Murder Charge Filed As Skeleton Found In Ocean County Identified

JACKSON, NJ — A skeleton found while state authorities were conducting a controlled burn in Jackson a month ago has been identified as a 20-year-old Pemberton man, and a 27-year-old from Pemberton has been charged in his death, authorities said Monday.

Alan Joseph McGinnis, 27, of Pemberton, is being held at the Ocean County Jail on charges of murder, kidnapping, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, unlawful possession of a weapon, improper disposal of human remains, and destruction of evidence, according to a joint news release from Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph D. Coronato, Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina and New Jersey State Police Col. Patrick J. Callahan. He was arrested Saturday, authorities said.

McGinnis is accused of stabbing Cody MacPherson to death in the early hours of Sept. 24, 2017, and then dumping his body in the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area, where it remained until March 19, when Richard Byrne, a district warden with the New Jersey Forest Fire Service, was walking through the area, said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County prosecutor's office. (RELATED: Skeleton Found During Controlled Burn In Jackson: Prosecutor)

"Byrne was preparing the area for the burn when he observed human remains under logs close to the area of the burn," Della Fave said. "He then moved closer and noticed what he believed to be a human skull." Byrne called his supervisor and the burn was halted so they could preserve evidence, he said.

Della Fave said New Jersey State Police Detective Shaun Clark worked with the Major Crime Homicide Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office and authorities were able to make a preliminary identification of MacPherson, who had been reported missing to Pemberton Township authorities on Sept. 24. MacPherson, whose birthdate was July 15, 1997, had moved to Browns Mills from Portage, Indiana, not long before he was killed, authorities said.

An autopsy conducted March 20 at Community Medical Center by forensic pathologist Dr. Dante Ragasa, assisted by forensic anthropologist Anna Delaney and forensic odontologist Dr. Stewart Alexander ruled the cause of death to be a stab wound to the left abdomen, Della Fave said. Alexander took photographs and X-rays of the teeth and determined the all dental work observed was consistent with the dental records of MacPherson, he said. Delaney, meanwhile, conducted a DNA analysis and on April 17 notified Detective Sgt. Joseph Itri the state police that the DNA confirmed the skeleton was MacPherson, he said.

Search warrants were executed early Saturday at homes in Pemberton and Jackson, Della Fave said. The investigation revealed McGinnis allegedly stabbed MacPherson multiple times at a Pardee Boulevard home in Pemberton, loaded his body ibto the truck of a vehicle at the residence and drove it to the Colliers Mills Wildlife Management Area on South Stump Tavern Road in Jackson.

Authorities allege McGinnis then drove back to Pemberton, cleaned up the visible blood at the scene as well as all other evidence of the murder, and about a week later, drove back to the site where they say he dumped MacPherson's body to destroy evidence associated with the crime, Della Fave said.

Information on McGinnis's motive or who notified authorities that MacPherson was missing was not released. Della Fave said the court has not yet scheduled the detention hearing for McGinnis.

Anyone with information should contact Detective Brant Uricks of the Ocean County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Homicide Unit at 732-929-2027, Detective Shaun Clark of the New Jersey State Police Homicide Unit, Detective Brian Miller of the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crime Homicide Unit, Detective Jason Luis of the Pemberton Police Department, or Detective Scott Conover of the Jackson Township Police Department.

Alan J. McGinnis, photo provided by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office, via the Ocean County Corrections Department