Michelle Lodzinski to waive extradition

• Michelle Lodzinski could be returned to New Jersey as early as next week. She will be accompanied by law enforcement officials
• Her sister is helping to care for Lodzinski's two teenage sons
• Robert Watson%2C Lodzinski attorney in Florida%2C is looking to assist the defense team that will represent her in New Jersey where she is charged with her son's murder more than 23 years ago.

When Michelle Lodzinski appears in a Florida court Thursday she is expected to begin the process that will return her to New Jersey where she is accused of killing her 5-year-old son Timothy Wiltsey more than 23 years ago.

"We're going to waive extradition," Robert J. Watson, a Stuart, Fla. attorney representing Lodzinski, said in a telephone interview Wednesday.

He said Lodzinski is going to return to New Jersey and face the murder charge filed against her.

"She's looking forward to being able to let the facts speak and get this behind her," Watson said.

Lodzinski, a former South Amboy resident, is scheduled to appear 9:30 a.m. Thursday before Judge Elizabeth Metzger at the Martin County Courthouse, Martin County, Fla. It will be her second court appearance since her arrest last month. She has been held without bail since her last court appearance.

No one from the Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office is required to attend the Florida court hearing, however representatives from the office will be available by telephone, if needed, according to Jim O'Neill, prosecutor's office public information officer.

Lodzinski, 46, was arrested Aug. 6, on what would have been her son's 29th birthday, after a Middlesex County grand jury issued a one-count indictment charging her with Timothy's murder. Bail was set at $2 million.

A resident of Port St. Lucie, Fla., Lodzinski was arrested after leaving work as she was on her way to pick up her two teenage sons. She has worked as a paralegal for a law firm handling civil cases for about 10 years.

"When they picked her up it was without any notice at all," said Watson, adding Lodzinski was in the process of getting her two sons ready for the new school year.

Lodzinski long has been considered a suspect in her son's disappearance. As a young single mother she initially told police her son Timothy, a kindergarten student at St. Mary's School in South Amboy, went missing from a 1991 Memorial Day weekend carnival in neighboring Sayreville. Her son's partial remains were found 11 months later in a marshy area of Raritan Center in Edison.

Timothy Wiltsey's death has been one of the highest-profile unsolved murder cases in Middlesex County. His disappearance sparked a nationwide manhunt involving the FBI, state, county and local police as well as hundreds of volunteers. His story was featured on "America's Most Wanted" and his milk cartons featured his picture.

Timothy's disappearance became a murder investigation after a bird watcher found his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle sneaker in a marshy area of Raritan Center. Officials have said they never had proof Timothy was at the carnival and his mother gave different accounts about his disappearance. She failed at least one lie detector test, officials have said.

Lodzinski has been held at the Martin County Jail in Stuart, Fla. since her arrest.

"She seems to be holding up pretty well," Watson said.

He said Lodzinski has been in touch with her sister, who also lives nearby in Florida and is taking care of Lodzinski's sons, Watson said.

Once extradition is waived and the judge signs the papers, Watson said Lodzinski should be returning to New Jersey soon.

"There is no reason to delay," he said.

Law enforcement officials would have to decide how Lodzinski will be returned to New Jersey. Stuart, Fla. is about 1,152 miles, or a 17 hour, 15 minute drive from New Brunswick. It's unclear if she will be driven or flown. Watson said she will be in the company of law enforcement for the trip.

Watson said Lodzinski's New Jersey defense counsel is being arranged. Watson, who is not licensed to practice law in New Jersey, said he's looking to apply to the court to assist her defense team.

Staff Writer Suzanne Russell: 732-565-7335; srussell@mycentraljersey.com