Dad Arrested As Child, 2, Found Dead In Suitcase In NJ Is ID'd

A 2-year-old girl who has been missing for 8 months was identified Monday as the dead child found recently in a suitcase near train tracks in New Jersey. The father, who also was missing, has been arrested, authorities said.

Te’Myah Plummer was identified as the 2-year-old who was found two weeks ago in the suitcase near the PATH tracks in Jersey City, according to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office. She and her father, Travis, had been missing from Virginia since August 2017.

Travis Plummer, 37, or Richmond, Va. was arrested in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Thursday, according to the HCPO. He was arrested without incident by FBI agents and is currently awaiting extradition proceedings to Hudson County.

The investigation into to the exact nature of the child's death is still pending, but the preliminary investigation has led law enforcement to believe that Te’Myah Plummer, who was born on May 19, 2016, in Richmond, Va., died out-of-state.

During the investigation, homicide investigators from the HCPO were contacted by the Richmond Police Department regarding a missing child case that they were investigating involving Te’Myah Plummer and her father, Travis.

The Richmond Police Department had been asking for the public’s help to locate Te’Myah and her father. A month ago, RPD detectives said they did not believe the two are in danger.

“We would like to hear from whomever may be caring for Te’Myah Plummer, probably a family member,” Major Crimes Sergeant Frank Scarpa said in a Facebook post. “We need to confirm that she is safe.”

The Hudson County Prosecutor's Office also had been seeking the public's help in identifying the baby. "The investigation is ongoing and pending the medical examiner's report," Raymond Worrall with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office told Patch.

The baby was found April 11, shortly after 12:30 p.m., when the Port Authority Police Department received a report of suspected human remains being recovered near the train tracks underneath the Tonnelle Avenue Bridge, just off Broadway in Jersey City, according to the HCPO.

The suspected human remains were found in a suitcase by a Port Authority employee during a routine inspection. Responding Port Authority police officers confirmed the finding, established a crime scene and contacted the Hudson County Prosecutor's Homicide Unit.

Te’Myah was described as a 2-year-old black female with a light complexion. She was last seen by Richmond-based family members in August, 2017.

Her father was described as a black male, 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a medium complexion, weighing approximately 250 pounds.

A month ago, it was believed they may have relocated to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County, N.C. area or, perhaps, Jersey City.

Preliminary reports by the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office originally estimated the child to be approximately 10-months-old. Additional medical studies determined that the child was closer to 2 years old and DNA testing by the FBI's Forensic Lab in Quantico, Va., confirmed her identity.

Investigators are continuing to investigate this case and are urging anyone with information about this incident, or anyone who remembers seeing something suspicious in this area, to contact the prosecutor’s Homicide Unit at 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip on the prosecutor’s website at http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential.

Anyone who could share information was also asked to contact Richmond Major Crimes Sergeant F. Scarpa at 804-646-6772.

Richmond police photo