Husband arrested for murder after wife's body found in dumpster

ByNadine El-Bawab and Benjamin Stein ABCNews logo
Wednesday, January 15, 2025 2:09AM
Body of New Jersey woman found in Pennsylvania dumpster
Body of New Jersey woman found in Pennsylvania dumpster

A New Jersey man has been charged with the murder of his wife after her body was found in a Coopersburg, Pennsylvania, dumpster over the weekend.



Rolando Corte, 42, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Lucrecia Jadan Sumba, 39, according to the Union County Prosecutor's Office in New Jersey.



Sumba was reported missing in Elizabeth, New Jersey, on Jan. 9 by friends and family. Sumba was believed to have been murdered last Wednesday, according to prosecutors.



The victim's son reportedly told officers that his parents were having marital issues.



According to the criminal complaint, the suspect allegedly told his son that "only he (Corte) and God knows what happened," when asked about Sumba's whereabouts.



During a search of the victim's home, officers found suspected blood in the kitchen area and the hallway outside of the bathroom, investigators say.



On Friday, January 10, a witness told police that Corte admitted to killing his wife.



Corte was identified as a suspect and arrested on Sunday. He is being held at the Union County Jail and is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday.



If found guilty, he could face up to life in prison.



The woman was found in a dumpster on S. 3rd Street in Coopersburg just before 6 p.m. on Saturday, according to police.



Coopersburg, a suburb of Allentown, is about 80 miles west of Elizabeth.



An autopsy revealed Sumba's cause of death was sharp force injuries and her death was ruled a homicide, according to the county coroner.



"A joint investigation conducted by the Union County Prosecutors Office Homicide Task Force, Elizabeth Police Department, Coopersburg Police Department, and the Lehigh County District Attorneys Office led to the identification and arrest of Corte," according to the prosecutor's office.



Coopersburg Police did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

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