Missing South Jersey Woman's Body Found in Maryland

The body of a missing Mount Laurel woman was found in Maryland on Tuesday, Burlington County Prosecutor Robert Bernardi and Mount Laurel Police Chief Dennis Cribben, Jr. said on Wednesday.

Erica Crippen, 26, was discovered under a pile of branches and limbs in a grove of pine trees off of Old Frederick Road in Sykesville, Maryland.

Her hands and feet had been bound with a cord that was also wrapped around her neck. She had duct tape across her mouth and nose.

An autopsy is being performed today by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland.

She was reported missing in January.

Her husband, Kyle Crosby, 28, was charged with her murder on Jan. 13.

Earlier this week, Crosby’s mother, Jo, was charged with helping cover up the alleged murder. Jo Crosby is a Gloucester Township resident.

“Her family can now give Erica the proper burial that they have longed to provide,” Bernardi said. “Domestic violence is a terrible scourge on our society. The result in this case was the ultimate evil. Kyle Crosby took the life of his wife, the woman he pledged to love and honor. We will seek justice for Erica, but that will never erase the pain of her loss felt so strongly by her family.”

Investigators now believe that Kyle Crosby killed Erica Crippen sometime in the early morning hours of Dec. 31.

Crosby and Crippen lived together in Mount Laurel with two children, a 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship, and their 3-month-old daughter.

On Jan. 7, police visited their home to conduct a wellness check after the 7-year-old failed to attend school that week.

Crosby signed a missing person report that day indicating he had not seen his wife since Jan. 1.

After further investigation, Crosby was charged with endangering the welfare of a child due to the level of care he provided to the children in the absence of his wife, on Jan. 10.

That charge led police to stop and arrest Crosby while he was driving his missing wife’s car in Brooklawn on Jan. 12.

The investigation reveals that he allegedly traveled to Maryland sometime between the alleged murder on Dec. 31 and his arrest on Jan. 12.

Three searches were conducted in Maryland at different times by investigators from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mount Laurel Police Department, the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and the New Jersey State Police.

Tuesday’s search was the result of a forensic examination of the Global Positioning System (GPS) found in Crosby’s car after he was arrested.

Over 8,600 coordinates had been recorded by the GPS device. Investigators determined that Crosby had spent a lengthy period of time in Sykesville along Old Frederick Road, where Crippen was discovered around 12:12 p.m. She was found about 85 feet from the road.

“I’d like to thank the Mount Laurel community for all of their support during this difficult investigation,” said Cribben, who added that returning Crippen to her family was his top priority. “I appreciate the extreme commitment of the police officers and detectives who worked endless hours to bring this investigation to a successful conclusion. Everyone concerned can be assured justice will be served to Kyle Crosby for this horrible crime that needlessly left two children without a mother.”

The attached image was provided by Patch Editor Elizabeth Janney