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BY BOB HOLT
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
Heather Trapp’s mother Fran had been telling friends for months that she feared for her daughter’s safety.
Speaking about Anthony Trapp in August, Fran Newman said, "He is sick in the head ... I don’t know what to do," according to a lifelong friend. "I’m scared for my daughter. Pray for her," she said, according to NJ.com.
The two children who had been abducted by their father were found safe in a New York motel Friday, but Anthony Trapp appeared to have committed suicide there.
Police found Heather Trapp, 37, the girls' mother, dead in Anthony Trapp’s home in Old Bridge. A preliminary investigation found that Emma Trapp, 5, and Sophia Trapp, 20 months, had been visiting their father as part of the separated couple’s custody arrangement. Heather Trapp had gone to his home to pick up the children.
The investigation found that the children had been abducted by Trapp, 39, late Thursday. Relatives contacted police due to fears for Heather Trapp’s safety, and upon going to Trapp’s home, they recovered her body. An Amber Alert was then initially issued for the children.
According to NJ.com, Kaplan said the Trapp girls were found at a motel in Fort Montgomery Friday morning. They were taken to a nearby hospital as a precautionary measure and found unharmed.
The Associated Press reports that the Middlesex medical examiner's office determined Heather Trapp had been stabbed multiple times and called her death a homicide.
Bear Mountain Bridge Motel owners Douglas and Ingrid Johnson said Anthony Trapp checked in around 7:30 P.M. Thursday, paying $85 for a room with a double bed and two twin beds. After police recovered the children, a witness said they threw what appeared to be a smoke bomb through the motel window.
Friends said the Trapps appeared to be the perfect couple. But Heather Trapp filed for divorce from Anthony on Aug. 23, citing irreconcilable differences. The Trapps were separated at least six months before she filed for the divorce. Heather Trapp had also filed at least three restraining orders against her husband this year.
Around that time Anthony Trapp had sued former employer SG Americas Securities for alleged discrimination. Trapp suffered from Marfan Syndrome, a disease affecting the skeletal system, cardiovascular system, eyes, and skin. He alleged that he had been harassed for months by co-workers about his condition and finally fired.
Old Bridge Councilman G. Kevin Calogera said, according to the Daily Record, “My heart goes out to the family and the kids. The kids are going to be by themselves. It’s a tragedy.”
Autopsies are scheduled to be performed to determine the causes of death. Anyone with further information is being asked to call Detective Mike Machen of the Old Bridge Police Department at 732-947-7276 or Investigator Jeffrey Temple of the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office at 732-586-2449.
