A Pennsylvania mother who was found in Wildwood Crest after her son was found dead in their Pennsylvania home is now charged with murder, the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office found.
Ruth DiRienzo-Whitehead, 50, is accused of killing her 11-year-old son, who died of ligature strangulation, an autopsy found.
She is in the Cape May County jail, charged with being a fugitive from justice.
DiRienzo-Whitehead was reported missing by her husband after he found Matthew Whitehead in the locked master bedroom of their Horsham Township home. DiRienzo-Whitehead's vehicle also was missing.
The black police Toyota Highlander was found partially submerged in the ocean just off Beach Avenue.
DiRienzo-Whitehead strangled the boy after he fell asleep, according to the district attorney.
She then left the home and drove into the water.
After the vehicle was no longer operable, DiRienzo-Whitehead walked to Wildwood Crest, where she was taken into custody by the Wildwood Crest police and interviewed by detectives from Montgomery County Detective Bureau and Horsham Police, according to the Montgomery County District Attorney's Office.
Officers searched her SUV led to a men’s black dress belt on the floor of the driver’s side of the vehicle.
The Realtor is now charged with murder.
It appears the family had a home in Wildwood Crest. The affidavit authored by an officer there indicated that they were called to check for her at 5704 Seaview Ave.
"When we arrived, the house was locked and appeared to be empty," the officer wrote.
A neighbor who saw them said that "Ms. Whitehead was not there and lives in Pennsylvania."
The neighbor gave the officer a phone number for DiReinzo-Whitehead, but there was no answer.
As they prepared to set up surveillance outside the home, he saw a woman walking north on Seaview Avenue around Cardinal Road.
The woman seemed to match the suspect's description.
She "looked disheveled with dirty feet, tattered pajamas and messy hair, and looked confused as to where she was going," the affidavit reads.
When the officer called, "Ruth," she turned to look at him.
"I know what I did," she told the officers as they approached, according to the affidavit.
DiRienzo-Whitehead also faces citations for leaving the scene of an accident causing property damage, failure to report an accident, reckless driving and operating a vehicle on the beach.
It seems the Whiteheads have a connection to Cape May County.
A Facebook post from August shows a photo of DiRienzo-Whitehead and her husband, Daniel Whitehead, at their wedding 12 years earlier, with a nod to Congress Hall in Cape May.
A post from June 23 shows Matthew Whitehead smiling at Key West Tacos in Cape May.
"Happy 11th birthday to my baby," DiRienzo-Whitehead wrote. "Birthday festivities start with tacos."
This story is developing. Check back with BreakingAC.com for updates.
