Man Arrested in 36-Year-Old New Jersey Cold Case Murder

Authorities in New Jersey have announced the arrest of a 54-year-old North Carolina man in connection with the June 1990 murder of Lisa McBride, a cold case that remained unsolved for nearly 36 years.

Robert William McCaffrey, of Manteo, North Carolina, was taken into custody on Friday, April 10, 2026, by a task force in Dare County, North Carolina. He is facing charges of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree burglary.

The arrest was the result of a coordinated effort involving the Vernon Township Police, the New Jersey State Police, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and local authorities in North Carolina. McCaffrey is currently being held in Dare County pending extradition to New Jersey.

The 1990 Disappearance and Investigation

Lisa McBride, 27, disappeared on June 23, 1990, from her home in the Highland Lakes section of Vernon, New Jersey. According to reports from the New Jersey Herald, McBride had spent the previous evening in New York City and was last seen entering her home around 2 a.m.

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When police arrived at the scene, they discovered the lights were on and the telephone line had been cut from the outside. Investigators also noted that there were no sheets on her bed and two slits had been made in a window screen, but McBride was missing.

Four months later, on October 20, 1990, a hunter discovered McBride’s remains in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, in woods near the Delaware River.

The investigation into her death involved a 17-member task force and assistance from the FBI. Due to the high profile of the disappearance, the case was featured on the national television program Missing: Reward.

Forensic Breakthroughs

The breakthrough that led to the identification of Robert McCaffrey occurred decades after the crime. In 2022, McBride’s remains were exhumed and sent to Bode Technology, one of the largest private forensic DNA laboratories in the United States.

Sussex County Prosecutor Daniel M. Perez stated that the identification of a suspect was made possible through significant advancements in DNA technology.

Police have not yet disclosed whether McCaffrey was known to McBride prior to her death.

Victim Background and Family Impact

At the time of her death, Lisa McBride worked as an executive secretary at Lakeland State Bank in West Milford. She was an avid hiker and an amateur competitive shooter. During her youth, she was a dancer and performed with a troupe in Romania at age 16.

McBride’s family spent years working to keep the case in the public eye. In a 2003 interview with the Bergen Record, her father, George, described the lasting impact of the tragedy.

We’re still handing the uncertainty. We still go on living. But we think of her on holidays, on birthdays — every day really.

George McBride

Additional reports indicate that Robert McCaffrey is the husband of Gayle McCaffrey, a West Ashley mother whose disappearance previously led to McCaffrey being considered a prime suspect.

Anyone with information regarding the Lisa McBride case is asked to contact the Detective Bureau at 973-764-6155 or email coldcase@vernonpolice.com.