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'Oh, my God. There's blood here': 911 call reveals when neighbor found body in N.J. mansion murders

A New Jersey man is accused of killing his brother and his brother's wife and two children in their home and then setting the house on fire.
Firefighters at the scene of a fire in Colts Neck, New Jersey on Nov. 20, 2018
Firefighters at the scene of a fire in Colts Neck, New Jersey on Nov. 20, 2018.WNBC

A neighbor who lives in the home behind slain New Jersey businessman Keith Caneiro stumbled upon his dead body while reporting to a 911 dispatcher that the house was on fire.

In the audio, released Wednesday by the Monmouth County Prosecutor's Office, the man told the operator that he saw smoke coming from the back of Caneiro's home. He also said that a "person is laying down" in the front yard.

"Oh, my God! There's blood here," the man is heard saying, raising his voice. "It's a corpse. It's dead. Somebody's dead here."

Image:
Paul Caneiro during his detention hearing at Monmouth County Superior Court in Freehold, New Jersey, on Nov. 30, 2018.Patti Sapone / NJ Advance Media via AP, pool

The dispatcher told the man to get to a safe area, according to the audio.

Authorities last week said Paul Caneiro, 51, killed his brother and then murdered Keith’s wife, Jennifer Caneiro, and their two children, Jesse and Sophia. They were all found dead on Nov. 20.

Prosecutors said Keith, 50, had been shot to death. Jennifer Caneiro, 45, had been stabbed and shot. The children, Jesse, 11, and Sophia, 8, were stabbed to death. The bodies of Jennifer and the kids were discovered inside the family's burning Colts Neck mansion.

Jennifer and Keith Caneiro
Jennifer and Keith Caneiro.Keith Caneiro via Facebook

Paul Caneiro is charged with four counts of first-degree murder, second-degree possession of a firearm for unlawful purpose, third-degree possession of a knife for an unlawful purpose and one count of second-degree aggravated arson. He pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance last month.

Investigators said after killing his family members, Paul Caneiro started a fire in his brother's home. He then went to his own home in Ocean Township and started a fire there, according to prosecutors.

Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni said it's believed the motive was financial. The Caneiro brothers owned two businesses together, a pest control company and tech business.