A North Carolina man, previously a prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance in 2012, is now facing charges for a murder that occurred decades earlier in New Jersey. The 54-year-old, Robert William McCaffrey Jr., is accused of kidnapping and killing a 27-year-old woman, then burying her in the woods.

Last week, authorities arrested McCaffrey and charged him with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping, and second-degree burglary in connection to the 1990 murder of Lisa Marie McBride. This development was announced by law enforcement officials.

McCaffrey’s arrest follows his release from prison, where he served time for obstructing justice related to the disappearance of his wife, Gayle McCaffrey. Gayle went missing in March 2012, was declared dead in 2018, though her body has never been found.

The Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office confirmed McCaffrey was arrested on Friday evening in Manteo, North Carolina. A multistate task force detained him, and he is currently awaiting extradition to New Jersey. This information was reported by WCSC, a CBS affiliate in Charleston, South Carolina.

Investigators claim that McBride was last seen alive in the early hours of June 23, 1990. She had returned to her Vernon Township home after a night out with friends and was seen entering her residence around 2 a.m., marking the last sighting of her alive.

When McBride didn’t respond to phone calls later that morning, a concerned coworker notified her brother. According to the Daily Voice, the brother discovered suspicious conditions upon visiting her home, which led him to contact the authorities.

Responding officers found signs consistent with a possible forced entry and struggle, including a cut telephone line, damage to a window screen, and items in disarray throughout the home. The bed had also been stripped and McBride was nowhere to be found.

Authorities launched an extensive investigation that included hundreds of interviews, but the case remained unsolved for decades.

On Oct. 20, 1990, a hunter discovered skeletal remains in a wooded area of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, Charleston ABC affiliate WCIV reported. The remains were later identified as McBride through dental records. Her death was ruled a homicide, though the condition of her remains limited the amount of forensic evidence available.

Prosecutors said the break in the case came thanks to significant advancements in DNA technology, along with renewed investigative efforts by detectives from the New Jersey State Police, the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Vernon Township Police Department.

In 2022, authorities reportedly exhumed McBride’s remains and submitted evidence for advanced forensic testing, which identified McCaffrey as a suspect.

Officials have not publicly detailed the specific nature of the DNA evidence but described it as a critical breakthrough in the case. Authorities also reportedly provided some details to the family of McCaffrey’s wife.

“They said the case against him is very strong,” Gayle McCaffrey’s sister, Helen Banach, told The Post and Courier. “Evidently, his DNA was found in the house and on her person, so that is wonderful. It’s horrible, but it’s wonderful for her family. They can finally get some closure after 30-some-odd years.”

McCaffrey, who previously lived in Sussex County, New Jersey, and Charleston County, South Carolina, was located in Manteo, North Carolina, where he was arrested without incident. He is currently being held in Dare County while awaiting extradition proceedings.

McCaffrey’s arrest comes years after he was convicted in an unrelated case stemming from the disappearance of his wife in South Carolina.

In that case, McCaffrey reported his wife missing in March 2012 after claiming the couple had argued and he left their home. He later told investigators he returned to find her gone and discovered a typed “farewell” letter indicating she had left voluntarily.

Investigators determined the letter had been fabricated and that McCaffrey had provided false and misleading statements during the investigation. He was ultimately convicted of obstruction of justice and handed the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. He was released in 2023.

Authorities emphasized that the New Jersey homicide case is separate from the disappearance of his wife, which remains an open investigation.

Officials have not said when McCaffrey will be extradited to New Jersey or when he is expected to make his first court appearance on the charges.