Pleasantville Man Charged With Murder, Desecration of Gloucester County Woman

A Pleasantville man has been charged with murder in connection with the death of a woman whose remains were found by a hunter in a wooded area of Egg Harbor Township in January, Atlantic County Prosecutor Jim McClain announced.

Steven Stallworth, 27, was charged with murder and desecration of human remains following an investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office Major Crimes Unit, the Egg Harbor Township Police Department, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with the assistance of the Pleasantville Police Department determined he killed Tara Rogers Alicea, 30, of Monroeville, Gloucester County.

On Jan. 5 at around 1:30 p.m., a hunter found human remains in the woods behind the Shore Mall site near Broadway Avenue in Egg Harbor Township.

The hunter, who is a municipal police officer in Atlantic County, immediately notified authorities and reported the discovery.

The remains—recovered in an advanced stage of decomposition—were collected by the New Jersey State Medical Examiner’s Office.

Alicea, was identified as the victim within days of her body’s recovery, via photographs of tattoos that were released to the public. Detectives then confirmed her identity based on fingerprints.

The State Medical Examiner’s Office determined her cause of death was asphyxiation by strangulation, and the manner of death was homicide.

Stallworth was arrested in Mays Landing on Tuesday morning, around 9:40 a.m.

Bail for Stallworth was set at $2,000,000 cash/full.

Stallworth faces 30 years to life in prison for the murder charge, and 5-10 years in prison for the second degree charge of desecration of human remains.

Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to call the Atlantic County Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666.