North Carolina Man Was Prime Suspect In Wife’s Disappearance, Now Booked For Murdering A Second Woman

A North Carolina man was recently arrested in connection with a murder he allegedly committed almost a decade ago. However, the 54-year-old had previously been a suspect in the disappearance of his wife in 2012.

Robert William McCaffrey was taken into custody last week and charged with the murder of Lisa Marie McBride in 1990. He is facing one count each of first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and second-degree burglary.

Besides allegedly being responsible for his wife’s disappearance, Robert William McCaffrey is accused of murdering a woman in 1990. The victim was a 27-year-old woman whom he reportedly abducted from her home before killing and burying her in the woods.

The arrest also follows allegations related to his wife’s disappearance. In 2012, Gayle McCaffrey disappeared and was declared legally dead in 2018. Her body was never found, adding to the mystery. While McCaffrey was arrested in connection with the case, he was later released.

The Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed McCaffrey’s arrest on Friday evening. He was in Manteo, where a multi-state task force apprehended him. McCaffrey is currently awaiting extradition to New Jersey.

The victim, Lisa Marie McBride, was last seen in the early morning hours of June 23, 1990. She had reportedly returned home from a night out with friends. However, she stopped answering calls later in the day, raising suspicion among family members. Her brother broke into her house and saw signs of a struggle. He alerted authorities.

Police, upon investigation, did not locate McBride, although they observed clear signs of a struggle throughout the house. Almost five months later, a hunter spotted skeletal remains in a wooded area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. DNA testing of the dental remains later confirmed the identity as McBride. Her family is finally expected to get some closure after more than 30 years.

Robert William McCaffrey was previously linked directly to the case of his wife’s disappearance in South Carolina. In March 2012, he was the one to report that his better half went missing after claiming that they had argued, post which he stepped out of their house.

Later on, McCaffrey alleged that he returned home to find his wife gone. He had apparently stumbled upon a farewell letter which Gayle had written before she chose to leave. However, investigators were able to decipher that the latter was a counterfeit, resulting in Robert getting booked for misleading information.

He was convicted of obstruction of justice and handed a maximum sentence of ten years in prison. In 2023, Robert was released. Meanwhile, authorities have now claimed that the case of the New Jersey murder stood separate from that related to his wife. Despite so many years having gone by, the disappearance case remains open.