NEW CANAAN, Conn.— The family of a Connecticut mother who disappeared one year ago Sunday continues, in frustration, to mourn their loss.
Jennifer Dulos vanished on May 24, 2019 amid contentious divorce and child custody proceedings with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos. She has not been seen since.
Earlier this week, relatives of the New Canaan mother of five said they remain haunted by the “brutality and inhumanity” of her death. The family is also urging support for victims of intimate partner violence.
Fotis Dulos was accused of killing his wife in her home and using his car to move her body. He was charged with murder in her disappearance, but he took his own life in January as he awaited trial.
He had maintained his innocence and denied any connection to his estranged wife’s disappearance.
Fotis Dulos’ girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, also faces charges in connection with the case. She released a statement ahead of the one-year anniversary saying she knows nothing about what happened to Jennifer Dulos.
“It has been nearly a year since I first heard about the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos. As a mother, I am saddened for the loss that these five children have suffered, being left without both parents in such a short period of time,” the statement reads, in part. “Whether or not Fotis Dulos was capable of doing the things the police and prosecutors accused him of doing, I do not know. But based on what I have learned in the last year, I think it was a mistake to have trusted him.”
Troconis, who is accused of helping Fotis Dulos cover up the killing, pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.
In a statement on behalf of Jennifer Dulos’ family and friends, Carrie Luft said her children are healthy and well but the “ache of her absence doesn’t go away.”
Read the full statement below:
“We miss Jennifer beyond words. The ache of her absence doesn’t go away. Countless questions remain unanswered. The brutality and inhumanity of her death and disappearance continue to haunt us, without subsiding.
But the earth keeps spinning, and somehow an entire year has elapsed. We can see it, and measure it, in the growth of her children, who are taller, stronger, wiser, and more like their mom every day. And we continue to see and sense her in their expressions, their gestures, their laughter, their hugs.
It is a testament to her deeply loving influence as a parent that Jennifer’s children are healthy and well. They are safe and surrounded by love and support. Gloria, their grandmother and guardian, is also healthy and well, for which we are so grateful during this precarious time.
In the past several months, the focus of the media has turned, as it should, to the life-threatening illness that has engulfed the globe. We know Jennifer has not been forgotten. The investigation into her death and disappearance is active and ongoing, and we remain extremely grateful to the Connecticut State Police and New Canaan Police for their commitment to Jennifer’s case. Two people have been arrested for conspiracy to murder and have yet to stand trial. That day will come.
The calls for Justice for Jennifer are powerful and moving. We urge that their scope be extended to all victims of intimate partner violence, many of whose stories are never told and who are now even more at risk. Some community-based groups are organizing Candles for Jennifer on Sunday, May 24. Please support them—in Jennifer’s honor, and in honor of all those who have died by intimate partner violence.
Likewise, for any who can afford to do so, we encourage donations to a local women’s shelter, family shelter, or food bank. These vital organizations are struggling during the pandemic, at a time when their services are more crucial than ever.
Jennifer was a very private person; she would never have wanted the details of her life to be made public. When you read about her case, we ask that you keep that in mind. She was gentle, kind, brilliant, and courageous, and we still cannot believe she is gone.”
