Man beaten to death in tiny South Jersey town of Swedesboro

He was found in a vacant trailer at an abandoned business

A man was found dead Wednesday in a trailer near an abandoned business in the small South Jersey hamlet of Swedesboro. Gloucester County officials called it a homicide on Thursday.
HISTORIC SWEDESBORO//CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

A 61-year old man was beaten to death in the tiny South Jersey town of Swedesboro, an autopsy by the Gloucester County Medical Examiner and investigation by the Gloucester County Prosecutor’s Office has determined.

The lifeless body of Sylvester Combs Jr. was discovered Wednesday in a vacant trailer at an abandoned business in the rural community of about 2,500, according to a spokesman for the prosecutor.

Combs had no fixed address, but was known to frequent the trailer, according to spokesman Bernie Weisenfeld.

Police discovered Combs' body at around 11 a.m. Investigations determined he was beaten in the head.

Police from surrounding Woolwich Township, which encircles Swedesboro, had gone looking for the man because he had not been seen in several days. Woolwich provides police services to the borough.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Greg Malesich of the prosecutor’s office at (856) 384-5626 or Detective Chris Beckett of the Woolwich police at (856) 467-1667, ext. 1224.