CAPE MAY, N.J. (1010 WINS) — A Pennsylvania woman was charged with murder after her 11-year-old son was discovered dead in their home by his father and she was discovered in a Jersey Shore town.
Ruth DiRienzo Whitehead, 50, is charged with first and second-degree murder.
DiRienzo-Whitehead is accused of murdering her son, Matthew Whitehead, after he fell asleep around 9:30 p.m. Monday at the family's home on Privet Road in Horsham Township. She then allegedly drove to Cape May, New Jersey, WPVI-TV reported.
The boy's father found him shortly after 7 a.m. Tuesday in the master bedroom of the home.
He told police that when he woke up, he noticed the bedroom door was locked and his wife's black Toyota Highlander was missing from the garage.
Investigators said the 11-year-old had spent the night with his mother. An autopsy determined he'd been strangled, the DA's office said.
More than 120 miles away, Cape May police discovered the wife's SUV partially submerged in the ocean just off Beach Avenue, the DA said.
Investigators believe she drove the vehicle into the ocean off Beach Avenue and then walked to the nearby borough of Wildwood Crest once it was in the water, according to the report.
A men's black dress belt was discovered on the driver's side floor of the SUV during a search, the DA's office told WPVI-TV.
DiRienzo-Whitehead is being held in Cape May County and is awaiting extradition to Montgomery County.
A motive for his killing wasn't immediately clear.
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