Burlco authorities seek missing Mt. Laurel woman

Burlington County authorities are searching for a 26-year-old Mount Laurel woman who has been missing since New Year's Eve, leading her family to be concerned about her safety.

Erica Crippen Crosby, a wife and mother of two, disappeared from her home in the 5200 block of Aberdeen Drive, where she lives with her two daughters and husband.

The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office said in a statement Friday that it was seeking the public's help in locating her, but it would not say whether Crosby's disappearance was being considered suspicious.

Family members are distraught. "She wouldn't leave her babies," said Crosby's cousin Barbara Kellam, of Lindenwold.

Compounding the family's concern is what relatives are calling the disappearance of Crosby's husband. They say that Kyle J. Crosby's phone has been disconnected and that he disappeared shortly after being questioned by police Wednesday. Authorities would not confirm any of those assertions.

The prosecutor's statement did say that authorities were trying to find Erica Crosby's car. Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the office, said Saturday that she was still missing, but declined further comment.

Mount Laurel police did not return phone calls Saturday. A woman who answered the phone at the home of Kyle Crosby's parents in Sicklerville also declined to comment.

Erica Crosby was reported missing to police Wednesday, her cousin said, a week after she and her husband went out on a date night at a P.J. Whelihan's pub and restaurant in Cherry Hill.

After the date, Kyle Crosby, 28, told family members that his wife had left him and had come back intermittently to pick up clothes, Kellam said.

On Wednesday, when no one showed up to pick up Erica Crosby's 7-year-old daughter from school, school and social service officials became worried and visited the home, Kellam said. Kyle Crosby then told authorities and family members that he had not seen his wife in a week, according to Kellam.

The disappearance has family members talking with police, fielding tips, and handing out fliers to anyone who will take them.

Erica Crosby, a nursing assistant who worked as a home health aide, met her husband online two years ago, Kellam said. She said he was living in a halfway house at the time. They got married last year.

Court records show that Kyle Crosby has a police record that includes arrests on drug charges and aggravated assault. According to Kellam, he had a drug problem that had caused tension in the marriage.

The Crosbys live in a Mount Laurel apartment with Erica Crosby's 7-year-old daughter and a 3-month-old girl they had together.

Since Erica Crosby's disappearance, the older daughter has been staying with her father. The infant is with Kyle Crosby's parents, Kellam said.

Kellam said that she and other members of Erica Crosby's family visited the couple's home Wednesday. They found that a pile of broken glass had been swept into a corner, sheets had been stripped from the bed, and the shower curtain was missing. Erica Crosby's keys and coat were in the apartment.

The scene heightened the family's concern.

"It's a sad, sad situation. I'm trying to stay sane and keep my mind together," said Kellum, a nurse.

Authorities ask anyone who has information about Erica Crosby or who has seen her car - a red 2000 Ford Taurus with New Jersey license plate A26EFL - to call Burlington County Central Communications at 609-265-7113 or contact Mount Laurel police via the department's Facebook page: facebook@mountlaurelpd.org.