Man who wrote fake 'farewell' letter after wife's sudden disappearance accused of abducting, killing 2nd woman

A 54-year-old antheral successful North Carolina who was erstwhile the superior fishy successful his wife's 2012 disappearance is accused of killing different pistillate successful New Jersey decades earlier, allegedly abducting the 27-year-old unfortunate from her location and sidesplitting her earlier burying her remains successful the woods.

Robert William McCaffrey Jr. was taken into custody past week and charged with 1 number each of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree burglary successful the 1990 slaying of Lisa Marie McBride, authorities announced.

The apprehension comes respective years aft McCaffrey was released from situation for obstructing justness successful transportation with the disappearance of his wife, Gayle McCaffrey, who went missing successful March 2012 and was declared dormant successful 2018. Her assemblage has ne'er been found.

The Sussex County Prosecutor's Office said McCaffrey was apprehended Friday evening successful Manteo, North Carolina, by a multistate task unit and is being held pending extradition to backmost to New Jersey, according to a report from Charleston, South Carolina, CBS affiliate WCSC.

Investigators allege McBride was past seen live successful the aboriginal greeting hours of June 23, 1990, aft returning location to her residence successful Vernon Township pursuing a nighttime retired with friends. McBride reportedly arrived location soon earlier 2 a.m. and was seen entering the residence — which marked the past clip she was seen alive.

When McBride failed to reply repeated telephone calls aboriginal that morning, a acrophobic co-worker contacted her brother, the Daily Voice reported. The member went to McBride's location and discovered suspicious conditions inside, prompting a telephone to instrumentality enforcement.

Responding officers recovered signs accordant with a imaginable forced introduction and struggle, including a chopped telephone line, harm to a model screen, and items successful disarray passim the home. The furniture had besides been stripped and McBride was obscurity to beryllium found.

Authorities launched an extended probe that included hundreds of interviews, but the lawsuit remained unsolved for decades.

On Oct. 20, 1990, a huntsman discovered skeletal remains successful a wooded country of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Charleston ABC affiliate WCIV reported. The remains were aboriginal identified arsenic McBride done dental records. Her decease was ruled a homicide, though the information of her remains constricted the magnitude of forensic grounds available.

Prosecutors said the interruption successful the lawsuit came acknowledgment to important advancements successful DNA technology, on with renewed investigative efforts by detectives from the New Jersey State Police, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, and the Vernon Township Police Department.

In 2022, authorities reportedly exhumed McBride's remains and submitted grounds for precocious forensic testing, which identified McCaffrey arsenic a suspect.

Officials person not publically elaborate the circumstantial quality of the DNA grounds but described it arsenic a captious breakthrough successful the case. Authorities besides reportedly provided immoderate details to the household of McCaffrey's wife.

"They said the lawsuit against him is precise strong," Gayle McCaffrey's sister, Helen Banach, told The Post and Courier. "Evidently, his DNA was recovered successful the location and connected her person, truthful that is wonderful. It's horrible, but it's fantastic for her family. They tin yet get immoderate closure aft 30-some-odd years."

McCaffrey, who antecedently lived successful Sussex County, New Jersey, and Charleston County, South Carolina, was located successful Manteo, North Carolina, wherever helium was arrested without incident. He is presently being held successful Dare County portion awaiting extradition proceedings.

McCaffrey's apprehension comes years aft helium was convicted successful an unrelated lawsuit stemming from the disappearance of his woman successful South Carolina.

In that case, McCaffrey reported his woman missing successful March 2012 aft claiming the mates had argued and helium near their home. He aboriginal told investigators helium returned to find her gone and discovered a typed "farewell" missive indicating she had near voluntarily.

Investigators determined the missive had been fabricated and that McCaffrey had provided mendacious and misleading statements during the investigation. He was yet convicted of obstruction of justness and handed the maximum condemnation of 10 years successful prison. He was released successful 2023.

Authorities emphasized that the New Jersey homicide lawsuit is abstracted from the disappearance of his wife, which remains an unfastened investigation.

Officials person not said erstwhile McCaffrey volition beryllium extradited to New Jersey oregon erstwhile helium is expected to marque his archetypal tribunal quality connected the charges.