July 22, 2024
EDISON, NJ — Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone and Chief Thomas Bryan of the Edison Police Department announced today that Joan Franklin Polanco, 37, of Edison, has been charged in connection with the fatal stabbing that occurred in Edison on July 21, 2024.
On July 21, 2024, at approximately 4:37 P.M., Edison Police Department received a 911 call reporting a stabbing on Horizon Drive. Upon their arrival, officers discovered Lizbeth Benitez-Rivera, 37, of Edison, with multiple stab wounds. Benitez-Rivera was pronounced deceased at the scene.
An initial investigation led by Detective Clint Hetzell of the Edison Police Department and Detective Javier Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office determined that Benitez-Rivera’s son was asleep in his room, when he woke up later in the afternoon, he found his mother deceased with multiple stab wounds. The investigation determined that Joan Franklin Polanco, 37, of Edison, was seen entering the bedroom with a knife and leaving the residence shortly after the incident occurred.
Hours later, on July 21, 2024, Polanco was located and detained by the New York City Police Department. Polanco was charged with first-degree Murder and third-degree Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose. The investigation is active and continuing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Hetzell of the Edison Police Department at 732-248-7400 or Detective Morillo of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-745-8843.
