Mother's Day horror: Lindenwold mom found dead in Jersey City

🔴 Norelis Mendoza didn't return to her mother's home after a night out

🔴 Her family reported her missing on Mother's Day

🔴 Her death is considered suspicious

BAYONNE — The body of a Lindenwold woman who made a Mother's Day weekend trip with her daughter turned tragic when her body was found along a highway.

Norelis Mendoza, 32, went to Jersey City Saturday and dropped off one of her very two young daughters at her mother's home on Montgomery Street. Her cousin Giovanni Molina told NBC Philadelphia the family reported her missing on Mother's Day after she didn't answer her cell phone on Mother's Day.

Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez said Mendoza was found dead off Route 440 in Bayonne near the Jersey City border Wednesday and pronounced dead at the scene. Her death is considered suspicious.

The cause and manner of death are pending the findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office. Suarez did not disclose any details about the investigation or how long Mendoza's body may have been left.

Norelis Mendoza (Thalia Mendoza)

Family video can help investigation

According to a GoFundMe page created to assist her family with expenses, investigators have video of her leaving her mother's house and the person she was with.

"Our beloved Norelis found passion in helping others and dedicated her career to the medical field. Her smile was infectious, she was a beacon of light and would help anyone she could," GoFundMe page organizer Thalia Mendoza wrote. "We are left with her beautiful daughters and will raise them with her legacy of love and kindness. They are one and three years old and need all the love and support they can get. She enjoyed being a mom and did everything for her daughters."

Suarez asked anyone with information about Mendoza's disappearance to call her office at 201-915-1345.

Dan Alexander is a reporter for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach him at dan.alexander@townsquaremedia.com

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