New Jersey readers will recall the case of a missing woman whose husband is accused of murder. The case has spawned national media coverage; the woman has not been seen since New Year's Eve. In a recent turn of events, the mother-in-law of the missing woman has now been arrested and charged with helping to conceal evidence in the case. As she begins to work with her legal team to devise a criminal defense strategy, authorities are working to determine what led to the woman's disappearance.
The 26-year-old woman had only been married to her 28-year-old husband for less than a year when she disappeared on New Year's Eve. The couple have a child together, and the woman also has a daughter from a previous relationship. Her husband was arrested in mid-January after police pulled him over and he allegedly ran from the vehicle. Upon searching the car, police claim to have found evidence to indicate that the man was involved in the disappearance of his wife.
He now faces murder charges in the case, although the woman's body has not yet been located. Police recently arrested the man's mother and are charging her with acting to conceal evidence related to the matter. No details have been provided due to the fact that the disappearance and suspected murder remain under investigation.
This is a difficult set of circumstances for any New Jersey parent to imagine. If the woman's son is in fact responsible for the disappearance and assumed death of his wife, it is almost inconceivable to imagine how a parent might respond. It is possible that any action taken by the woman was done absent any belief that her son is guilty of wrongdoing. If she did conceal evidence, those acts may have been taken with absolutely no intent to impede the investigation. As time goes on, more details related to her criminal defense could be made public; until then, few parents within the nation will rush to judge the actions taken by a mother whose son is accused of a horrific crime.
Source: CBS News, "NJ murder suspect's mom also facing criminal charges", March 16, 2015