A man whose wife vanished after the two had an argument in 2012 has been arrested for allegedly murdering a different woman 20 years earlier due to DNA evidence.
Robert William McCaffrey Jr., 54, was busted in Manteo, North Carolina, on Friday on charges of murder, kidnapping, and burglary in connection with the 1990 death of Lisa Marie McBride, according to police.
‘Evidently, his DNA was found in the house and on her person, so that is wonderful,’ Gayle McCaffrey’s sister, Helen Banach, told The Post and Courier.
‘It’s horrible, but it’s wonderful for her family. They can finally get some closure after 30-some-odd years.’
McCaffrey’s wife, Gayle, went missing in March of 2012 and was eventually declared dead in 2018, according to Law & Crime. Her body has never been found.
Officials said that the night before Gayle went missing the couple ‘had a verbal disagreement’ at their home in South Carolina.
At the time, McCaffrey told officers that the fight was so heated he left the house and drove Upstate.
‘Upon his return the next morning, Robert McCaffrey reported that his wife was missing and that she had left the family on her own accord — never to be heard from again,’ reads a press release.
Lisa Marie McBride was murdered at her home in Vernon Township on June 23, around 2am in 1990. Her body was found four months later, on October 20, after a hunter stumbled upon her remains in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area
Robert William McCaffrey Jr., 54, was arrested in Manteo, North Carolina , on Friday on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree burglary in connection with the death of McBride
McCaffrey’s wife, Gayle, went missing in March of 2012 and was declared dead in 2018. McCaffrey was charged with obstructing justice after determining he had lied to them about several elements of the investigation
McCaffrey had been charged with obstructing justice in connection with his wife’s disappearance after cops determined he had lied to them about several elements of the investigation.
He fabricated a farewell letter supposedly from Gayle McCaffrey and was convicted before his release in 2023.
McCaffrey was arrested by a multistate task force on Friday for the alleged murder of McBride in New Jersey, where he is being extradited to, according to WCSC5.
McBride was last seen entering her home by neighbors in Vernon Township on June 23, around 2am in 1990.
She never showed up for work, prompting her concerned brother to check her house, where he then called the police.
Investigators discovered at McBride’s home that there were signs of forced entry, along with a cut telephone line and damage to a window screen.
Additionally, all the sheets had been ripped off her bed.
Her body was found four months later, on October 20, after a hunter stumbled upon her remains in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
McCaffrey mugshot in 2014 after being charged with obstructing justice. Investigators found he fabricated a farewell letter by his wife
Her body was exhumed, and in 2022, new testing led to a breakthrough in identifying who may have been responsible for her death.
Authorities also informed McCaffrey’s wife’s family of some details of the case.
‘They said the case against him is very strong,’ Gayle McCaffrey’s sister, Helen Banach, told The Post and Courier.
Sussex Prosecutor Daniel Perez credited the advancements in DNA technology and relentless investigative efforts for helping solve this case.
‘Robert McCaffrey Jr.’s arrest marks a major breakthrough, bringing long-awaited progress toward justice for the family of Lisa Marie McBride,’ noted Perez.
According to Law & Crime, officials have not announced when McCaffrey is expected to make his first court appearance.
