The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office says police found 64-year-old Diana Patterson and her 29-year-old son, Ryan, apparently stabbed to death in a home in Hammonton.
Police were called to the Patterson's rented home at 32 S. Madison Avenue in Hammonton around 6:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Forensic investigators removed about a dozen bags of evidence from the home as well as computer equipment.
No arrests have been made in this case, and investigators have not ruled out any possibilities.
Several family members, including a daughter and another son, were at the scene.
Diana's boyfriend clutched her dog, Buddy, and broke down in tears.
Residents say Diana Patterson worked on medical records from home while Ryan was a motocross enthusiast who competed in the dirt bike sport regularly. A motocross website had already established a page devoted to his memory.
Residents are upset, saying Hammonton is a quiet town now disrupted by this double homicide.
"I'm just seeing everybody in town that I know riding down here," said Marco Galli as he pointed down the street. "Everybody knows about it."
"I'm totally, 100 percent clueless. I don't know who would have a reason to do that," said Charlie Lolio.
Neighbors tell Action News they did not hear anything unusual on Thursday morning.
"I was in shock. My husband came home and told me and I'm in shock. I just saw her yesterday sitting having coffee," said Dawn Dixon. "It's not right, it's so unfair."
On Thursday night, one lit candle after another was carried across the Atco Raceway Ryan Patterson loved to compete on.
"If you look on his Facebook, his occupation is washed up motocross racer, he wasn't washed up, the kid could race; he loved it, everybody knew it," family friend Jennifer Hatch said.
Hatch organized the evening vigil at the track for her friend and his mother.
"I think it will help everybody process because this is not something that's suppose to happen to your friends," Hatch said.
Some carried pictures of Ryan, others wore shirts with his name on the back.
Those who raced with him reflected on how good of a competitor he was when he hit the track.
"Awesome, you could start the man backwards and he would still take the number one spot," friend and fellow racer Mike Jakoweiczuk said with a laugh.
While it will take several steps to heal, friends say they just want police to find the person or people responsible for taking the lives of the mother and son.
"I can't imagine anyone wanting to hurt either one of them, you know he loved his mom, he loved his whole family," Hatch said.
The Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit and the Hammonton Police Department are investigating this case.
If you have any information that will help in the investigation you are asked to call the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office, at 609-909-7800, or Crimestoppers, at 609-652-1234, 800-658-8477.
