A North Jersey father wanted for questioning in the murder of his ex-wife and the disappearance of their two young children has allegedly killed himself.
Investigators say 39-year-old Anthony Trapp was found dead around 8:40 Friday morning at an upstate New York motel in an apparent suicide. No details were released, but an autopsy will be performed Friday afternoon. Police say Trapp's two young daughters, 20-month-old Sophia and 5-year-old Emma were unharmed.
An amber alert was issued for the girls, but was canceled after they just happened to walk out of a room at the Bear Mountain Bridge motel in Fort Montgomery, N.Y. The girls were taken to a local hospital, where their mother's relatives were expected to meet them.
The search for Trapp and his children began after the girls' mother, 37-year-old Heather Trapp, was allegedly found dead inside Anthony Trapp's Old Bridge Township home. Police say Heather went to her ex-husband's home on Thursday to pick up the children after a visit with their father. Later in the evening, a concerned relative of Heather Trapp called police, who went to the home and found her body.
The Middlesex County, N.J. prosecutor alerted state police in New York that Trapp was in the Hudson Valley area with his children. Authorities searched several local hotels, before finding Trapp's vehicle parked at the motel. His New Jersey plates were allegedly replaced with New Jersey tags.
Old Bridge Township resident Anthony Dalessio was close friends with the Trapps and said he and his wife are devastated by their neighbors' deaths.
"She was one of the best people we ever met. She would do anything for her children,'' Dalessio said. "Even while they had their problems, her children were her main priority.''
He said Anthony Trapp was unemployed and Heather Trapp worked as a dental hygienist in New York City.
