Brother-in-Law Arrested After Axe Killings of New Jersey Mother and Her 9-Year-Old Daughter, Cops Say

A New Jersey mother and her 9-year-old daughter were found bludgeoned to death with an axe inside their New Jersey home, authorities said. The woman's brother-in-law has been arrested in Maryland in connection with the deaths, according to state police there.

The bodies of Keisha Morrison and her 9-year-old daughter Kelsey were found by Gary Morrison, the husband and father of the victims. Other children in the home had called their dad on Wednesday, saying they'd found blood on the walls of their little sister's bedroom, relatives said.

Gary Morrison's half-brother, Everoy Morrison, had been living in the family's basement because he was down on his luck, Gary Morrison's sister told WABC-TV. 

Atasha Scott said her brother's wife, Keisha, had expressed concern about Everoy Morrison and wanted him to move out.

"She said she wanted him out. He says he would leave before the end of the month," Scott told the station. "But he didn't, he didn't leave. He murdered them."

After Gary Morrison phoned police, his half-brother slipped into Keisha's car and drove off, relatives said. He was later arrested in Maryland by state police, who pulled him over in the stolen vehicle, authorities said.

Everoy Morrison is currently in custody in Maryland on stolen vehicle charges, awaiting extradition to New Jersey, authorities said.

Charges have not yet been filed in connection with the killings, police said.