Crime & Safety

'Portions' Of Cranford Woman's Body Not Yet Found

Accused killer pleads not guilty as 'sufficient human remains' discovered in Newark are identified as slain mother of two, authorities said.

An autopsy Monday confirmed the human remains found in Newark are those of a Cranford mother of two who was allegedly killed last week in her boyfriend's Union Township home, the prosecutor's office said.

There were "sufficient human remains" discovered Sunday near the Passaic River off of the 100 block of Raymond Boulevard in Newark that were able to be identified as April Wyckoff, 43, according to Mark Spivey, a spokesman for the Union County Prosecutor's Office.

Spivey said authorities are continuing to search for the "remaining portions of her body." Spivey declined to comment further on the condition of Wyckoff's body.

Spivey said the search areas include Hudson, Union and Essex counties, including parts of Jersey City and Newark. Authorities searched all weekend for Wyckoff's body, including at Liberty State Park in Jersey City.

Matthew Ballister, 43, has been charged with first-degree murder for the alleged killing in his Union Township home that likely occurred sometime last Tuesday night, the prosecutor's office said. Ballister is being held on $2 million bail.

Ballister pleaded not guilty Monday in his first court appearance in Elizabeth in front of Judge Joan Robinson Gross, according to NJ.com.

Ballister's mother, Eleanor Schofield, 70, of Mountainside, was released from Union County Jail Friday on $1,500 bail, according to NJ.com. Schofield has been charged with hindering apprehension for allegedly helping her son conceal evidence following the killing, the prosecutor's office said.

Authorities were seen on Saturday searching the Watchung Reservation near Schofield's home, according to NJ.com. Authorities on the scene referred questions to the prosecutor's office, which would not confirm if that area in Scotch Plains was part of the search for Wyckoff's body, the article said.

Wyckoff is believed to have been killed from blunt-force trauma. Wyckoff, who divorced her husband in 2010, graduated from Cranford High School and still lived in town with her 23-year-old son and 16-year-old daughter.


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