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Mount Laurel man charged in suspected death of missing wife

Kyle Crosby - accused of killing his wife, Erica, who disappeared two weeks ago - showed no emotion during his first court appearance Tuesday, as a Burlington County deputy prosecutor described him as a drug addict who fled as authorities began searching for his wife or her remains.

Kyle Crosby, 28, was charged Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, with murder in
the death of his wife, Erica Crosby, 26. He appeared by video for an arraignment in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly. ( CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer )
Kyle Crosby, 28, was charged Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, with murder in the death of his wife, Erica Crosby, 26. He appeared by video for an arraignment in Burlington County Superior Court in Mount Holly. ( CHARLES FOX / Staff Photographer )Read more

Kyle Crosby - accused of killing his wife, Erica, who disappeared two weeks ago - showed no emotion during his first court appearance Tuesday, as a Burlington County deputy prosecutor described him as a drug addict who fled as authorities began searching for his wife or her remains.

The 28-year-old appeared by video before Superior Court Judge Susan Claypoole in Mount Holly. She ordered that Crosby remain jailed with bail set at $1.2 million on a charge of murder and two counts of endangering the welfare of a child.

Although Crosby is charged with killing Erica Crippen Crosby, 26, authorities continued searching for her body Tuesday and have not disclosed how they have confirmed she is dead. They also have said little about the evidence against her husband.

The couple lived in the 5000 block of Aberdeen Drive in Mount Laurel with their 3-month-old daughter and a 7-year-old girl Erica Crosby had from a previous relationship. Authorities began investigating Erica Crosby's disappearance last Wednesday because the older daughter had not returned to school, authorities said.

That day, authorities went to the home, and Kyle Crosby said he had not seen his wife since they went together on New Year's Eve to a Cherry Hill pub.

The next day, Kyle Crosby fled, Deputy First Assistant Prosecutor Jim Ronca said Tuesday during the court appearance. While on the run, Ronca said, Crosby went as far south as Baltimore, and also spent time in Delaware before Brooklawn police pulled him over for a traffic stop late Monday. Ronca said Crosby ran from the car and was apprehended in Bellmawr.

On Saturday, Crosby was charged with endangering the welfare of children, based on the lack of "care he provided to the children in the absence of his wife," authorities said.

"This man is a flight risk," Ronca told the judge in asking for the high bail without the option to post bond. "In addition, he is a drug addict."

Ronca said Crosby told detectives that he used the painkiller Percocet on a daily basis. Crosby's criminal history includes arrests for drug possession and distribution, motor-vehicle theft, burglary, and aggravated assault, authorities said.

Ronca also requested the bail based on evidence he said was used as probable cause.

Authorities have said investigators think several items in the car's trunk "have evidential value." However, the arrest affidavit was sealed by Judge Terrence Cook at the request of the Prosecutor's Office.

Claypoole said she had read the affidavit but would not disclose details at Tuesday's hearing. She noted the seriousness of the offense, agreed that Crosby was a flight risk, and said investigators detailed "strong proofs" in the arrest document.

"The defendant is not trustworthy," the judge said in keeping bail at $1.2 million.

Crosby said little other than responding "Yes, ma'am," when asked whether he understood the charges against him. He said he planned to hire an attorney. He also told the judge he thought his mother was caring for his daughter. Authorities said the older child was with her father.

About a dozen relatives and friends sobbed in the courtroom Tuesday. The family has been distraught since Erica Crosby vanished, saying she would not have left her two children.

After she disappeared, family members said, Crosby told relatives that his wife had left him, but had returned to their home intermittently.

A cousin, Barbara Kellam, said she and other family members were concerned after visiting the family's home last Wednesday and noticing broken glass, a bed stripped of sheets, and a missing shower curtain.

Prosecutors said investigators are pursuing several leads, and anyone with information is asked to contact authorities at 609-265-7113 or facebook@mountlaurelpd.org.