Former cop kills himself after New Jersey chase; wife’s body found in trunk

A former police officer killed himself Saturday night after a highway chase in New Jersey with state police, who later discovered the body of the man’s wife in the vehicle’s trunk.

Franklin Osgood, 61, a former police officer in Providence, R.I., was pronounced dead about 11:30 p.m. at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. His wife, Mary Jo Osgood, was pronounced dead at the scene about two hours later.

Providence police said at a news conference Sunday they received a call from Osgood’s daughter Saturday saying her father was missing and distraught. He had last been seen Friday morning.

At some point, Osgood called his daughter and told her he had harmed her mother, Providence Police Chief Hugh Clements told reporters.

Providence police put out an alert to law enforcement agencies across the country. Clements said an officer was in contact with Osgood by phone Saturday evening but that Osgood didn’t reveal his location.

Police notified New Jersey State Police about 9 p.m. that Osgood was believed to be traveling on the New Jersey Turnpike in a 2007 black Dodge Charger.

Troopers located the car about 25 minutes later, heading north on the highway near Ridgefield Park, several miles from the George Washington Bridge. Osgood refused to pull over and eventually ran off the road, hit a guardrail and struck a car driven by a trooper.

Troopers found Osgood with a self-inflicted gunshot wound when they approached the car. Mary Jo Osgood’s body was discovered in the trunk.

Clements said Osgood retired from the force in 2007. He said Osgood and his wife had four children.

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