SP Woman Found Dead in Woods Had Been Missing For a Month

Police say the Scotch Plains woman who was found dead in the woods in Old Bridge last week had been missing for more than a month.

Scotch Plains Police Lt. Brian Donnelly told Patch that Laura Lockatell, 42, was first reported missing on Aug. 11. Police investigators had been looking for her since then, and had interviewed dozens of people seeking information on her whereabouts.

Lockatell’s body was found last Wednesday after Old Bridge police received a call at 1:28 p.m. from a resident reporting that he’d found a body in a wooded area near Springhill Road.

An autopsy was performed on Sept. 10, but the cause of death hasn't been released yet because the department is awaiting the results of toxicological tests, which take one to two weeks to complete. Police did say the death appears to be suspicious.

On Friday, 54-year-old Scotch Plains resident Chris Michalak was arrested and charged with a second degree count of unlawfully concealing Lockatell’s remains and a third degree count of failing to dispose of the remains in a manner required by law.

He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center, where bail was set at $150,000, with no 10 percent option.

Donnelly said that Scotch Plains Police worked with Middlesex County law enforcement to make the arrest, but that the case is now being fully handled by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office.

A call to the investigator there has not yet been returned.

A memorial service is being held for Lockatell this afternoon in Scotch Plains from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. at Rossi Funeral Home, 1937 Westfield Ave., Scotch Plains. The funeral will be held on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. at the funeral home, followed by Mass at 10:30 a.m. at St. Bartholomew The Apostle Church in Scotch Plains.

Born in Plainfield, Lockatell lived in Scotch Plains since childhood. She was a 1985 graduate of Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and held a degree from St. Bonaventure University. She worked at one point as a sales representative for Verizon Wireless. Lockatell enjoyed tennis and swimming; she was a co-captain of the SPFHS tennis team and, with her family, a member of the Nomahegan Swim Club in Westfield.

Survivors include her parents, Raymond and Lois Hoover, and children, Robert, Michael and Emily Lockatell.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to the Lockatell Children's Trust Fund, c/o Schiller & Pittenger Law Firm, 1771 Front St., Scotch Plains, N.J. 07076.