Anne Morell Petrillo

Who was Anne Morell Petrillo?

Petrillo was the 38-year-old daughter of slain newspaper heiress Anne Scripps Douglas, whose family founded The Detroit News.

Anne Morell Petrillo's car was found on the Rockland County-bound side of the bridge with a note inside, and witnesses said they saw her leave her car, take off her clothes and jump in to the Hudson River at about 8pm on Thursday night.

Anne Morell Petrillo was only 22 years old when her newspaper heiress mother, Anne Scripps Douglas, was beaten with a hammer in her bedroom on New Year's Eve in 1993. Scott Douglas drove to the Tappan Zee Bridge after in his BMW, got out and jumped in to the waters. It was three months later when his body washed up in the Bronx.

Anne Scripps Douglas was in a coma for six days before she died. This case brought domestic violence to a forefront of national media attention.

The 1997 television movie Our Mother's Murder was based on the Douglas story.