Missing South Jersey woman's body found in Maryland

The body of a missing South Jersey woman has been found in Maryland.

Burlington County Prosecutor Robert D. Bernardi announces the discovery of Erica Crippen's body (David Matthau, Townsquare Media NJ)

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office says the body Erica Crippen was found in Sykesville, Maryland Tuesday. Her body was found wrapped in a fleece blanket, underneath a pile of branches and limbs in a grove of pine trees. Crippen's mouth and nose were covered with duct tape and there was an electrical cord around her neck, hands and feet.

The state of Maryland will conduct an autopsy.

Police were able to do a forensics examination of the GPS device in the trunk of Erica's car being driven by husband Kyle Crosb car conducting three different searches in Maryland. They checked nearly 8,600 coordinates recorded by the device and determined he had spent a great deal of time along Old Frederick Road in Sykesville, which is located west of Baltimore and a two-hour drive from the 26-year-old's hometown of Mt. Laurel.

Bernadi believes the body had been left in Maryland either late on January 10 or early on January 11.

“Her family can now give Erica the proper burial that they have longed to provide,” Bernardi said in a statement. "Domestic violence is a terrible scourge on our society. The result in this case was the ultimate evil. Kyle Crosby took the life of his wife, the woman he pledged to love and honor. We will seek justice for Erica, but that will never erase the pain of her loss felt so strongly by her family."

The area in Sykesville, Maryland where Erica Crippen's body was found. (Burlington County Prsoecutor's Office)

Kyle Crosby was arrested Jan. 12 in Camden County after a traffic stop and a foot pursuit, and was charged with his wife's murder the following day. Authorities had said they found items of "evidential value" in connection with Crippen's disappearance in the trunk of Kyle Crosby's vehicle's trunk, but did not elaborate.

Crippen and Crosby lived in Mount Laurel with their infant daughter and Crippen's 7-year-old daughter.

Crosby's mother, Jo Crosby, was charged this week with hindering and tampering with physical evidence. Burlington County Prosecutor's Office Detective Wayne Raynor says in a probable-cause statement that Jo Crosby texted with her son around the time of Crippen's disappearance. He says she deleted those texts to conceal incriminating information.

David Matthau and the Associated Press contributed to this report.