MANTEO, NORTH CAROLINA — Robert McCaffrey Jr., 54, was arrested by Nags Head police officers during a motor vehicle stop in North Carolina on suspicion of the 1990 killing of Lisa Marie McBride, authorities said. McCaffrey faces charges of first-degree murder, kidnapping and burglary in Sussex County, New Jersey.

McBride, a 27-year-old bank employee, disappeared from her home in Vernon Township, Sussex County, approximately four months before a hunter discovered her decomposed remains on Oct. 20, 1990, in Sandyston, New Jersey, within the Delaware Water Gap national recreation area. She was identified through dental records and determined to be the victim of a homicide.

In August 2020, authorities submitted DNA evidence from McBride's case to DNA Laboratories International for advanced testing, according to New Jersey State Police. Her remains were exhumed in 2022 to obtain a stronger DNA sample for comparison, authorities said. The resulting DNA profile was entered into the Combined DNA Index System, a federal database of genetic profiles of convicted individuals, and matched McCaffrey's profile.

McCaffrey had a home address in Sussex County in 1990, according to public records. He was convicted of obstruction of justice in connection with his wife's disappearance and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released from prison in May 2023, according to public records.

Investigators served a search warrant on McCaffrey's home in Manteo, North Carolina, in connection with McBride's killing. According to the search warrant, investigators suspected that McCaffrey possessed McBride's missing purse, wallet, keys and a key chain with the word "Weeza" on it. Authorities said five guns were found during the search.

McCaffrey appeared in a North Carolina court and agreed to be transferred to New Jersey without a hearing. He is being held at the Dare County Detention Center awaiting extradition to New Jersey, authorities said.