Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi and Mount Laurel Police Chief Dennis Cribben, Jr. announced today that the remains of Erica Crippen were discovered by investigators yesterday in a rural area in Sykesville, Maryland.
Erica, 26, 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.
An autopsy is being performed today by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland.
Erica’s husband, Kyle Crosby, was charged with Murder in January in connection with Erica's death.
Erica Crippen lived with Crosby on Aberdeen Drive in Mount Laurel. Together they had a 3-month-old daughter, and also cared for Erica's 7-year-old daughter from a previous relationship.
The investigation into Erica's death began on January 7, 2015 after school officials contacted Mount Laurel police and requested a wellness check at the family's home when nobody came to pick up the 7-year-old daughter.
Kyle Crosby signed a missing person report that day indicating he had not seen his wife since January 1. Further investigation led to charges against Kyle Crosby filed on January 10 for Endangering the Welfare of a Child due to the poor level of care he provided to the children in the absence of his wife.
Crosby was taken into custody on the evening of January 12 by officers from the Brooklawn Police Department following a traffic stop and foot chase in Bellmawr, Camden County. 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 Erica's murder a day later.
It is believed that Kyle Crosby killed Erica Crippen in the early morning hours of December 31. He remains in the Burlington County Jail on $1.2 million bail.
The investigation revealed that Crosby had traveled to Maryland between the time that he disappeared from his home and his arrest.
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 January 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.
Erica was discovered in that area yesterday at 12:12 p.m., approximately 85 feet from the roadway.
Jo Crosby, Kyle's mother, age 67, of 75 Saint Moritz Drive in Gloucester Township, has been charged with helping her son conceal the death of Erica. She was released after posting 10% of $12,500 bail.
Mount Laurel Police Chief Dennis Cribben said returning Erica to her family had been his department’s top priority.