New Details In Alleged Gloucester Twp. Murder-For-Hire Plot

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — A Gloucester Township woman who is in jail awaiting trial in her 17-month-old son’s death had designs to kill again, and she said her family had the money to pay for it, according to authorities.

But Heather Reynolds and her boyfriend, Jeffrey Callahan, wanted to wait until after Reynolds’ trial before an alleged murder-for-hire plot could unfold, according to an affidavit of probable cause provided to Patch by the Camden County Prosecutor’s Office.

Last week, authorities announced that the 43-year-old Reynolds and Callahan, 44 of Clayton, had been charged with one count of first-degree conspiracy to commit murder. Read more here: Gloucester Twp. Woman Charged In Alleged Murder-For-Hire Plot

Detectives uncovered the plot during a Sept. 16, 2019, interview related to the investigation into Reynolds’ son’s death, according to authorities.

Reynolds had been arrested and indicted earlier in the year 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

During the interview, the unnamed witness told detectives that Callahan had asked them to connect Callahan and Reynolds with someone who could “knock off” the unnamed target, according to authorities.

“Callahan said that Reynolds could pay with money from her parents,” the witness said in the affidavit.

The witness told detectives in a later interview that Callahan said the individual would be dealt with after Reynolds’ current case ended because it would be “too obvious if something were to happen” before the trial.

When detectives searched Callahan’s social media records, they found a message that called the unidentified target a “scumbag and a dead man walking. Mark my words, he’ll be dead in a year.”

Detectives said they recorded an interview between their witness and Callahan on May 7, in which Callahan acknowledged their previous discussions, and that Reynolds’ family had the money to pay for it.

Reynolds has been incarcerated since her arrest. She was additionally charged on May 19.
Callahan was arrested at his home in Clayton by the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force – Camden Division on May 18, authorities said.

Both are scheduled for detention hearings on Tuesday, according to the prosecutor.

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.