Crime & Safety
Mountainside Mom Pleads Not Guilty to Charges in Cranford Woman's Killing
Eleanor Schofield, 70, is accused of helping her son cover up April Wyckoff's death, authorities said.
A Mountainside woman accused of helping her son cover up the killing of a Cranford woman pleaded not guilty on Wednesday.
Eleanor Schofield, 70, has been charged with hindering apprehension and was released Friday on $1,500 bail.
"My client is innocent of the charges," Schofield's attorney, Harley Breite, said as he escorted his client out of the Elizabeth courthouse, according to NJ.com.
Schofield's son, Matthew Ballister Jr., pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree murder charges and is being held on $2 million bail.
Ballister is accused of killing April Wyckoff, 43, of Cranford, last week in his Union Township home.
After days of searching, authorities discovered some of Wyckoff's remains on Sunday in an industrial area of Newark.
However, authorities are still searching for more "portions" of Wyckoff's body, according to Mark Spivey, a spokesman for the Union County Prosecutor.
Wyckoff, a mother of two who graduated from Cranford High School, was described by a longtime friend as witty and a devoted and proud parent.
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