A couple who went missing last month during a romantic getaway were found dead on Sunday in the garage of a New Jersey home, authorities said.
Investigators are awaiting the results of autopsies for Melissa Pereira, 25, and Jorge Rodriguez, 24, whose bodies were discovered about 11:15 a.m. Sunday in Rodriguez’s car, which was garaged behind Pereira’s house in Wayne, according to published reports in the Star Ledger and The Record.
The two were last seen on Dec. 27 heading off to a bed and breakfast in Pennsylvania where they had a New Year’s Eve reservation, but they never arrived and were reported missing on Dec. 30, authorities said.
A cousin of Rodriguez’s told The Record that the couple was happy and excited about the future.
Pereira had worked for Fox News in New York City, and The Boys & Girls Clubs of America in Paterson, according to her LinkedIn profile. Rodriguez, who lived in Garfield, managed a photography studio, The Record reported.
The cause of death is pending an autopsy, Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor Michael DeMarco told The Star Ledger.