A man who was reportedly the prime suspect in his wife’s 2012 disappearance has been arrested in connection with another cold case homicide.
The Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office in New Jersey announced in a press release over the weekend that Robert William McCaffrey Jr., a 54-year-old from Manteo, North Carolina, had been arrested in connection with the decades-old murder of Lisa Marie McBride.
McBride would have been 27 years old when her remains were discovered in 1990. Officials believe the murder occurred around June 23 of that year in Vernon Township, New Jersey.
“This decades-old cold case was solved through significant advancements in DNA technology, combined with the relentless investigative efforts of detectives in the New Jersey State Police, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Vernon Township Police Department,” the prosecutor’s office said.
McCaffrey, who used to live in Sussex County and Charleston County, South Carolina, was arrested Friday night. He is being held in Dare County, North Carolina, awaiting extradition to Sussex County.
The North Carolina man is expected to face charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree burglary in connection with the case.
Information on McCaffrey's current legal representation was not immediately clear. The Independent has reached out to the local prosecutor’s office and the jail for more information.
McCaffrey has also been tied to the disappearance of his wife, Marjorie “Gayle” McCaffrey. Gayle, then 36 years old, and vanished from Charleston, South Carolina, on March 17, 2012. At the time, her husband was named the “prime suspect” in his wife’s case, according to South Carolina outlet WCSC.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office reshared information about Gayle’s case last month on Facebook, asking for the public’s help in finding her after 14 years.
Gayle and her husband had a “verbal disagreement” the night before her disappearance, according to local authorities.
“Robert McCaffrey reported that the argument had grown heated so he went for a walk to give his wife time to calm down. When he came back, he said that his wife was still upset, so he left the house and drove to the 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,” the sheriff’s office said.
The couple had a 4-year-old son and a 10-year-old daughter at the time.
Gayle was legally declared dead in 2018, and that same year, McCaffrey was charged with her murder, according to NewsNation. But a grand jury failed to indict McCaffrey due to a lack of evidence, WCSC reported at the time, citing court documents.
The Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said McCaffrey was convicted of obstructing justice in the case after detectives found that he had lied to them during the investigation, “including a farewell letter supposedly from Gayle McCaffrey that was determined to have been fabricated.”
He was later released from prison in 2023.
While Gayle’s disappearance remains unsolved, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office said McCaffrey’s latest arrest brings “long-awaited progress toward justice” for McBride’s family.
The Independent has reached out to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office for comment.
