Colleagues from the Naval Medical Center San Diego hiked through Mission Trails Thursday to remember an avid outdoorsmen and navy doctor, allegedly killed by his wife in what could have been a love triangle.
His colleagues described Lt. Cmdr. Frederick Trayers III as a man with an incredible sense of humor and a smile for patients and staff.
“The department is devastated by the loss and today we spent two hours this morning recounting stories about him and what he meant to everyone in the emergency department,” said Trayers' boss, Cmdr. John Love, M.D on Thursday.
Trayers was found dead in his North Park condominium by police early Monday morning after he did not show up for work at Naval Medical Center San Diego. He had been stabbed several times. His wife, Jennifer Trayers, also was wounded.
Jennifer Trayers was arrested for her husband’s murder. She pleaded not guilty from her hospital bed at Scripps Mercy in Hillcrest on Thursday.
The prosecutor indicated jealousy might have prompted Jennifer Trayers to kill her husband, claiming she sent an email to a woman with whom she believed her husband was having an affair.
The defendant's lawyer, however, says Jennifer Trayers was also wounded in the incident.
Doctor Trayers was an emergency medical resident. He also educated nurses, corpsmen and junior residents at Naval Medical Center San Diego.
“He will truly be missed and he was such a positive influence on everybody in the department and all his patients he truly cared for and we send out condolences to his family and friends,” said Cmdr. Love, M.D.
The Navy would not comment on the investigation, but said it would host a memorial ceremony in honor of Lt. Cmdr. Trayers in the future.
The hospital has established an electronic memory book for staff as a way to share thoughts and memories. It will be given to Lieutenant Commander's mother and two sisters.
