Woman, 19, was 'robbed, strangled and thrown off a 50ft bridge to her death by her two FRIENDS' before her body was swept out to sea and never recovered

  • New Jersey prosecutors say a 19-year-old man, Liam McAtasney, robbed and killed an acquaintance, Sarah Stern, 19, in early December 
  • McAtasney allegedly enlisted his friend, Preston Taylor, 19, to help him throw Stern's body off a bridge in Belmar, New Jersey
  • Stern's body was swept to sea by ocean currents and never found
  • The two men appeared in court on Thursday for a hearing
  • McAtasney is charged with robbery and murder, while Taylor is charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution 

By Ariel Zilber For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:12 EST, 2 February 2017 | Updated: 06:50 EST, 3 February 2017

Sarah Stern (above), 19, was robbed and killed by an acquaintance in the early morning hours of December 3, New Jersey prosecutors say

A man has been accused of killing a 19-year-old woman by strangling her and then getting a friend to help him throw her off a bridge.

Liam McAtasney allegedly robbed and killed his acquaintance, Sarah Stern, on or about December 2.

Prosecutors allege that Stern was robbed after she had withdrawn large amounts of cash from the bank.

The two were said to have known each other because their families were close friends, according to Asbury Park Press. 

Authorities say that McAtasney tried to steal the cash from Stern's house.

During the course of the robbery, he strangled her to death, prosecutors allege.

McAtasney then allegedly called his friend, Preston Taylor, who helped him move Stern's body from her home.

Authorities say that McAtasney and Taylor drove to the Route 35 bridge in Belmar, New Jersey, and threw Stern's body into the water. 

The Route 35 bridge, which crosses over the Shark River, has a fixed vertical clearance of 50 feet. 

Stern's abandoned car was found near the bridge on December 3. Initially, authorities suspected that the driver of the car had jumped off the bridge, according to NJ Advance Media.

McAtasney is charged with murder, felony murder, robbery, disturbing human remains, and conspiring with another to disturb human remains.

He is also being accused of hindering apprehension or prosecution.

Liam McAtasney (left) is alleged to have robbed and killed Stern. He then allegedly enlisted his friend, Preston Taylor (right), to throw Stern's body of a bridge in Belmar, New Jersey

Taylor and Stern are seen in this undated photo from 2014. Taylor is charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution

McAtasney's friend, Preston Taylor, also 19, is alleged to have conspired with McAtasney to cover up the crime and hide evidence.

The two suspects appeared in court on Thursday afternoon to answer for the charges, according to Asbury Park Press.

Stern's body has never been found. Authorities believe that the currents swept the corpse out to sea.

Belmar, a borough of Monmouth County, is located on the New Jersey Shore.

Prosecutors say that they have obtained a recorded conversation between McAtasney and another individual that implicates him in the crime.

Prosecutors say that they have obtained a recorded conversation between McAtasney (right) and another individual that implicates him in the crime. Taylor is seen on the left

Stern's disappearance prompted authorities to issue a missing persons alert. Her body has never been found, as authorities believe it was swept out to sea by ocean currents

At their hearing in Monmouth County court, the two men were ordered to remain in detention until further proceedings.

Charles Stone, the attorney representing Michael Stern, the victim's father, said that his client is in the midst of deep grief.

'He's overwhelmed, as any parent would be,' Stone said. 'This is the worst nightmare you could imagine as a parent.'

Neither McAtasney or Taylor appeared to show any emotion during their court appearance on Thursday, according to Asbury Park Press.

McAtasney's attorney, Chuck Moriarty, said the fact that no body has been found is problematic in proving his client's guilt.

'It does create a problem, if they don't have a body, if she shows up in three weeks and says this is all part of a joke,' Moriarty said. 

Initially, Stern's disappearance was treated as a missing persons case. But tips from the community led authorities to launch a criminal investigation that resulted in the arrest of McAtasney and Taylor

He said that his client's family and the Sterns were friends. That is how McAtasney and Stern knew each other.

'I know the families were close,' Moriarty said. 'The families were friends. If she is dead, it's a tragedy.'

The Monmouth County prosecutor trying the case, Christopher Gramiccioni, said that all three 19-year-olds knew each other and that the two suspects were close friends.

'We know they had a pre-existing relationship with Sarah Stern, growing up in the same area,' he said. 

Initially, Stern's disappearance was treated as a missing persons case.

But tips from the community led authorities to launch a criminal investigation that resulted in the arrest of McAtasney and Taylor. 

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