Authorities confirm Cherry Hill veterinarian was stabbed on his front lawn as they search for his killer

Michael Anthony, 45, a beloved Cherry Hill veterinarian who was found slain outside his home earlier this month, was fatally stabbed on his front lawn, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said Monday, as police continue to search for his killer.

The assailant stabbed Anthony to death around 5:50 a.m. outside the home on the 100 block of Sharrowvale Road, in the Barclay Farm area of Cherry Hill, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement.

Neighbors have said they’d often see Anthony out on early morning runs.

The murder of Anthony on the quiet, tree-lined block has left the community shaken, with neighbors describing him as friendly man who mostly kept to himself. He owned Haddon Vet, a practice in Haddon Heights, and tributes from people who had been bringing their pets to Anthony and his staff poured in on social media.

Cherry Hill police have said little about the Dec. 10 crime, and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, which is leading the murder investigation, has released few details.

Donna Weaver, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office, said no arrests had been made and aside from the brief statement, there was no further information to be released and the investigation was ongoing.

The office has not said whether authorities have recovered a weapon or whether they have identified a suspect, or established a motive for the slaying. Nor have they said whether authorities believe the crime was a targeted attack or whether there might be a danger to the public.

Authorities asked anyone who was walking, driving, or a passenger in a vehicle in the area of Anthony’s home between 5 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. Dec. 10 to call investigators.

Calls to Kyle Bartsch, Anthony’s partner of three years who lived with him in the Sharrowvale Road home, were not immediately returned.

Cherry Hill Mayor Dave Fleisher and his office did not release additional information on the crime, but assured the public that local police were working with the prosecutor’s office.

“I have been assured by the county prosecutor’s office that all necessary resources are being deployed to resolve the investigation, and that the Cherry Hill Police department is working around the clock to support the county prosecutor’s efforts,” Fleisher said in a statement.

Anthony’s interest in veterinary medicine started in his childhood outside Washington, D.C.

After graduating cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in psychology, he attended the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where he graduated with honors. Anthony worked in veterinary practices offices in Camden, Gloucester, and Ocean Counties before opening his own practice.

Anyone with information about his death is asked to call Detective Daniel Crawford of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office at 856-580-2223 or Detective Frank Kirsch of the Cherry Hill Police Department at 856-432-8834. Tips can also be submitted at camdencountypros.org/tips.