Jennifer Farber Dulos’ family and friends issue statement saying “The ache ... doesn’t go away.”
Ahead of disappearance anniversary, questions remain
Ahead of the one-year anniversary of Jennifer Farber Dulos’ disappearance, her family and friends issued a statement Friday saying that many questions remain unanswered as they grieve her death.
Farber Dulos, 50 when she went missing, was last seen on May 24, 2019, when she dropped her children off at their school in New Canaan in the morning. Friends contacted the authorities later that evening after she missed appointments throughout the day.
“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,” Farber Dulos’ friends and family said in a statement issued Friday.
Farber Dulos’ estranged husband, luxury home builder Fotis Dulos of Farmington, was charged with murder on Jan. 7, but died later that month after a suicide attempt at his Jefferson Crossing home.
His former girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and attorney and friend, Kent Mawhinney, have both been charged with conspiring with Dulos to kill Farber Dulos.
“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,” the statement read. “Two people have been arrested for conspiracy to murder and have yet to stand trial. That day will come.”
Troconis has been free since January on more than $2 million bond, while Mawhinney remains in custody on $2 million bond.
Following months of investigations, detectives presented evidence to Chief Medical Examiner James Gill, who ruled Farber Dulos was dead. State police investigators have not found her body.
Farber Dulos disappearance came amid a bitter two-year divorce and custody battle with Dulos, in which accusations of threats and violence were made in
lengthy back-and-forth court motions.
“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,” the statement from the family and friends read.
The five Dulos children have been in the custody of Farber Dulos’ mother, Gloria Farber, since Farber Dulos went missing. A judge granted her custody while Dulos awaited trial.
“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,” the statement from the family read.
As the anniversary approaches, the family and friends asked the public to support community vigils that call for lighting candles in support of Farber Dulos and others who have suffered from 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,” the statement read.
Nicholas Rondinone can be reached at nrondinone@ courant.com.