Franklinville woman charged in boy's death

GENE VERNACCHIO

Courier-Post

A Franklinville woman was charged Tuesday with murdering her 5-year-old newly adopted son two months ago.

Heather G. Lindorff, 37, was accused of murder, endangering the welfare of a child, aggravated assault and child abuse. She was held in the Gloucester County Women's Facility in Clarksboro on Tuesday on $1 million bail.

Her husband, James E. Lindorff, 52, was charged with one count of child abuse and released on his own recognizance.

The victim, Jacob Lindorff, was pronounced dead at South Jersey Hospital-Newcomb in Vineland on Dec. 14, about an hour after police were dispatched to the couple's Victoria Avenue farmhouse and found him in respiratory arrest.

Dianna Reed-Rolando, a spokeswoman for the Gloucester County Prosecutor's Office, said an autopsy revealed the child died from blunt head trauma. She declined to comment further.

Reed-Rolando said the criminal charges came after an extensive investigation by her office and Franklin police.

`We just needed to wait for medical reports and conclude interviewing different witnesses,' she said.

The Lindorffs adopted the victim, along with his twin brother and their 7-year-old brother, only a few weeks before his death.

The children were brought to the United States from their native Russia on Oct. 30, 2001, according to Reed-Rolando.

Joe Delmar, a Division of Youth and Family Services spokesman, said Jacob's siblings were removed from the home immediately after the death and were placed with other Lindorff family members.