A New Jersey man who authorities say killed his toddler son’s mother and then drove the boy and her body to Tennessee last summer has pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter. The child was the subject of an Amber Alert when they went missing.
27-year-old Tyler Rios also pleaded guilty Monday to desecrating human remains in the death of 24-year-old Yasemin Uyar. He now faces up to 30 years in prison when he’s sentenced June 10, according to the Union County Prosecutor’s Office.
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Rios had been charged with numerous counts, including murder and kidnapping his 2-year-old son, who wasn’t injured when his mother was killed last July.
Authorities started the search after the boy wasn’t dropped off at daycare and Uyar didn’t arrive for her scheduled work shifts. The boy eventually was found unharmed at a hotel in Monterey, Tennessee, when Rios was taken into custody.
Uyar’s body was found a day later almost 700 miles away in a wooded area off of I-40 in Tennessee. An autopsy revealed that she died as a result of being strangled and blunt force trauma.
A motive for the slaying has not been disclosed. Authorities have said the couple met in high school and dated on and off for years.
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