Outside the Beltway

Hazlet, NJ Beheading Case Solved

Kate McMillan · Tuesday, January 18, 2005 · 4 comments

The mystery of a coincidental beheading victim found 30 miles from the murdered New Jersey family has been solved.

According to Nuss, Persieck decapitated himself by using three separate ropes, tying one end of each around a light post in the back parking lot of the theater located on the northbound side of Route 35, and the other around his neck.

Once the ropes were secure, Persieck got into his 2004 Ford Explorer and started to drive. His head was found approximately 100 feet from his body, Nuss said.

“There were no skid marks, so we don’t believe that he was going at a high rate of speed. He had about a 40-foot run-up so we figure at best he was doing 30 mph at the moment of decapitation,” Nuss said.

The vehicle coasted to a stop about 200 feet later, after it hopped a curb and hit a small tree. Nuss said that it was evident after talking to family members and discovering other supporting materials, that it was a suicide.

“Apparently, he [Persieck] had been having problems recently in his life. He left six pages of notes in the vehicle, which we found afterward,†Nuss said. “The kids who found the victim were definitely shaken up.â€

You don’t say.