Oxygen's Snapped: Who is Loretta Burroughs and what did she do?

A 2016 episode of Oxygen's Snapped covered the murder of Daniel Burroughs and the involvement of his wife, Loretta Burroughs. The brutal murder, and especially what followed, shook the small city of Ventnor. It all started with Daniel's sudden disappearance in 2007, following which Loretta claimed that he had eloped with another woman from Florida.

It took authorities a lot of time and persistence before the case was finally solved in 2013. The synopsis for the episode, titled Loretta Burroughs, read:

"The search for a missing man leads to a disturbing discovery years later deep in his wife's closet."

The episode originally aired on October 9, 2016, and is now available for streaming on Peacock. The episode will also have a rerun on November 28, 2022.

Burrough is currently incarcerated at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey, where she is likely to remain until she dies. Read on for more details about the brutal murder of Daniel Burroughs and his wife's involvement in it.

---

Who is Loretta Burroughs, and why did she kill her husband?

Loretta met her future husband, Daniel Burroughs when they were very young. Despite being childhood sweethearts, it was a long time before they married. After high school, they went their separate ways and married different people. After the death of Loretta's husband and Daniel's divorce, they met and rekindled their relationship.

They both had children from their previous marriages, and Loretta even had grandchildren. They were seemingly happy together. But things were deceptive from an outside point of view. In 2007, Daniel vanished without a trace. Loretta Burroughs claimed that her husband, then 66, ran away with another woman from Florida. She also claimed that he left in a car with Florida number plates.

But there was no other proof of this claim. All of Daniel's belongings were still in the house, and he had never spoken to his family about any such plan or indicated anything. His half-brother, Raymond Wantorcik III, was especially wary of this development and sought out answers.

The same year, Daniel's family registered a missing person report with the police, but it was not of much help. A year and a half later, Loretta divorced Daniel and sold all his belongings, rounding it up with a move to Ventnor, New Jersey.

Years later, in 2013, Daniel's family approached the newly established Cold Case Unit at the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office asking for help. This led to the reopening of the case. This time, police found some past convictions of Loretta Burroughs.

Authorities took out a search warrant and searched Loretta's house only to uncover a horrific truth. They stumbled upon Daniel's decomposing remains in a closet in Loretta's guest bedroom, sealed in containers. Prosecutors allege that Loretta killed Daniel by stabbing him and storing him in their bathtub. She later dismembered his body and stored it in containers. She allegedly did this because she was against moving to Florida, which Daniel wanted.

---

Where is Loretta Burroughs now?

Loretta was found guilty of killing Daniel in 2015 and was sentenced to 55 years in prison. She was also found guilty of hindering her own apprehension.

She is eligible for parole at least 46 years and 9 months after her conviction, which means that she is most likely going to remain in prison until her death. As of today, remains incarcerated at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women in Clinton, New Jersey.