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Man whose wife vanished years ago now cuffed in separate cold case – authorities say his past was deadly
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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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.
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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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.
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.
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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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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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.
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.
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Ex-CENTCOM commander warns against ‘risky’ US ground operation to seize Iran’s enriched uranium
Ret. U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus said assassinating more of Iran’s leadership will not end ongoing issues while warning against a U.S. ground operation to seize Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium.
“This would be a very, very tall order, it would be exceedingly risky. And the casualties could potentially be quite substantial,” he said Monday on “Jesse Watters Primetime.”
“Assassinating a few more leaders is not going to bring this issue to a close,” he added.
Petraeus’ comments come as the two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran is set to expire Wednesday, with President Donald Trump asserting an extension is “very unlikely.”
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The former CENTCOM commander, who led troops into battle during the American-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, said the deployment of U.S. ground troops to Iran would be very risky.
“We’re not really sure where these canisters are, of this thousand pounds of 60 percent enriched uranium,” he said. “They’re going to have to excavate very, very substantially. And by the way, that’s what makes the idea of a forced ground operation very, very challenging.”
Petraeus noted that while Iran has felt the damage of the United States’ military campaign, the regime is not hopeless.
“They’ve seen lots and lots of damage that we can inflict,” he said.
“They know what we can do… They’re also trying to figure out how much they can give on these other issues that traditionally have been very, very difficult to negotiate.”
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Trump said he will enforce the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports until a deal is reached. However, Petraeus said the economic pressure has not made Iran completely hopeless.
“They’re not at the point of desperation,” he argued.
The former CIA director argued that both the U.S. and Iran want the war to end, citing economic challenges that both nations have experienced amid the 52-day conflict.
“I don’t think that either side really wants to return to full-on combat,” Petraeus said. “There has been damage to infrastructure in the Gulf states. And we certainly don’t want to see more of that.”
Vice President JD Vance and senior White House officials are set to depart for Pakistan on Tuesday for a new round of peace talks, though recent reports from Iranian state media cast doubt on such meetings.
“I think both sides, frankly, really do want an agreement,” Petraeus said. “Obviously, there are challenges domestically for us if this continues. Obviously, there are huge challenges for them [Iran] economically and financially if it continues.”
The former CENTCOM commander said the two main points of discussion in the talks will be Iran’s uranium enrichment and the restoration of freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
“We’ll see if there is trade space,” he said.
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Nancy Sinatra slams Trump’s use of father’s song ‘My Way’ as ‘sacrilege’
Singer Nancy Sinatra called President Donald Trump’s reference to her father Frank Sinatra’s song “My Way” a “sacrilege.”
On Saturday, Trump posted a video to Truth Social of Frank Sinatra singing his classic song in light of his renewed threats to destroy Iranian infrastructure for the country allegedly violating a ceasefire agreement.
The song begins with the opening lines, “And now/the end is near/And so I face/the final curtain” which resemble Trump’s past threats to destroy the nation.
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“Omg, @NancySinatra will not be happy about this. Trump goes against everything that Frank stood for. He was a big champion for equality and supported the Civil Rights movement,” one person commented on X.
The 85-year-old “These Boots Are Made for Walkin'” singer later responded to this comment, adding, “This is a sacrilege.”
She reposted users’ comments criticizing Trump’s post and use of the song, insisting Frank Sinatra would not agree with Trump’s politics.
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“Trump may love Sinatra, but Sinatra did not love Trump,” one person wrote.
“This is just sickening. Frank Sinatra would never have allowed that monster in the White House to use his music or put his lyrics in his mouth. Sinatra was a man of honor, a man who never had to lie about who he truly was because he WAS the greatest. trump is a loser,” another wrote.
Sinatra also responded to a fan asking if she could do anything to stop Trump from using the song.
“Unfortunately no. The only people who can do something are the publishers,” she responded.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
Trump previously danced with first lady Melania Trump to the song “My Way” at the Liberty Ball after his first inauguration in 2017. At the time, Sinatra joked about the news writing, “Just remember the first line of the song.”
She later deleted the post and denied that she was “angry” that Trump used the song.
“What a rotten spin to put on a harmless joke,” Sinatra tweeted.
She also wrote, “I’m not sure why this became such a big deal. It was really just a joke.”
When asked whether she was upset over her father’s song being used by Trump, Sinatra wrote at the time, “Actually I’m wishing him the best. A good president helps the entire world. I don’t believe anyone tries to be a bad president.”
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Mom, pregnant teen and 12-year-old found bound and murdered as police hunt multiple suspects
An Alabama woman, her pregnant teenage daughter and her 12-year-old son were found brutally murdered in their home, authorities said.
Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch said deputies responded to a home in Wilmer just after 2:30 a.m., where they discovered the three bodies in separate rooms with their hands tied behind their backs.
The victims were identified as 46-year-old Lisa Gail Fields, who was stabbed; 17-year-old Keziah Arionna Luker, who was shot; and 12-year-old Thomas Cordelle Jr., who had his throat cut and was nearly decapitated.
“It was a brutal scene,” Burch said. “If you’ve got a beef with an adult… there’s nothing worth killing over, but to murder two children brutally… I hope and feel comfortable we’ll have this animal or animals off the streets soon.”
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An 18-month-old child was found unharmed in the home.
“At this point, we don’t suspect any kind of domestic or family-type situation,” Burch told reporters.
Burch noted that the home was “left in disarray,” suggesting the perpetrators may have been searching for something. Investigators believe more than one person was involved in the killings because the victims had been subdued.
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Luker was seven or eight months pregnant, the sheriff added.
“The mother was stabbed, the 17-year-old was shot, and the 12-year-old’s throat was cut as was the mom,” Burch said. “It tells me that they had a plan coming in to bring zip ties or flex cuffs with them so they had a plan.”
The father-to-be, who works offshore, triggered the discovery after he grew concerned when he could not reach Luker after he saw her cell phone activated on Life 360, the sheriff said. Another family member went to check on her and found all three victims in separate rooms with their hands bound behind them.
The Mobile County District Attorney’s Office will determine whether the death of Luker’s unborn child warrants an additional murder charge once a suspect is arrested.
Burch said investigators currently have “positive leads” in the case.
Luker’s father told WALA-TV that his daughter had just received her GED.
“It’s a senseless murder,” he said. “She was a bubble of sunshine. A person that makes you smile; a person that’ll make you laugh whenever you’re down. She had empathy for everybody. She loved her brothers; she loved her mom; she loved all of us.”
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