Boy giving vacay cash to ma hunt
A 7-year-old Connecticut boy has pledged his $500 savings as a reward in the search for missing mom Jennifer Farber Dulos — and he isn’t budging despite a thank-you from Jennifer’s family and encouragement to stand down, his mom said Thursday.
“This makes him feel like he’s helping. He has such a big heart,” mom Danielle Daigle, 31, told the Daily News.
The mom from Wethersfield, Conn., said her son Riley Daigle has been saving for four years to take a birthday trip to a Disney theme park. Then he heard about Jennifer’s case while playing Legos as his grandmother watched a TV newscast.
“All he wants to do is give her kids a hug and help them find their mom,” she said. “He’s so adamant about doing this, it’s hard to tell him no. He feels like he’s doing something.”
Jennifer, 50, went missing May 24 amid a bitter divorce and custody battle with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos. She was last seen dropping the couple’s five kids off at their school in New Canaan.
Her loved ones praised Ryan’s gesture Thursday but urged him to keep his money.
“This is the kindest act imaginable,” they said in a statement.
“His selflessness and generosity have touched our hearts,” the statement said. “We urge this young man to keep his savings, but we honor his impulse.”
The family and friends said police are “best equipped” to handle the nearly three-week search and encouraged anyone with knowledge about the case to email FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov or call (203) 5943544.
Riley pledged his $500 because he was “so sickened and upset to see that 5 children have a missing mom,” his GoFundMe page said.
His mother said she hoped to keep the page active and vowed to leave the funds untouched unless a time comes to hand it over to authorities.
“We’re going to keep it up . ... maybe his act of kindness will inspire someone to say something,” she said.
Fotis Dulos, 51, has been charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in the high-profile case. He pleaded not guilty Tuesday along with his co-defendant girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, 44.