WOODBRIDGE, CT. (THECOUNT) — William “Bill” Karales and JoAnn Karales, the married couple behind Connecticut-based Sea Lark Enterprises and its nationally distributed Soap Lift product, were killed Friday in a murder-suicide at their Woodbridge home, according to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
William Karales died from a gunshot wound to the head and his death was ruled a suicide, while JoAnn Karales died from a shotgun wound to the neck and her death was ruled a homicide, a representative of the medical examiner’s office said Monday.
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The couple was found dead inside their home at 40 Orchard Road at approximately 11:49 a.m. Friday after an employee who could not reach them requested a welfare check, according to Woodbridge Police Chief Ronald Smith. Officers entered the residence through a rear window and found the couple deceased inside.
The deaths brought an abrupt end to the lives of a couple who had built a distinctive small business around a simple household invention. William Karales founded Soap Lift after developing a soap-saving product designed to keep bars elevated, allowing water to drain away and air to circulate around the soap.
Karales started the business in his Long Island garage before eventually moving the operation to Connecticut. By 2023, he and JoAnn were running the company from a warehouse in Bethany, with Soap Lift products being shipped throughout the United States as well as to customers in Canada and other countries.
Soap Lift is made from a corn-based bioplastic and is designed to extend the life of a bar of soap by keeping it above standing water. The company’s products have included soap lifts, soaps and lotions.
The business also became connected to a local employment program. Students with disabilities from the Amity Transition Academy helped package Soap Lift products at Albertus Magnus College in New Haven. Karales had approached the Amity Regional School District about providing work opportunities for students and established an arrangement under which the students were paid for the boxes they helped package.
Karales previously said the effort was especially meaningful because his son is autistic and he had seen a lack of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. The partnership allowed students to earn money while gaining hands-on workplace experience.
JoAnn Karales was also involved in the business. A 2021 state hearing transcript shows JoAnn saying she and her husband had moved from Long Island to Woodbridge in 2017 to be closer to their daughter and her family in nearby Bethany.
JoAnn testified in 2021 that the couple chose Woodbridge because of its peaceful, quiet neighborhood and said she enjoyed taking long walks with her grandchildren and enjoying nature.
JoAnn’s former husband, Stephen Funsch, told Connecticut media that she was originally from Smithtown, New York, and that William was also a New York native. Funsch said he and JoAnn shared a daughter but had been estranged for several years. He described himself as being in total shock over the deaths.
Funsch also said William had a child from a previous marriage and that he knew William through his brother, who had been a college friend. The two men had also played racquetball together.
Police initially described the deaths as an isolated incident and said there was no known danger to the public. The Connecticut State Police Major Crimes Unit assisted Woodbridge police with processing the scene.
Police had initially declined to characterize the circumstances surrounding the deaths while the investigation was pending. The subsequent findings by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner established that William’s death was a suicide and JoAnn’s death was a homicide, confirming the case as a murder-suicide.
The medical examiner’s findings also clarified the nature of the fatal injuries. William died from a gunshot wound to the head, while JoAnn died from a shotgun wound to the neck.
The circumstances leading up to the shooting, including what prompted William to kill JoAnn before taking his own life, were not immediately disclosed.
Woodbridge is an affluent residential community in New Haven County in southwestern Connecticut, located approximately 10 miles northwest of downtown New Haven. The Karales home was on Orchard Road in a residential area near the center of town.
Google Maps: 40 Orchard Road, Woodbridge, CT
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