Gloucester Twp. Woman Charged In Alleged Murder-For-Hire Plot

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township woman who is accused of killing her 17-month-old son has been charged in a separate murder-for-hire plot, authorities announced Wednesday evening.

Heather Reynolds, 43 of Sicklerville, and Jeffrey Callahan, 44 of Clayton, have been charged with one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder, according to Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer and Gloucester Township Police Chief David Harkins.

Reynolds was arrested in 2019 and indicted on charges of first-degree murder, second-degree endangering the welfare of a child, third-degree possession of methamphetamine, and third-degree hindering apprehension in the death of her son, Axel. Read more here: Gloucester Township Mom Killed Toddler Because Of Affairs: Reports

Callahan is her boyfriend. While investigating the murder case, detectives said they uncovered evidence that the two were conspiring to have another person killed.

The two were charged following an investigation into that plot, authorities said. Details about the murder-for-hire plot or the targeted individual weren’t immediately released Wednesday evening.

Reynolds has been incarcerated since her arrest. She was additionally charged on Wednesday.
Callahan was arrested at his home in Clayton by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division on Tuesday, authorities said. Both are awaiting detention hearings.

Axel Reynolds was pronounced dead on the scene after police responded to the scene of an unresponsive child who was on his lawn in a quiet Gloucester Township neighborhood on May 10, 2018. They unsuccessfully attempted to resuscitate him using CPR.

At the time of the toddler's death, a neighbor told Patch the mother said she had been getting ready for work when she went to check on her 18-month-old boy, who had been napping in his crib.

When she discovered he was unresponsive, the mother said she rushed to seek help from her neighbors. She couldn't call 911 because her cell phone had died, she told neighbors. She also asked if anyone in the house knew CPR. So the neighbor called 911, and she and her friend began giving the toddler CPR. She said no one else was home at the time.