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A man whose wife disappeared under mysterious circumstances years ago is now accused of a decades-old New Jersey murder that investigators say he once confessed to, according to court documents.
Robert William “Bob” McCaffrey Jr., 54, was taken into custody last week in Manteo, North Carolina, and appeared Monday in a New Jersey courtroom after being extradited, where he pleaded guilty in connection with the 1990 killing of Lisa Marie McBride, according to the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.
McCaffrey, wearing an orange jumpsuit and shackled at the wrists and waist, appeared largely expressionless during the brief proceeding, which lasted less than five minutes, WCIV reported.
Judge Janine Allen outlined the charges against him, including murder, burglary and kidnapping. Prosecutors allege McCaffrey purposely caused McBride’s death or serious bodily injury resulting in her death on or about June 23, 1990, in Vernon Township.
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Robert “Bob” McCaffrey Jr., who is charged in the 1990 killing of Lisa Marie McBride, appears in a booking photo after his arrest. (Dare County Sheriff’s Office)
He is also accused of entering her home to commit an offense and unlawfully removing her in order to inflict bodily injury or terrorize her.
His attorney entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf.
Prosecutors moved to detain McCaffrey ahead of trial. A detention hearing is scheduled for April 27 at 9 a.m., and he will remain in custody until then. A pre-indictment conference is tentatively set for May 18, though the judge noted that date could change.
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Robert William McCaffrey is escorted into court for his arraignment in Sussex County Courthouse on Monday, April 20, 2026, after being charged in connection to the 1990 murder of a woman. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Prosecutors described the arrest as a major breakthrough in a case that had gone unsolved for decades, crediting advances in DNA technology and years of investigative work.
According to the affidavit, McBride, 27, was last seen returning to her Highland Lakes home in Vernon Township in the early morning hours of June 23, 1990. When she failed to show up for work later that day, relatives found signs of a violent struggle, including a cut telephone line, a damaged window screen and missing bedsheets.
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Her disappearance prompted an extensive search involving family, volunteers and law enforcement.
Four months later, her remains were discovered by a hunter in a wooded area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Sandyston. An autopsy found she suffered an orbital fracture and had been subjected to external violence. Her death was ruled a homicide, according to court documents.
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Robert William McCaffrey appears in court for his arraignment in Sussex County Courthouse on Monday, April 20, 2026, after being charged in connection to the murder of a woman in 1990. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
In 2022, authorities exhumed McBride’s body for additional DNA testing, a step New Jersey State Police said was critical to isolating an unknown male DNA profile from earlier evidence.
Lisa Marie McBride, 27, whose 1990 killing in New Jersey remained unsolved for decades before an arrest was made. (New Jersey State Police)
Evidence recovered from the scene, including material from the victim’s headboard, was reanalyzed, and the profile was entered into the national CODIS database.
In 2026, that DNA was matched to McCaffrey, according to court documents and authorities, who said he was living in Sussex County at the time of McBride’s disappearance.
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The affidavit also outlines a key allegation. A witness told investigators McCaffrey admitted to killing McBride in the 1990s and allegedly said he did it because she refused to go out with him.
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Robert McCaffrey stands in a New Jersey courtroom during proceedings tied to the 1990 cold case killing of Lisa Marie McBride. (Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Officials said McCaffrey lived and worked in northern New Jersey in 1990 before later moving to South Carolina and more recently North Carolina, where he was arrested.
Fox News Digital reached out to New Jersey Office of the Public Defender.
The case is drawing renewed attention because of a separate investigation involving McCaffrey’s wife, Marjorie “Gayle” McCaffrey, who disappeared in South Carolina in 2012 and has never been found.
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Marjorie “Gayle” McCaffrey, who was reported missing in South Carolina in 2012. Her disappearance remains unsolved. (Charleston County Sheriff’s Office)
According to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Gayle McCaffrey was reported missing on March 18, 2012, from the couple’s home in West Ashley after what her husband described as a heated argument the night before. He told investigators he left the home and later returned to find her gone, claiming she had left on her own.
The couple’s two children, ages 4 and 10 at the time, last saw their mother the night before she disappeared, authorities said. Investigators conducted multiple searches and interviewed friends, neighbors and co-workers, but were unable to determine her whereabouts.
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Detectives later determined Robert McCaffrey had lied about key details of the case, including a supposed farewell letter that was found to be fabricated. He was charged with obstruction of justice, convicted and sentenced to prison. He was released in 2023.
Gayle McCaffrey’s disappearance remains under investigation, and authorities have said it is being treated as a homicide.