More than two months after she was reported missing by family, the body of 26-year-old Mt. Laurel resident Erica Crippen has been found.
Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Mt. Laurel Police Chief Dennis Cribben announced today that the remains of Erica Crippen were discovered by investigators yesterday in a rural area in Sykesville, Maryland.
Crippen was found underneath a pile of branches and limbs in a grove of pine trees off of Old Frederick Road in Carroll County. She was wrapped in a fleece blanket. 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.
“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.”
Crippen’s husband, Kyle Crosby, was charged with Murder in January in connection with Erica’s death. Crippen lived with Crosby on Aberdeen Drive in Mt. Laurel. Together they had a 3-month-old daughter, and also cared for Crippen’s 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
The investigation into Crippen’s death began on Jan. 7 after Mt. Laurel school officials asked Mt. Laurel Police to conduct a wellness check at the family’s home when nobody came to pick up the 7-year-old daughter. At that time, Crosby signed a missing person report that day indicating he had not seen his wife since Jan. 1. On Jan. 10, Crosby was charged with endangering the welfare of a child due to the poor level of care he provided to the children in his wife’s absence.
Crosby was taken into custody on the evening of Jan. 12 following a traffic stop and foot chase in Bellmawr. In the trunk of the vehicle being driven by Crosby, investigators found several items determined to have evidential value in connection to her disappearance. He was charged with Crippen’s murder a day later.
Authorities believe Crosby killed Crippen in the early morning hours of Dec. 31. The investigation revealed that Crosby had traveled to Maryland between the time that he disappeared from his home and his arrest.
Three searches were conducted in Maryland at different times by investigators from the Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, the Mt. Laurel Police Department, the Maryland State Police, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police and the New Jersey State Police.
Yesterday’s search was conducted following a forensic examination of the Global Positioning System found in Crosby’s vehicle after he was taken into custody on Jan. 12. More than 8,600 coordinates had been recorded by the GPS device. Investigators determined that Crosby had spent a lengthy period of time in Carroll County along Old Frederick Road.
Crippen was discovered in that area yesterday at 12:12 p.m., approximately 85 feet from the roadway.
Jo Crosby, Kyle’s mother, 67, from Gloucester Township, has been charged with helping her son conceal the death of Crippen. She was released after posting 10 percent of $12,500 bail.
Additional details on the case are still under investigation. Kyle Crosby remains in the Burlington County Jail on $1.2 million bail.
Mt. Laurel Police Chief Dennis Cribben said returning Erica to her family had been his department’s top priority.
“I’d like to thank the Mount Laurel community for all of their support during this difficult investigation,” Cribben said. “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.”
