MORRIS COUNTY — Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp and Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Acting Chief of Investigations Christoph Kimker issue an updated statement on the discovery of a body in Lewis Morris Park in Morristown on Sunday, June 28.
The deceased has been identified as Amani Kildea, 20, of Washington Township. Amani was found an hour away from where he lives.
The Morris County 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, Morris County Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Investigation Unit and Morris County 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 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. 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.
It has been reported that Amani Kildea’s family adopted him in 2005 from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From the age of five, he resided in Washington Township. Amani graduated from the Army Reserves Basic Training in February 2020 and was to become a Military Policeman. He planned to further his education at James Madison University in the fall of 2020. Amani will be remembered as a “beautiful young man” with a sensitive soul, an endearing sense of humor, and a daring and courageous character.
Amani planned to finish his education and work in special operations for the FBI or CIA. Despite being only 20-years-old, he did not wait to pursue his dream of serving the community and began setting up sting operations to find and expose pedophiles in New Jersey with his friends, akin to the show “To Catch A Predator.” Through this work, they have exposed at least 30 pedophiles in Morris County and other surrounding areas. This work has led to multiple arrests.
