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Camden County Prosecutor Grace C. MacAulay and Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins are announcing that charges have been filed in connection with the killing of a 59-year-old woman in 2013.
Joseph Grisoff, 59, of Mount Laurel, was charged today with first-degree Murder in the death of Carol Reiff of Gloucester Township.
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On June 21, 2013, Gloucester Township Police Department officers responded to the Lakeview Apartment Complex to check on Ms. Reiff.
Officers had learned that Ms. Reiff failed to appear for a scheduled trip with family members and was not answering her cell phone. Officers gained access to Ms. Reiff’s apartment and found that, while she was not on location, her car was still in the parking lot and her keys were in her apartment. Ms. Reiff was entered as a missing person.
On June 24, 2013, officers found Ms. Reiff’s body in a wooded area behind an old maintenance building for the complex.
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An autopsy was conducted and the cause and manner of death was left undetermined due to decomposition.
After locating the victim, detectives interviewed Grisoff, a maintenance worker who lived near the victim’s apartment.
At that time, Grisoff said that he saw the victim outside regularly and admitted to complimenting her in the past. He claimed, however, that he had never been inside of her apartment.
During the initial investigation, detectives recovered potential DNA evidence from a pair of the victim’s jeans and an empty beer bottle in her apartment. At that time, DNA testing did not produce conclusive results.
Advances in DNA Helped Crack the Case
Advances in DNA testing have allowed detectives to retest evidence. Recent DNA testing revealed the strong proposition that the victim and Grisoff were both contributors to DNA profiles obtained from the jeans and the beer bottle.
“For the last decade, the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office and Gloucester Township Police Department have remained focused on getting justice for the Reiff family,” said Prosecutor MacAulay. “I’m thankful to the detectives and assistant prosecutors who remained dedicated to this case and to holding the person responsible who unjustly took Ms. Reiff from her loved ones.”
Chief Harkins said: “The Gloucester Township Police Department and the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office have never forgotten about Carol Reiff.”
“Since her disappearance on June 21, 2013 and the discovery of her body on June 24, 2013, we have worked to get justice for Ms. Reiff and her family. We will use all means necessary to achieve justice and prosecute those responsible. It is our duty to be the voice for victims and their families, and we take this responsibility very seriously. I am very proud of the collaboration and teamwork of the detectives who have worked countless hours which led to this arrest today.”
Grisoff was arrested in Moorestown this morning by the U.S. Marshals Service New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division.
He was remanded to the Camden County Correctional Facility.
A detention hearing will be scheduled for a future date in Superior Court in Camden.
Anyone with information pertaining to this case is asked to contact Detective Jeremy Jankowski of the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit at 856-397-3485 and Detective Michael Leach of the Gloucester TownshipPolice Department at 856-228-4500.
All persons charged with crimes are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Podcast About The Case
If you are interested in learning more about this case, you need to check out KYW’s Cold Case podcast episode: “Carol.”
Kristen Johanson of KWY Newsradio did a phenomenal job explaining the details surrounding this case and she also spoke with detectives.
Click here to be directed to Episode 2: Carol.
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