Newark NJ police are investigating a possible homicide after authorities discovered a decomposed body behind a house.
Someone came across the body lying behind a home located on Wainwright Street in Newark, New Jersey. That person dialed 911 and alerted the Newark Police Department, which dispatched police officers to the scene to investigate.
The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is said to be giving special attention to the case, with the discovery of the body necessitating what is being referred to as a “special investigation.” (That’s the description provided by Katherine Carter, a spokesperson for the prosecutor’s office.)
At this time, law enforcement officials are not providing a lot of details to the media. However, it is has been revealed that authorities have yet to identify the body. Additionally, the exact cause of death likely won’t be known until Essex County medical examiners are able to conduct an autopsy on the body.
If it is eventually determined that foul play was involved and the victim died as a result of someone else’s criminal actions, it is very possible that the culprit would face first degree murder charges. As set forth by N.J.S.A. 2C:11-3, murder is the most serious crime listed in the NJ Criminal Code and carries a potential punishment of life imprisonment, with a minimum mandatory term of incarceration of 30 years in New Jersey State Prison.
For additional information about this case, see the NJ.com article, “Badly Decomposed Body Found in Newark.”
