Jersey City Man Indicted In Killing Of South Jersey Mom Of 2 On Mother's Day Weekend

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jersey City man has been indicted for the murder of a South Jersey mom who was killed while in Hudson County visiting her own mom for Mother's Day last year.

Gregory Mallard, 35, was indicted on Jan. 30 in connection with the death of Norelis Mendoza, 32, who was found deceased in Bayonne near the Jersey City border on Wednesday, May 17, 2023.

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.

The death of Mendoza was the fifth domestic violence death 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, who lived in Camden County, 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."

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.

Mallard will be arraigned next Monday, Feb. 12.

Visiting Her Mom For Mother's Day Weekend

Prosecutors said that on Sunday, May 14, 2023 — Mother's Day — the Jersey City Police Department received a missing person report for a 32-year-old Lindenwold, N.J. woman who was last seen in Jersey City the day before.

She had been visiting her own mother, relatives said.

During the course of the investigation, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit — with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department, Bayonne Police Department, and New Jersey State Police — located Mendoza's lifeless body off of Route 440 near the Jersey City border on the Wednesday after the weekend.

The state is represented by Hudson County Assistant Prosecutor Leo Rinaldi.

Fifth Domestic Violence Killing Of A Woman

The death was the fifth domestic violence killing of a woman in Hudson County in as many months.

Here are their names:

• Luz Hernandez, a Jersey City teacher and mom of three
• Temara King, a Jersey City teacher allegedly killed in front of her teenage daughter
• Daniela Garcia-Murillo, West New York, stabbed to death
• Rosa Massoni, of Harrison; her adult son was charged.

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