Brooke Hanlon’s husband sought CPR instructions after finding her unresponsive, while her June killing remains unsolved nearly five months later.
CHESTER, NJ — A frantic 911 call captures James “Conor” Hanlon pleading for an ambulance and trying to perform CPR after finding his wife, Brooke Hanlon, critically wounded inside their Chester Township home, providing a stark account of the first minutes of a homicide investigation that remains unresolved.
The recording was made on the afternoon of June 6 after Hanlon found his 35-year-old wife unresponsive at the couple’s Pottersville Road home. During the call, he repeatedly asked for emergency help and CPR instructions while a dispatcher guided him through chest compressions. First responders later found Brooke Hanlon dead. Authorities determined that she suffered multiple sharp-force injuries and ruled her death a homicide.
The call, which lasts more than six minutes in versions obtained through public-records requests, begins with Hanlon urgently requesting an ambulance. He tells the dispatcher that he has found his wife and does not know what happened before asking for CPR instructions. As he examines her, he describes a serious wound and becomes increasingly distressed. At one point, he tells the dispatcher, “There’s blood everywhere.” The dispatcher keeps him focused on chest compressions until emergency crews arrive.
Records from the emergency response show the call came in about 4:29 p.m. The incident was initially treated as a cardiac or respiratory arrest, according to reporting based on dispatch records. Within minutes of an officer reaching the home, however, the death was described over dispatch radio as suspicious, and a major crimes team became involved. Investigators from the Chester Township Police Department, Morris County Prosecutor’s Office and Morris County Sheriff’s Office have worked on the case.
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office publicly identified Brooke Hanlon on June 29, more than three weeks after her death. Officials had previously withheld her identity while citing concerns that releasing information could interfere with the investigation. Authorities later asked the public for information about Hanlon’s death and about any suspicious activity seen in the Pottersville Road area on June 6. Morris County CrimeStoppers offered a reward of up to $1,000 for information that could advance the investigation.
Hanlon was a licensed psychotherapist who worked in Bernardsville and was the mother of a young daughter. Her employer, LifeStance, described her after her death as a valued therapist who was dedicated to her clients. Family members and friends have also remembered her for her kindness and devotion to her daughter. The child turned 1 in July, about a month after her mother was killed.
James “Conor” Hanlon has not been charged with a crime, and authorities have not publicly accused him of wrongdoing. He retained an attorney and has communicated with investigators, according to reports published during the investigation. His emotional delivery and choice of words during the 911 call later attracted speculation online, but forensic linguist Robert Leonard of Hofstra University cautioned that a person’s words or tone during an emergency call cannot, by themselves, establish guilt or innocence.
More information about Brooke Hanlon’s death became public in October when news organizations obtained her autopsy report. Morris County Medical Examiner Dr. Di Wang performed the examination June 7, one day after Hanlon died. The report lists the cause of death as sharp-force injuries and the manner of death as homicide, confirming the central findings authorities had previously announced. Much of the document was redacted, limiting what it revealed about the circumstances surrounding the killing. The autopsy was certified Sept. 20.
The newly reported autopsy details have not resolved major unanswered questions in the case. Authorities have not publicly said whether investigators recovered a weapon, identified a suspect or established a motive. The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office has provided few details while describing the investigation as active. When asked about possible developments in October, the office declined to discuss the case publicly.
Nearly five months after Brooke Hanlon’s death, no arrest had been announced and authorities had not publicly identified a person of interest as of late October. Investigators continue to seek information connected to the homicide, while the released 911 recording remains one of the clearest public records of what happened immediately after Hanlon was found inside her home.
Author note: Last updated October 24, 2026.