34-Year-Old Sex Assault, Murder Mystery Of NJ Woman Solved, Prosecutor Says

MULLICA TWP., NJ — It was in 1991 that the then-23-year-old Evelyn Caez was sexually assaulted and killed, found in her Mullica Township home's kitchen with stab wounds. Now, authorities say they've charged the man responsible.

Eddie Sykes, 55, of Mullica Township, was charged with first-degree murder, first-degree felony murder and first-degree sexual assault on July 2, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Caez was found dead in the W. Lakeview Drive kitchen on Oct. 12, 1991 by police at about 7:30 a.m. Police determined that she died from stab wounds and the manner of death was homicide.

In the years since, the investigation has remained active, and has been reevaluated for additional forensic testing.

In September of 2023, the New Jersey State Police Office of Forensic Sciences reexamined forensic evidence from the crime scene that the prosecutor's office submitted. That examination detected DNA on Caez's underwear in January of 2024.

That DNA was identified as belonging to Sykes, authorities said.

Sykes was initially interviewed in 1991 and denied knowing Caez, authorities said. However, an eyewitness said that Sykes was riding his bicycle in circles outside of Caez's house the night she was killed.

Sykes is currently serving a 30 years to life sentence in New Jersey State Prison for a 1992 homicide that occurred in Burlington County. According to a Philadelphia Inquirer report at the time, Sykes ran over a 27-year-old woman with her own car.