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New Jersey mom found dead on road after disappearing on Mother’s Day
A New Jersey mom of two has been found dead on the side of a highway after she was reported missing on Mother’s Day.
The body of Norelis Mendoza, 32, was discovered Wednesday morning off Route 440 near the Jersey City-Bayonne border, four days after she went missing.
She was last seen leaving her mother’s home late Saturday.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office and police consider the Lindenwold resident’s death suspicious.
They have not yet determined a cause or manner of death.
Mendoza’s family suspects she was the victim of domestic violence and that the father of her children, ages 1 and 3, may be involved, WABC reported.
They said the body was discovered near his home and he has a history of violence.
“Norelis was a loving mother, somebody that would never leave their children behind on Mother’s Day,” her cousin Giovanni Molina told NBC Philadelphia.
He said the tragic woman left behind a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old.
“Those children will never celebrate Mother’s Day with their mother,” Molina said.
Loved one gathered Wednesday to remember Mendoza, who was last seen leaving her mother’s home on Montgomery Street late Saturday.
“We didn’t know who she went out with at the time. We didn’t know if she got in a vehicle, if she walked anywhere,” Molina told CBS News.
The family told the outlet that the mom was spotted with someone in surveillance footage the night she vanished.
“We know that they were in the downtown Jersey City area. That’s as far as we know as far as information. We don’t know exactly where. We don’t know where they went afterwards,” Molina told CBS News.
“The family is absolutely devastated. This should not happen,” he said.
The cousin said Mendoza’s mother got no response when she tried reaching her and that her phone went straight to voicemail.
“After a certain time, like, ‘Where’s Mom? Why is she not checking in? Why isn’t she coming here?’ And it’s Mother’s Day, above everything else,” Molina said.
The family reported her missing and a BOLO — be on the lookout — alert was sent out Sunday morning.
Several law enforcement departments spent the next few days scouring the area.
On Wednesday, Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said the body was located with the assistance of the Jersey City, Bayonne and New Jersey State Police.
Authorities did not say how long the body is believed to have been there.
The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City police are urging anyone with information to call 201-915-1345 or leave an anonymous tip online.
The prosecutor’s office and Jersey City police did not immediately respond to calls from The Post.
