Hopatcong Man Kept Dead Body In Home For 3 Days: Police

HOPATCONG, NJ — A Hopatcong man is charged with keeping a dead body in his home and attempting to make the death look like a suicide, Hopatcong Police said in a statement. The man's child was at the home when the woman died.

Matthew Schmarr, 35, allegedly kept the dead body of a 52-year-old woman he lived with in his home for three days as he did drugs, even ignoring the advice of a friend to alert police, said Hopatcong Police Lt. Thomas Kmetz.

According to police, Schmarr purchased heroin, crack cocaine and cocaine and used the drugs while his child was at his home on Saturday, March 18. Overnight, the woman died, and although "Schmarr had the inclination that she was dead" he "did not check on her," police said.

Police did not say what caused the woman's death.

After the child was picked up between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 19, Schmarr checked on the woman and found her dead. Police said Schmarr did more drugs at this point, and passed out until Monday morning.

Schmarr allegedly used more drugs when he woke up on Monday morning and called a friend over to show him the body. The friend allegedly told Schmarr to tell police, advice Schmarr ignored.

Following the visit from the friend, Kmetz said Schmarr researched death and decomposition on his phone, turned up the air conditioning, and arranged pill bottles around the woman's body to make the death look like a suicide. He also allegedly sold the woman's laptop, which was later recovered by detectives.

The child's mother went to police headquarters on Tuesday, March 21, saying a suspicious text made her fear for the safety of the man and the woman he lived with.

Police responded to the home, and after no one answered a knock on the door, used a neighbor's key to access the home. There, Kmetz said police found the man in bed and the body in another bed in the room.

Schmarr was arrested on outstanding warrants from Hopatcong and Sparta at that time, and, following an investigation, was charged with failure to report and death and child neglect. Additional charges are pending.

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