New details emerge after arrest in 1990 Sussex County cold case; suspect’s wife still missing
VERNON TOWNSHIP, N.J. (Sussex County) — Newly released details are shedding light on the decades-long investigation that led to the arrest of a North Carolina man in the 1990 murder of a Sussex County woman, authorities said.
Robert William McCaffrey Jr., 54, of Manteo, North Carolina, was taken into custody April 10 following a motor vehicle stop in Nags Head. He is charged with murder, kidnapping and burglary in connection with the death of Lisa Marie McBride of Highland Lakes.
McBride was last seen June 22, 1990. Her remains were discovered months later, on Oct. 20, 1990, when a hunter found skeletal remains in a wooded area off Old Mine Road in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area in Sandyston Township. Due to the advanced decomposition, authorities were initially unable to determine a cause of death. She was later identified through dental records.
The case remained unsolved for decades and was later assigned to the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit after its creation in 2020. Investigators revisited evidence using advances in DNA technology.
In August 2020, key evidence was submitted for advanced testing, though early analysis only produced a male DNA profile suitable for direct comparison and not eligible for entry into the Combined DNA Index System, or CODIS. Over the next several years, detectives conducted extensive follow-up, including comparing the DNA profile to more than 50 individuals.
In 2022, investigators exhumed McBride’s remains to obtain a more definitive DNA sample. Using modern genotyping techniques, forensic experts were able to separate the unknown male DNA from a mixed sample, allowing it to meet CODIS requirements.
In February 2026, a CODIS match identified the DNA as belonging to McCaffrey. Authorities said he was living in Sussex County at the time of McBride’s disappearance.
Officials also noted that McCaffrey’s DNA had been entered into CODIS following a 2014 arrest in South Carolina connected to the disappearance of his wife, who remains missing.
Following his arrest in North Carolina, a court-authorized search of McCaffrey’s residence led to the recovery of five firearms, authorities said.
McCaffrey is being held in the Dare County Detention Center pending extradition to New Jersey.
Authorities said the investigation was supported in part by funding from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, which helps advance forensic testing and cold case investigations.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the New Jersey State Police Cold Case Unit tip line at 1-833-4NJ-COLD or by email at coldcase@njsp.gov. Anonymous tips are accepted.
