New Jersey Mother Who Devoted Her Life To Charity Work Found Dead In Apparent Murder-Suicide

Authorities are investigating after a New Jersey mother who was known for working with unhoused people across the region was found dead late last month along with her husband in a suspected murder-suicide.

Artoria "Dee" Frazier, 48, died in an apparent murder-suicide at her home in Hainesport on May 30. New Jersey State Troopers responded to Frazier’s home and found both her and her 54-year-old husband, Wayne Hylton, dead inside the property.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing and no further information was provided by authorities. New Jersey State Police didn’t immediately respond to questions surrounding the case on Thursday.

Frazier, who was originally from Brooklyn, was a prolific community volunteer in the Tristate area, focusing her energy on advocating for unhoused individuals, friends and co-workers said. 

"If everybody in this world could live one day like she lived her life, feeding people and doing good," her friend Adrienne Wagner told the Courier Post.

Frazier was known to frequent Camden and Trenton’s shelters and worked directly with at-risk individuals who were then living on the street. 

"As soon as she walked in the door, she was different," said Vanessa Fiore, who volunteered with Frazier at the Camden County Pop Up Library. "She just rolled in and had such a presence. She was funny. She had a big smile. I loved her Brooklyn accent and her honesty."

Other colleagues described the South Jersey mother as a “bubbly,” “bright” and a tireless crusader for the area’s hungry residents.

"She cooked all the food at home and we would come and set up," said Kim Broomell-DeLia, who added that she met Frazier in 2015, told the Courier Post. "It wasn’t just about food — it was clothing, toiletries, books and Bibles to read, anything anyone was willing to donate. ... We gave out so many clothes. There were lines of people who came and it was obvious they needed a meal...It wasn't just about the work she did. It was about treating people with respect.”

Broomell-DeLia said Frazier “cared so much about everyone.”

“It's not easy doing what she was doing,” she added. “Some days there are a lot of volunteers, and some days it was just her and maybe one other person. But it was just so important to her to help everyone."

Frazier was the executive director of Women With Voices, a non-profit organization that works with underprivileged people, as well as school children in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. She founded the organization in 2012. 

"[Frazier] vividly recalls, like a fresh wound, the afflictions of both generational and situational poverty: besieged with drugs, violent crimes, lack of school supplies and community support," her charity's website states. "Ms. Dee uses Women with Voices Charity Inc. as the platform to transform lives of individuals and families from low socio-economic communities."

The Rescue Mission of Trenton said in a statement posted on Twitter that Frazier had been a "compassionate & enormously generous contributor since 2018, bringing thousands of meals to our door. Her memory will continue to inspire us."

A funeral service for Frazier was held on June 8 in Brooklyn, according to her obituary. She leaves behind two children — her son, Torian Hylton, and daughter, Taylor Hylton. 

A memorial for Frazier is scheduled at Camden FireWorks, an art gallery in South Camden on June 24