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Robert William McCaffrey Jr. has long been under the shadow of suspicion surrounding his wife’s disappearance, despite the fact that a grand jury previously chose not to indict him.
Recently, the 54-year-old has found himself facing charges in a different cold case involving the murder of a woman in New Jersey.
On April 20, McCaffrey appeared in Sussex County court, accused of first-degree murder, kidnapping, and burglary in the 1990 death of Lisa Marie McBride. His connection to this cold case was established through DNA evidence, as detailed by the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office.
McCaffrey has entered a plea of not guilty to these charges, according to reports from WPVI.
“Signs of Foul Play” Found After Lisa McBride Disappeared in 1990
Lisa Marie McBride was reported missing on June 23, 1990, when her colleagues noticed that the 27-year-old did not report to work, according to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by Oxygen.
Vernon Township Police arrived at her Highland Lakes home, according to authorities, and discovered “signs of foul play,” including cut telephone lines, missing sheets and a window screen that had been cut. Investigators collected evidence at the scene, including a piece of headboard from her bed, but there were few clues to indicate what happened.
Then, on October 20, 1990, a hunter discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area in Sandstone, Township, New Jersey that were identified as McBride, per the affidavit. Her death was ruled a homicide after the medical examiner determined that she’d suffered an orbital fracture and signs of “external violence,” authorities said.
Although investigators conducted “numerous interviews,” per the court records, the case remained unsolved for more than 30 years.
Then, in August 2020, evidence from the case was submitted to DNA Labs International for DNA testing, including the portion of the headboard.
Both male and female DNA were found, but the male profile was not suitable for entry into the national CODIS database, authorities said. In February, however, investigators said DNA advancements allowed them to separate McBride’s DNA from the male contributor to develop a more complete profile.
The male profile was entered into CODIS and allegedly matched to McCaffrey, whose DNA had been put into the system after he was arrested in South Carolina in 2018 in connection to his wife’s disappearance.
While building their case, investigators learned that McCaffrey had lived in Sussex County in 1990 before relocating with his family to South Carolina in 1996, according to the affidavit. He also allegedly confessed to killing McBride in the 1990s to a witness authorities described as a “social and employment associate.”
The witness told investigators that McCaffrey allegedly killed McBride “because she refused to go out with him,” although a March 2026 investigation of friends and family revealed “no known ties” between the two, per the affidavit.
McCaffrey—who was currently living in Manteo, North Carolina—was arrested on April 10 by the Dare County Sheriff’s Office and later extradited to New Jersey to face the charges against him, prosecutors said in a statement.
Prosecutors noted, “Robert McCaffrey Jr.’s arrest marks a major breakthrough, bringing long-awaited progress toward justice for the family of Lisa Marie McBride.”
Investigators recovered five firearms during a search of his home, per a statement from the New Jersey State Police.
What Happened to Robert McCaffrey’s Missing Wife?
The arrest comes more than a decade after McCaffrey’s wife Marjorie “Gayle” McCaffrey mysteriously vanished in 2012 in a still-unsolved missing persons case.
According to the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, McCaffrey reported arguing with his wife as the couple’s two children—ages 4 and 10—slept.
“Robert McCaffrey reported that the argument had grown heated so he went for a walk to give his wife time to calm down,” the sheriff’s office said. “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.”
He allegedly told investigators that upon returning home he discovered a handwritten note from his wife saying that she was leaving him for another man, WCBD reported. Yet, her family told investigators that her phone, wallet and vehicle had been left behind and a linguistics expert later determined the 36-year-old had not written the note.
McCaffrey was charged with her murder in 2018, but a grand jury later declined to indict him, the news outlet reported. The next year, he was convicted of obstruction of justice in the case and received a 10-year sentence.
“Detectives charged Robert McCaffrey with obstructing justice after they determined he had lied to them about various elements of the investigation, including a farewell letter supposedly from Gayle McCaffrey that was determined to have been fabricated,” the sheriff’s office said. “He was convicted of that charge and was released in 2023.”
Gayle McCaffrey’s case still remains unsolved.