Crime & Safety

Patch Writer's Mother-In-Law Killed in CT School Shootings

Mary Sherlach, the mother-in-law of Patch writer Eric Schwartz, was among 27 people killed in the second-deadliest school shooting in American history.

The deadly shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, claimed the life of a Patch writer's family member. 

Mary Sherlach, the school's psychologist, was among 26 people, including 20 children, who died when a gunman opened fire at the school Friday morning. The gunman, identified as 20-year-old Adam Lanza, also died in the rampage. 

Sherlach was the mother-in-law of Deptford resident Eric Schwartz, a longtime Patch freelancer who covers high school sports in South Jersey. 

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Sherlach, 56, lived in Trumbull, CT.

Schwartz and his wife, Maura, arrived in Connecticut on Friday evening to be with their family. They could not be reached for comment. 

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In the shooting spree, Lanza also reportedly killed his mother, who was a teacher at the school, and Sandy Hook's principal, Dawn Hochsprung. 

Update, 2:35 a.m. Dec. 15: Schwartz spoke to Patch about his mother-in-law, Mary Sherlach. Read his thoughts at .


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