The former boyfriend of a New Jersey woman found dead just off a busy highway on Wednesday has been arrested for her murder.

Gregory Mallard, 35, previously served 10 years in prison for aggravated manslaughter and was the father of 32-year-old Norelis Mendoza’s two children, NJ.com reported.

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Mallard was charged with murder, unlawful possession of a weapon (vehicle), possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose (vehicle), failing to dispose of human remains in a manner prescribed by law, desecration of human remains, hindering and tampering with physical evidence.

Mendoza, the mother of a 1-year-old and a 3-year-old, was reported missing on Sunday and was last seen at her mother’s home on Saturday night, as CrimeOnline previously reported.

“Nothing can bring Norelis back, but there is an amazing sense of relief,” Mendoza’s cousin, Geovanni Molina, said Friday night. “The family would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies involved, especially the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, which did an amazing job.”

Molina told NJ.com that Mallard had been charged with domestic violence against his cousin earlier this year and that Mendoza had at some point filed for a restraining order against him.

Mallard, a reputed member of the 52 Hoover Street Crips gang, was charged in a 2008 murder and was in state prison from February 20, 2009, until June 7, 2020.

Molina said that Mendoza knew about Mallard’s past, but “she had a heart of gold. She always gave people her best.”

Mallard is in custody in Somerset County. Police have not provided details about how Mendoza was killed.

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[Featured image: Norelis Mendoza/Facebook]