N.J. man admits killing his ex-girlfriend, disposing of her body in Tennessee – NJ.com

A 27-year-old man from Essex County admitted Monday that he killed his ex-girlfriend last year and dumped her body in Tennessee, authorities said.

Tyler Rios of East Orange was accused of strangling 24-year-old Yasemin Uyar in her Rahway apartment on July 8, 2021, then taking their 2-year-old son and driving more than 700 miles to Tennessee with her body in the back of his car, according to a statement from the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.

Rios pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree aggravated manslaughter and one count of second-degree desecrating of human remains after being indicted last year on first-degree charges of murder and kidnapping, along with counts of theft, desecrating human remains, endangering the welfare of a child, and contempt by violating a domestic violence restraining order, the office said.

An Amber alert was issued for the abducted child after he wasn’t dropped off at daycare on July 9 and Uyar didn’t arrive for work, officials said.

Police were able to track down Rios in Tennessee after he called two people following the killing. He phoned a relative on July 9 and said he had a dead body in his car, authorities said. In the other call, he allegedly admitted killing Uyar.

Later in the day, investigators located Uyar’s body in a wooded area nearby, off of Interstate 40, the office said.

An autopsy revealed her death resulted from strangulation and blunt force trauma, investigators said.

Rios, a former resident of Highland Park in Middlesex County, is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10 and faces up to 25 years in prison, officials said.

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Chris Sheldon may be reached at csheldon@njadvancemedia.com.