NJ - Carolyn Byington, 26, killed inside her home, Plainsboro, 10 June 2019 *Arrest*

[DAB]

I’m guessing mostly family/friends will attend the funeral - maybe a handful of members (I have attended Sunday services on occasion at St. Paul’s; I had seen Carolyn a few times but hadn’t been going to the church long enough to get to know her). Church is very small member-wise, maybe on any given Sunday around 20-25 max.

I would think coworkers would attend as she worked at co. several years & they cared enough to request the wellness check.

 

[TexLil]

This case seems so quiet. I have faith a lot of great police work is happening behind the scenes. I just keep wondering:

1) Was Carolyn dating anyone?
2) Do they have her phone? Who did she last text? Call? FaceTime?
3) How did she spend her last weekend?
4) Any family, coworkers or friends know of any troubling worries she might have had about anyone?
5) What type of evidence was found at scene?

I know police are working thru all of this but it is taking a bit longer than I had hoped. Now I'm starting to consider it was a stranger. If it was someone closer it seems like there would have been an arrest. MOO. Staying hopeful overall for an arrest soon.

 

[ilovechili]

I meant bumping for Carolyn. I had the wrong case/thread.

 

[MissyMom]

I live in the complex and only a few buildings away from where Carolyn lived. I walked my dog frequently by her building. To answer some of your questions, this is a very large complex. The town of Plainsboro is 100 years old and this is only the third homicide in 100 years. Plainsboro is typically a very safe area. Many people move to Plainsboro because it has one of the best school systems in the state of NJ. The town of Plainsboro is very nice but the apartments are nothing fancy. Not bad, not great. My neighbors and I are worried. The police department is being very hush hush. Lot of theories floating around. Someone she was dating, a stalker, a contractor working in the development. I saw the police digging through the dumpsters. Were they looking for a weapon? The last article I read said there was no forced entry and her belongings were not touched. I saw her father packing up her car this past weekend. My heart breaks for her family. The township of Plainsboro posted this today on Facebook. Plainsboro NJ

 

[MissyMom]

Carolyn was not married.

 

[nyc2015]

I live in the complex and only a few buildings away from where Carolyn lived. I walked my dog frequently by her building. To answer some of your questions, this is a very large complex. The town of Plainsboro is 100 years old and this is only the third homicide in 100 years. Plainsboro is typically a very safe area. Many people move to Plainsboro because it has one of the best school systems in the state of NJ. The town of Plainsboro is very nice but the apartments are nothing fancy. Not bad, not great. My neighbors and I are worried. The police department is being very hush hush. Lot of theories floating around. Someone she was dating, a stalker, a contractor working in the development. I saw the police digging through the dumpsters. Were they looking for a weapon? The last article I read said there was no forced entry and her belongings were not touched. I saw her father packing up her car this past weekend. My heart breaks for her family. The township of Plainsboro posted this today on Facebook. Plainsboro NJ

Thank you for posting. I am sorry you have to live daily now with this stress and worry until they make an arrest, or at least announce more on who they think it is. So so sad you saw her dad packing up. Really are no words.. Just beyond sad and puzzling who would have done this. Only 3 murders is 100 years? wow. I tend to think it was someone she knew. But there is always the worker theory too. Although if it was a worker in the complex I would think they would have figured that out by now and arrested. I'm praying and hoping they find who did this soon. I'm sure everyone in the complex is extra vigilant. Stay safe.

 

[nyc2015]

You make a very good point-- it it were someone she knew/someone she was in contact with, then they probably would have made an arrest by now. There goes my feeling it was someone she knew. I have no idea now.

 

[MissyMom]

Thank you for posting. I am sorry you have to live daily now with this stress and worry until they make an arrest, or at least announce more on who they think it is. So so sad you saw her dad packing up. Really are no words.. Just beyond sad and puzzling who would have done this. Only 3 murders is 100 years? wow. I tend to think it was someone she knew. But there is always the worker theory too. Although if it was a worker in the complex I would think they would have figured that out by now and arrested. I'm praying and hoping they find who did this soon. I'm sure everyone in the complex is extra vigilant. Stay safe.

Thank you! I am being extra vigilant. I am so upset with her neighbors and the fact that they did not call the police. These apartments are not soundproof and to think they ignored her screams makes me so angry. Plainsboro can be a very transient area and many people tend to keep to themselves and don’t always know their neighbors. However, her neighbors knew she lived alone and when they heard her scream they should have known that wasn’t normal and should have called the police. In regard to the workers in the complex, I’m not referring to the maintenance men but rather the contractors hired to paint, care for the grounds, etc

 

[DAB]

I too live nearby, close to the Plainsboro Twp/police and cannot understand how multiple neighbors heard sounds of distress & did nothing. I’ve reached out to the police to do community education on this with outreach to the apartment complexes.

 

[ilovechili]

I live in the complex and only a few buildings away from where Carolyn lived. I walked my dog frequently by her building. To answer some of your questions, this is a very large complex. The town of Plainsboro is 100 years old and this is only the third homicide in 100 years. Plainsboro is typically a very safe area. Many people move to Plainsboro because it has one of the best school systems in the state of NJ. The town of Plainsboro is very nice but the apartments are nothing fancy. Not bad, not great. My neighbors and I are worried. The police department is being very hush hush. Lot of theories floating around. Someone she was dating, a stalker, a contractor working in the development. I saw the police digging through the dumpsters. Were they looking for a weapon? The last article I read said there was no forced entry and her belongings were not touched. I saw her father packing up her car this past weekend. My heart breaks for her family. The township of Plainsboro posted this today on Facebook. Plainsboro NJ

Heartwrenching to hear of the father packing up her car.

That few murders in that long of time says to me this is even more bold and unusual in such an area. And in broad daylight/daytime on a weekday no less.

What you say about the complex is how it struck me. Not overly fancy, but no slum either; probably a decent average rental complex?

I do not think it likely relates but can I ask if she had pets that you know of?

If someone somehow got her to come home, I can only think of a few possibilities. When you mention a contractor, was there work being done on the buildings or apartments, etc. can I ask?

Living there not knowing has to be difficult and nervewracking. Please stay safe.

I can't remember, has Plainsboro brought in state agencies or anyone on this? If murder is rare there, I would assume they probably have.

All cases are sad but again, she was so young and seemed to have achieved a lot for her age and would have went far, and already had. My heart goes out to her family.

Thank you for giving a perspective from the area.

Jmo.

 

[Vanillacone]

Thank you! I am being extra vigilant. I am so upset with her neighbors and the fact that they did not call the police. These apartments are not soundproof and to think they ignored her screams makes me so angry. Plainsboro can be a very transient area and many people tend to keep to themselves and don’t always know their neighbors. However, her neighbors knew she lived alone and when they heard her scream they should have known that wasn’t normal and should have called the police. In regard to the workers in the complex, I’m not referring to the maintenance men but rather the contractors hired to paint, care for the grounds, etc

So upsetting. I live not too far from Plainsboro. I do hope they have brought in outside help. I wonder if the fact police are so quiet about the case means they have reason to believe others in the complex/area are not at risk (I.e., it was isolated).

I kept getting the feeling it was a stranger, but kept brushing that off because the odds of whomever being a stranger is so slim. Most people know their attacker. If it was a contractor (and hopefully this doesn’t sound terrible), many of them are not legally here, which makes talking to them or finding them difficult. Even if it’s just to ask them if they witnessed anything, many would rather “fly under the radar” and not talk to law enforcement IMO.

I really hope they do have her phone, because that would probably give them an idea of what prompted her to break her routine (staying at work on her lunch break) and go home on her break.

I just can’t believe the guy could just walk out of her place when it was still light out and people were presumably headed back into their apartments after work. To just walk out after knowing you made noise (her muffled screams and furniture moving)...it’s just so brazen.

 

[MissyMom]

Heartwrenching to hear of the father packing up her car.

That few murders in that long of time says to me this is even more bold and unusual in such an area. And in broad daylight/daytime on a weekday no less.

What you say about the complex is how it struck me. Not overly fancy, but no slum either; probably a decent average rental complex?

I do not think it likely relates but can I ask if she had pets that you know of?

If someone somehow got her to come home, I can only think of a few possibilities. When you mention a contractor, was there work being done on the buildings or apartments, etc. can I ask?

Living there not knowing has to be difficult and nervewracking. Please stay safe.

I can't remember, has Plainsboro brought in state agencies or anyone on this? If murder is rare there, I would assume they probably have.

All cases are sad but again, she was so young and seemed to have achieved a lot for her age and would have went far, and already had. My heart goes out to her family.

Thank you for giving a perspective from the area.

Jmo.

be

 

[MissyMom]

I can’t be positive, but I don’t think she had a dog. This is a pet friendly community with a lot of dogs. I have a dog and frequently walked past her building and I never saw her out with a dog.

In regard to contractors, they are on the grounds almost every day. Every time someone moves out they bring in contractors to re carpet, paint, clean, make repairs, etc. This is a large community with lots of apartments and a lot of turnover. I Hope it’s not a contractor but it’s a possibility.

Yes, the complex is average. There’s a wide range of people who live here. Professionals,families, students( Princeton University and Rutgers are close by) There’s a large Indian population in Plainsboro

The investigation is being headed up by the Plainsboro Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecuter’s Office. I don’t know if any other agencies are involved.
From what I read about Carolyn on LinkedIn, she was very accomplished for only 26. She spoke Japanese and Italian. She lived in Japan and Germany. She was a merit scholar and did a lot of volunteer work. It’s very sad.

 

[DAB]

The PlainsboroNJ Facebook post says they are working with federal law enforcement. Given that her apartment entrance is visible & in an area where people are parking & perhaps at the pool, it’s surprising they did not see someone leaving. Especially those neighbors who heard screams. They should have been looking out to see if anything was wrong. It’s possible that someone followed her up the stairs & forced their way in when she opened the door. This is so upsetting & sad. I do hope they can identify the suspect soon. Citizenship status may have played a role in people’s willingness to contact police.

 

[MissyMom]

The PlainsboroNJ Facebook post says they are working with federal law enforcement. Given that her apartment entrance is visible & in an area where people are parking & perhaps at the pool, it’s surprising they did not see someone leaving. Especially those neighbors who heard screams. They should have been looking out to see if anything was wrong. It’s possible that someone followed her up the stairs & forced their way in when she opened the door. This is so upsetting & sad. I do hope they can identify the suspect soon. Citizenship status may have played a role in people’s willingness to contact police.

Thank you, I missed the part about working with federal authorities.

 

[MissyMom]

Her apartment is on the second floor and in the back of the building. So it’s possible when the killer left he walked behind the building and not out towards the parking lot or the pool. With that said, I’m not sure if there is a building behind hers. I will have to check next time I walk over there. If that’s the case, and he left from the back of the building someone in the building behind hers may have seen the killer.

 

[Kittybunny]

I'm leaning towards maintenance or contract worker here. I don't think that a young lady with Carolyn's accomplishments and dedication would schedule a tryst with a Tinder date in the middle of the work day. An affair with a co-worker...perhaps. But I think her co workers would know if someone else was not accounted for during the same time, or came back really late.

Hopefully her phone records, email, calendar will tell whether she had a scheduled appointment or if she was lured there, or it was truly random and someone saw an opportunity. Those big apartment complexes can provide easy targets for opportunistic killers. Thinking of Joralys Rivera, killed by a maintenance guy, Jennifer Kesse, although still missing, many suspect a contract crew member.

 

[ilovechili]

I can’t be positive, but I don’t think she had a dog. This is a pet friendly community with a lot of dogs. I have a dog and frequently walked past her building and I never saw her out with a dog.

In regard to contractors, they are on the grounds almost every day. Every time someone moves out they bring in contractors to re carpet, paint, clean, make repairs, etc. This is a large community with lots of apartments and a lot of turnover. I Hope it’s not a contractor but it’s a possibility.

Yes, the complex is average. There’s a wide range of people who live here. Professionals,families, students( Princeton University and Rutgers are close by) There’s a large Indian population in Plainsboro

The investigation is being headed up by the Plainsboro Police Department and the Middlesex County Prosecuter’s Office. I don’t know if any other agencies are involved.

From what I read about Carolyn on LinkedIn, she was very accomplished for only 26. She spoke Japanese and Italian. She lived in Japan and Germany. She was a merit scholar and did a lot of volunteer work. It’s very sad.

Thanks again. It is always nice to have people from the area who can give those of us at a distance a better picture of things.

The only thing about contractors is they would have to have her number and a reason to call her--if LE is right about her being lured home somehow. It sounds like they are more apt to be in an apartment once she moved out? Unless something in her apartment needed repair or replacement I guess? I did consider maintenance, assuming there is a full time maintenance person/persons.

I lean though towards someone she knew just based on as most agree how brazen this seems to be for time of day, location, etc. It makes more sense to me that it was a personal argument of some type that occurred and the other person went into a rage. If it was planned, again, they sure picked an odd time of day and place, imo.

Not that perps are always smart or think things through.

I think about her father clearing out her apartment and that had to be hard--to be in the very place it happened no less.

Thanks again.

Jmo.

ETA: LE has said they were looking into that she was drawn home for some reason, I am just clarifying that they have not stated it as a fact, just a working theory it sounds like.

 

[ilovechili]

The PlainsboroNJ Facebook post says they are working with federal law enforcement. Given that her apartment entrance is visible & in an area where people are parking & perhaps at the pool, it’s surprising they did not see someone leaving. Especially those neighbors who heard screams. They should have been looking out to see if anything was wrong. It’s possible that someone followed her up the stairs & forced their way in when she opened the door. This is so upsetting & sad. I do hope they can identify the suspect soon. Citizenship status may have played a role in people’s willingness to contact police.

Thank you for this--I cannot see the FB post so I did not know that.

I wonder, even though that is risky as well, if the perp stayed around for some time. Neighbors realized things quieted down and felt all was fine. He then left later casually later, maybe even cleaned up first, when no one was concerned any longer. That though too, seems unlikely, as he would have no way of knowing LE had not been called and would not be there at any second.

Not to cast any suspicion on anyone specific, but I have even wondered if it could be a neighbor (big complex--I mean any neighbor and no one specifically). That person if someone just happened to see them would perhaps not be even noticed as people are used to seeing him around and may have no idea of what apartment he lives in at a big complex like that.

A neighbor could also, if they had her number or knew her or even just where she worked, call and say your blinds are open and I know they were shut, I think someone may be in your apartment, or your cat got out, your door is open, etc. They slip back to one of the many apartments in the complex, again no one thinking much of seeing him because they have seen him around before. He then also cleans up easily and ditches his clothing in the dumpster in case LE comes questioning residents?

I don't know--nothing makes perfect sense at this time. Just thoughts.

Jmo.

 

[MissyMom]

Thank you for this--I cannot see the FB post so I did not know that.

I wonder, even though that is risky as well, if the perp stayed around for some time. Neighbors realized things quieted down and felt all was fine. He then left later casually later, maybe even cleaned up first, when no one was concerned any longer. That though too, seems unlikely, as he would have no way of knowing LE had not been called and would not be there at any second.

Not to cast any suspicion on anyone specific, but I have even wondered if it could be a neighbor (big complex--I mean any neighbor and no one specifically). That person if someone just happened to see them would perhaps not be even noticed as people are used to seeing him around and may have no idea of what apartment he lives in at a big complex like that.

A neighbor could also, if they had her number or knew her or even just where she worked, call and say your blinds are open and I know they were shut, I think someone may be in your apartment, or your cat got out, your door is open, etc. They slip back to one of the many apartments in the complex, again no one thinking much of seeing him because they have seen him around before. He then also cleans up easily and ditches his clothing in the dumpster in case LE comes questioning residents?

I don't know--nothing makes perfect sense at this time. Just thoughts.

Jmo.

I wondered if it could have been a neighbor. There are 896 apartments in this development. Not all of them occupied and on occasion I have seen a creepy person or two

My first thought was it had to be someone she knew who she was planning to meet, but I would think by now the police would have obtained her phone records and would have some idea who she was going to meet at lunchtime. Maybe she forgot something at home and went home to get it without telling anyone and was unfortunately met by this person. He could have knocked on her door and she let him in.