Dead Bodies Identified in Case of Former NJ Resident Charged With Kidnapping, Sex Assault

Three dead women found in the home of a man who previously lived in New Jersey -- where he reportedly has a long rap sheet -- have been identified, with two of the women recently reported missing. 

The bodies of three women were found at the Springfield, Massachusetts, home of Stewart Weldon, 40, who is currently facing two kidnapping charges. Weldon has not been charged in connection with the bodies.

On Monday, Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni revealed that Ernestine Ryans, 47,  and America Lyden, 34, both of Springfield, and 27-year-old Layla Escalante, of Ludlow, were the women found. Gulluni said he has been in touch with the families of the three women.

"They are needless to say distraught and heartbroken," Gulluni said.

Lyden was reported missing on Dec. 1, 2017 but hadn't been seen in six months. Ryans was reported missing on March 18, 2018 - 10 days after her family last saw her.

Gulluni said the medical examiner has yet to determine the cause of the deaths but called them "suspicious."

Weldon was arrested May 27 after a traffic stop and held on $1 million after pleading not guilty to kidnapping and other charges. A woman in his car said she had been held against her will, beaten and sexually assaulted.

According to a police report, the woman thanked officers for saving her life, saying she didn't think she was ever going to get away.

Weldone reportedly has a long criminal history in New Jersey. He lived in Montclair in 1997 when he was charged with sexual assault, according to NJ.com. He allegedly refused to let an 18-year-old woman leave his car.

Weldon, then 19, and a friend picked up three teens at the Lackawanna Plaza shopping center, according to Star-Ledger reports at the time. They dropped off two of the teens, then Weldon's friend threatened the remaining teen with a gun and sexually assaulted her, the newspaper reported.

Weldon was charged with sexual assault. It's not clear how the charges were resolved.

Weldon also faced charges in two other New Jersey cities, the paper reported. In 1997, he pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a weapon in East Orange and was sentenced to probation. He was also charged with kidnapping, but it's not clear whether he was convicted.

Weldon was arraigned Monday on kidnapping and assault to rape charges pertaining to a second alleged victim and ordered held on an additional $1 million cash bail.

No details of the second kidnapping allegation were released during Monday's arraignment, but prosecutors said they were related to a second woman who came forward to say that Weldon tried to kidnap her.

The district attorney's office said Weldon's court appearance Monday was unrelated to the discovery of the bodies and the ongoing search of his home. 

Weldon did not speak at Monday's arraignment but stood expressionless and nodded slightly when a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. Bail was set at $1 million on the new charges.

His public defender waived a reading of the complaint, and the new case was impounded at the request of the prosecution and defense, citing the ongoing investigation.

"Mr. Weldon has entered his plea of not guilty and looks forward to addressing these charges in the future in court as well as addressing bail at a later date," public defender Matthew Fleischner said.

Weldon was also arrested three times in Springfield last year, according to police and court records, including once in October when he was accused of assaulting a woman on the street. He struggled during the arrest, according to the police report, and bit an officer on the leg. He pleaded not guilty and was released on $1,000 cash bail.

Weldon is scheduled back in court on both cases on June 29.