Man Indicted In Killing Of Camden Co. Mom Of 2 On Mother's Day Weekend

Editor's note: People who may be facing domestic violence can view their county's resources, call the New Jersey hotline at 1-800-572-SAFE (7233), or contact the national domestic-violence hotline. For emergencies, call 911.

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A man has been indicted for the murder of a South Jersey mother who was killed in Hudson County visiting her mom for Mother's Day, officials said Tuesday.

Gregory Mallard, 35, of Jersey City, was indicted Jan. 30 in connection with the death of Norelis Mendoza, who was found deceased in Bayonne near the Jersey City border on May 17. He was initially charged a few days after authorities discovered Mendoza's body.

Mendoza, of Lindenwold, was 32. Reports said that Mallard was the father of her 1- and 3-year-old children, and that he had been released from prison in 2020.

The indictment charges Mallard with first-degree murder, two weapons possession charges, failing to dispose of human remains in a manner prescribed by law, desecration of human remains, hindering, and tampering with physical evidence.

Mendoza's death marked the fifth domestic violence killing of a woman in Hudson County in the first five months of 2023, and the third killing of a mother by her ex-partner in the Jersey City area. READ MORE: 5 Children, 17 Women, 2 Men Killed By Domestic Violence In NJ In First 10 Months Of 2023.

A fundraiser for Mendoza said, "She was not just a picture of a missing person but she was a real person. A mother, daughter, sister, aunt, niece, cousin, and friend. On Tuesday, May 16th they were able to get a break in her case to find camera footage of where she was during the time of telling her mother bye for the last time and also the person she was with during her last hours and minutes."

Mallard's post-indictment arraignment is scheduled for Monday.

Prosecutors said that on May 14 — Mother's Day — the Jersey City Police Department received a missing-person report for a 32-year-old woman who was last seen in the city a day prior.

She had been visiting her mother, relatives said.

During the investigation, authorities located Mendoza's remains off of Route 440, near the Jersey City border, on the Wednesday after the weekend.

READ MORE: Man Charged In Murder Of Mom Near Jersey City Border