NJ Woman's Body Exhumed In 1990 Cold Case

VERNON TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Sussex County Prosecutor's Office exhumed the remains of homicide victim Lisa McBride hoping for new forensic evidence related to her unsolved 1990 death, authorities announced on Monday.

On March 9, the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office exhumed McBride's body from Restland Memorial Park in East Hanover, assisted by New Jersey State Police and the Vernon Township Police Department. The remains were transported to Par-Troy Funeral Home in Parsippany, and then to the Morris-Sussex Medical Examiner's Office, according to a news statement from Sussex County First Assistant Prosecutor Gregory Mueller.

At the Medical Examiner's Office, the Sussex County Medical Examiner and a New Jersey State Police Anthropologist performed an examination and collected "relevant evidence," the news statement said. That evidence was delivered to a forensic lab in Virginia on Thursday, with hopes it will bring a break in the case.

The Prosecutor's Office said Lisa McBride was reinterned at Restland shortly after the examination, all done under a court order.

Homicide victim McBride was reported missing on June 23, 1990 and her skeletal remains were found on Oct. 20, 1990. The Prosecutor's Office offered an account of her 1990 disappearance and the discovery of her remains.

On Friday, June 22, 1990, Lisa McBride finished work at Lakeland Bank in Newfoundland, New Jersey. That evening, McBride made arrangements to attend a concert in New York City with friends. Following the concert, the four friends traveled from New York City to Big John's Pub on Old Route 23 in Newfoundland, New Jersey. They arrived around 12:30 a.m. Witnesses told authorities that while at the pub, McBride consumed three bottles of beer, talked to several people, and gave three old friends her telephone number, the Prosecutor's statement said.

Before leaving the pub around 1:15 a.m., McBride had commented that she had to depart since she had to work the following morning, the report said. Neighbors saw McBride arrive in her driveway at home at about 1:55 a.m., on Saturday, June 23. She was seen getting out of her vehicle and walking into her Highland Lakes home at about 2 a.m., according to law enforcement. This was the last time McBride was reported as seen alive by anyone.

One of McBride's coworkers at Lakeland attempted to call her around 7:30 that morning but after several tries got no answer. The coworker became concerned and notified Lisa McBride's brother, Douglas McBride.

The Prosecutor's summary said Douglas McBride got dressed and drove to his sister's home at 10 a.m. on June 23. He noticed her car was in the driveway and assumed that she had merely obtained a ride from someone. He walked up to the porch and used a spare key that she kept under the steps, to enter the residence. As he entered, Douglas McBride called out his sister's name but received no response. He noticed that the light on the bedroom dresser was on and that there were no sheets or blankets on the bed. He also noticed that the living room couch was pulled away from the wall approximately six inches. In addition, the kitchen light, which was near the refrigerator, was also on. Douglas McBride searched the house but his sister was nowhere, the report said.

The Vernon Police Department was called to the home and found the telephone wire had been cut from outside the home. Also, a window screen was found with two slits that enabled someone to reach in and gain access into the house. An intensive joint investigation was launched involving local, state, and federal authorities, the Prosecutor's statement explained.

Four months later, on Saturday, Oct. 20, 1990, a hunter in the Delaware Water Gap National Park found the skeletal remains of a woman in a wooded area off Old Mine Road, Sandyston Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, the summary said. When found, the victim's body was almost completely skeletonized, authorities said. The hunter reported his discovery to the National Park Police, who contacted the New Jersey State Police Sussex Station and the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office. Detectives from the New Jersey State Police Major Crime Unit, Troop B Criminal Investigations Office, and Sussex County Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation.

A dental examination identified the woman as Lisa Marie McBride, who had been listed as a missing female in the time since her disappearance. The New Jersey State Medical Examiner's Office in Newark on Nov. 7, 1990, estimated the time of death as well as the cause of death. McBride’s left cheekbone was fractured from what was believed to be blunt force trauma.

The continuing investigation is being conducted jointly by the Sussex County Prosecutor's Office, Major Crimes Unit, the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit, the New Jersey State Police Crime Scene Unit, the New Jersey State Police Forensic Anthropology Unit, the New Jersey State Police, Augusta Barracks and the Vernon Township Police Department.

If anyone has relevant information about the disappearance of Lisa McBride,
please contact Lt. Nicholas Elmo at the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, 973-383-1570.

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