burke previously said a suspect had been identified but not charged.
The U.S. Naval Criminal Investigative Service is investigating, along with state police and the prosecutor's office, according to Friday's release.
The prosecutor's office said no more information will be released until the investigations are complete. At that point, the office will review the case and determine if any charges will be sent to a grand jury.
Steve Novak may be reached at snovak@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @type2supernovak. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.