Morris County Prosecutor: Updated Statement on Death in Lewis Morris County Park
Published on July 03, 2020
Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Prosecutor's Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker are issuing an updated statement on the discovery of a body in Lewis Morris Park in Morris Township on June 28, 2020.
The deceased has been identified as Amani Kildea, 20, of Washington Township in Morris County.
The Prosecutor's Office has continued the ongoing investigation into the tragic death of Mr. Kildea since the office was first notified on June 28.
Prosecutor Knapp said: Contrary to the statements made in social media and elsewhere, the investigation remains open and has not concluded.
Our initial statement by this office was intended to preliminarily and expeditiously inform the public that we and multiple other law enforcement agencies, including the Morris County Park Police, Sheriff's Office, and Medical Examiner's Office, have been working with the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit to investigate the circumstances of Mr. Kildea's death.
As of this time, no evidence of a criminal act has yet been found, however, our efforts to determine what occurred remain very active. We have followed and continue to follow all investigative leads and will go where the evidence takes us.
The (July 1) publication of the Morris County Medical Examiner's determination as to the manner of Mr. Kildea's death was disclosed publicly to provide as much transparency on this investigation as possible (the Morris County Medical Examiner determined the manner of death as suicide).
However, we cannot disclose all investigative steps we have taken or that we will be pursuing, so as not to compromise our investigation.
The Morris County Medical Examiner is a medical doctor who does not work for the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. Rather, the Office of the Medical Examiner is under the Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety, which is totally independent of the Morris County Prosecutor's Office. We are guided by the Medical Examiner's findings, however, that does not mean that our investigation has concluded.
The Morris County Prosecutor's Office is committed to the thorough, appropriate, professional and prompt investigation of any suspicious and/or unnatural deaths. There will be no further comment on this investigation at this time out of respect for Mr. Kildea's family.
If anyone has any information they wish to provide concerning this matter, please call the Morris County Prosecutor's Office Major Crimes Unit at 973-285-6200. A formal statement will be issued when our investigation has concluded.
Inquiries should be directed to Public Information Officer Meghan Knab at mknab@co.morris.nj.us or by phone at 973-829-8159.