Robert William McCaffrey Jr., a 54-year-old man from North Carolina, faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and burglary in the 1990 killing of Lisa Marie McBride in New Jersey. Authorities arrested him last week in Manteo following breakthroughs in DNA technology. The case had remained unsolved for decades until recent forensic testing identified him as the suspect.
Authorities in Sussex County, New Jersey, announced the arrest of Robert William McCaffrey Jr. on charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree burglary in connection with the 1990 death of 27-year-old Lisa Marie McBride. McCaffrey was taken into custody Friday evening in Manteo, North Carolina, by a multistate task force and is held pending extradition to New Jersey, according to the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office as reported by WCSC in Charleston, South Carolina. He previously lived in Sussex County, New Jersey, and Charleston County, South Carolina. McBride was last seen entering her Vernon Township home shortly before 2 a.m. on June 23, 1990, after a night out with friends. Officers responding to a welfare check later that morning found signs of a struggle, including a cut telephone line, a damaged window screen, disarray inside and a stripped bed. Her skeletal remains were discovered on October 20, 1990, by a hunter in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area and identified through dental records. The death was ruled a homicide. The case broke open due to advancements in DNA technology. In 2022, detectives from the New Jersey State Police, Sussex County Prosecutor's Office and Vernon Township Police exhumed the remains for advanced forensic testing, which linked McCaffrey to the crime scene and victim, officials said. Helen Banach, sister of McCaffrey's missing wife Gayle, told The Post and Courier: 'They said the case against him is very strong. Evidently, his DNA was found in the house and on her person, so that is wonderful. It's horrible, but it's wonderful for her family. They can finally get some closure after 30-some-odd years.' McCaffrey was once the main suspect in Gayle's 2012 disappearance from South Carolina, where he served 10 years in prison for obstruction of justice after fabricating a farewell letter. He was released in 2023. Authorities stress the New Jersey case is separate, with Gayle's investigation ongoing.