A person whose spouse disappeared underneath mysterious circumstances years in the past is now accused of a decades-old New Jersey homicide that investigators say he as soon as confessed to, in response to court docket paperwork.
Robert William “Bob” McCaffrey Jr., 54, was taken into custody final week in Manteo, North Carolina, and appeared Monday in a New Jersey courtroom after being extradited, the place he pleaded responsible in reference to the 1990 killing of Lisa Marie McBride, in response to the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Workplace.
McCaffrey, sporting an orange jumpsuit and shackled on the wrists and waist, appeared largely expressionless throughout the transient continuing, which lasted lower than 5 minutes, WCIV reported.
Decide Janine Allen outlined the fees in opposition to him, together with homicide, housebreaking and kidnapping. Prosecutors allege McCaffrey purposely prompted McBride’s demise or critical bodily harm leading to her demise on or about June 23, 1990, in Vernon Township.
He’s additionally accused of coming into her house to commit an offense and unlawfully eradicating her with a purpose to inflict bodily harm or terrorize her.
His lawyer entered a plea of not responsible on his behalf.
Prosecutors moved to detain McCaffrey forward of trial. A detention listening to is scheduled for April 27 at 9 a.m., and he’ll stay in custody till then. A pre-indictment convention is tentatively set for Might 18, although the decide famous that date may change.
Prosecutors described the arrest as a serious breakthrough in a case that had gone unsolved for many years, crediting advances in DNA expertise and years of investigative work.
In keeping with the affidavit, McBride, 27, was final seen returning to her Highland Lakes house in Vernon Township within the early morning hours of June 23, 1990. When she failed to point out up for work later that day, family members discovered indicators of a violent battle, together with a reduce phone line, a broken window display and lacking bedsheets.
Her disappearance prompted an in depth search involving household, volunteers and regulation enforcement.
4 months later, her stays have been found by a hunter in a wooded space of the Delaware Water Hole Nationwide Recreation Space in Sandyston. An post-mortem discovered she suffered an orbital fracture and had been subjected to exterior violence. Her demise was dominated a murder, in response to court docket paperwork.
In 2022, authorities exhumed McBride’s physique for added DNA testing, a step New Jersey State Police mentioned was vital to isolating an unknown male DNA profile from earlier proof.
Proof recovered from the scene, together with materials from the sufferer’s headboard, was reanalyzed, and the profile was entered into the nationwide CODIS database.
In 2026, that DNA was matched to McCaffrey, in response to court docket paperwork and authorities, who mentioned he was dwelling in Sussex County on the time of McBride’s disappearance.
The affidavit additionally outlines a key allegation. A witness advised investigators McCaffrey admitted to killing McBride within the Nineteen Nineties and allegedly mentioned he did it as a result of she refused to exit with him.
Officers mentioned McCaffrey lived and labored in northern New Jersey in 1990 earlier than later shifting to South Carolina and extra not too long ago North Carolina, the place he was arrested.
Fox Information Digital reached out to New Jersey Workplace of the Public Defender.
The case is drawing renewed consideration due to a separate investigation involving McCaffrey’s spouse, Marjorie “Gayle” McCaffrey, who disappeared in South Carolina in 2012 and has by no means been discovered.
In keeping with the Charleston County Sheriff’s Workplace, Gayle McCaffrey was reported lacking on March 18, 2012, from the couple’s house in West Ashley after what her husband described as a heated argument the evening earlier than. He advised investigators he left the house and later returned to search out her gone, claiming she had left on her personal.
The couple’s two youngsters, ages 4 and 10 on the time, final noticed their mom the evening earlier than she disappeared, authorities mentioned. Investigators performed a number of searches and interviewed pals, neighbors and colleagues, however have been unable to find out her whereabouts.
Detectives later decided Robert McCaffrey had lied about key particulars of the case, together with a supposed farewell letter that was discovered to be fabricated. He was charged with obstruction of justice, convicted and sentenced to jail. He was launched in 2023.
Gayle McCaffrey’s disappearance stays underneath investigation, and authorities have mentioned it’s being handled as a murder.
