Married father is charged with murdering a female coworker who never came back from lunch break

Married father-of-one, 30, is charged with stabbing to death female coworker who left their New Jersey office on her lunch break and never came back

  • Kenneth Saal, 30, was arrested Wednesday at his Lindenwold, New Jersey home in connection to the murder of 26-year-old Carolyn Byington
  • Byington was found dead inside her Plainsboro, New Jersey apartment June 10
  • Saal is charged with murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose
  • He and Byington worked at the same marketing firm in Princeton, New Jersey
  • Coworkers said Byington went home on her June 10 lunch break and never returned to work
  • It has been reported that her killer may have waited in her home for her to arrive
  • Online registries show Saal and his wife married in 2017 and had a baby in 2018

Kenneth Saal, 30, of Lindenwold, New Jersey has been charged with murdering a female co-worker who traveled home on her lunch break two months ago, but never made it back into the office

A New Jersey accountant whose wife gave birth to the couple’s first child last year has been charged with murdering a female co-worker who traveled home on her lunch break two months ago, but never made it back into the office.

The body of Carolyn Byington, 26, of Plainsboro, New Jersey was found with blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds inside her apartment on June 10  after she failed to return to work.

After weeks of investigating, Byington’s co-worker, Kenneth Saal, 30, of Lindenworld, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday and charged with first degree murder and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, according to the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s office.

‘I hope that the arrest brings at least some sense of peace to the friends and family of Carolyn, as well as the greater community,’ Middlesex Prosecutor Andrew Carey said in a press release about the arrest.

Carolyn Byington, 26, of Plainsboro, New Jersey was found with blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds inside her apartment on June 10 after she failed to return to work

Carolyn Byington, 26, of Plainsboro, New Jersey was found with blunt force trauma and multiple stab wounds inside her apartment on June 10 after she failed to return to work

Saal said little during a brief Thursday afternoon video conference appearance in Superior Court of Middlesex County, in New Brunswick where he was seen wearing a green shirt

Saal said little during a brief Thursday afternoon video conference appearance in Superior Court of Middlesex County, in New Brunswick where he was seen wearing a green shirt

No motive for the crime has been given by authorities.

Saal said little during a brief Thursday afternoon video conference appearance in Superior Court of Middlesex County, in New Brunswick where he was seen wearing a green shirt.

He is being held in Middlesex County Jail ahead of his next scheduled court appearance on Friday, according to NJ.com.

Saal, a staff accountant, and Byington, a senior associate in project management, both worked at Engine, a Princeton, New Jersey-based marketing firm, according to LinkedIn.

Byington’s apartment complex neighbors told investigators they heard screams and the sound of furniture moving coming from inside her unit hours before police, who were called to do a wellness check by her co-workers, found the 26-year-old’s lifeless body among some strewn-about belongings, according to the New York Post .

Engine staffers said Saal started acting strangely at the office after news of Byington’s death was announced, asking random questions about whether someone can be convicted for murder on circumstantial evidence. 

Kenneth Saal

Kenneth Saal

Saal and his alleged victim both worked at Engine, a Princeton, NJ-based marketing firm

A wedding photo posted on Saal's Facebook page, which was taken down early Thursday evening

A wedding photo posted on Saal’s Facebook page, which was taken down early Thursday evening

DNA testing done on material found under Byington’s fingernails could not conclusively exclude Saal, prosecutors wrote in their complaint.  

Byington grew up in Bernards Township new Jersey before graduating from Ridge High School and later Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, where she double majored in international affairs & anthropology and sociology.

Saal’s Facebook page, where he posted a wedding photo of he and his wife as his profile picture, was taken down early Thursday evening. The couple married in 2017 before having a baby girl in September of 2018, according to online wedding and baby registries.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk