Hello all. I am new to Websleuths, but I grew up in Vernon and remember this case well. My opinion has always been that whoever kidnapped and killed Ms. McBride knew the area well and took the most direct route from Highland Lakes to Pike County, PA. If he dumped her body in a convenient area, I think it is because he was in a hurry. Having already spent some time in her home (she was seen entering the house) and then driving all the way across Sussex County, the killer probably wanted to get rid of her body ASAP. As he neared the Dingmans Bridge, which has an attendant 24 hours a day, he would have wanted to get rid of the body so the attendant would not see it. I wonder if the investigators ever interviewed the person who was working the bridge crossing the night she went missing...
Since nearly the entire population of this area in the early 1990s was Caucasian, I would guess the killer was a Caucasian male. The cause of death has never been published, but I would be curious to know whether this was more likely a very "personal" killing (e.g., up close, such as strangulation) or less personal (like a gunshot). I would also wonder whether there may have been rage involved, such as multiple stab wounds, that might indicate a personal connection between victim and perpetrator.
Lisa McBride was abducted from her home in Vernon (Highland Lakes area) in the early hours of Sunday, June 24, 1990. Highland Lakes is a community with a lot of houses that are pretty close together, so the odds of someone "randomly" choosing her house are slim. Therefore, I think this person may have been watching Ms. McBride and/or watching her house over a period of time. It's possible that she walked in on a robbery in progress. Since she was killed and transported about 30 miles, her killer must have had a car nearby. I don't know the specific location of her home, but it is possible that she was in one of the more rural parts of Highland Lakes, and a car could be parked nearby without being seen.
I'm not in law enforcement or in any way a "professional" at this sort of thing, so the above is just my speculation based on my knowledge of the area and what I have read about this case and logically deduced.