After checking into a New York City hotel suite on Thursday, former Playboy centerfold Stephanie Adams jumped to her death on Friday morning, ending her life and that of her 7-year-old son, Vincent.
According to the New York Daily News, at the time of her death, Adams had been locked in a contentious divorce with her estranged husband, Dr. Charles Nicolai.
“Things started to go sour between them about two, three years ago,” a friend of Nicolai told the paper. “He was always incredibly proud of his son.”
Nicolai’s attorney said the doctor is “devastated” by the death of his child.
“He’s been totally devastated,” William Beslow said. “The centerpiece of his life was his son
Between July 2017 and March 2018, the NYPD responded to five calls about domestic disputes between the feuding couple and an order of protection was issued in their case, though it’s unclear which party initiated it.
In Adam’s last tweet, written in March 2018, she spoke in support of victims of domestic violence.
“The only person who should ever be ashamed in a domestic abuse incident is the abuser. Stand tall and stay strong,” she wrote. “Find the right support and always maintain your safety. Get the help you and your child need now to no longer be a victim.”
Adams and her son checked into the hotel on Thursday. Friday morning, a guest found their bodies laying on the ground.
“One of the guests of the hotel, they called the lobby,” Ilir Krsniqi, a waiter at a restaurant in the hotel, told the Daily News. “They said, ‘We saw a dead body,’ They said one but then they realized there (were) two.”
Other guests reported hearing Adams and her son hit the ground.
“From what [the guests] told me, they heard a light drop and then a heavier drop,” said a hotel employee. “I’m still shaken up about it.”
In spite of the horrific scene, Adams’ former lawyer said she loved her son.
“She loved that child,” Sanford Rubenstein said. “It’s a horrible, horrible tragedy.”