⏩ Fundraiser for Jennifer Dulos reward pulled from crowdfunding site.
NEW CANAAN — A fundraiser started by a Connecticut boy to raise a reward for information leading to Jennifer Dulos’ whereabouts disappeared from an online crowdfunding site Tuesday.
The fundraiser was started June 12 on GoFundMe by the mother of Riley Daigle, a 7-yearold Wethersfield boy — and remained online until Tuesday afternoon despite Dulos’ family asking “that no financial rewards of funds be established.”
By about 5:45 p.m., the fundraiser was no longer on GoFundMe, though it was unclear whether it was pulled by its organizer or the company.
Hearst Connecticut Media sent messages to the page as well as to GoFundMe.
Jennifer Dulos, a 50-year-old New Canaan mother of five, has been missing since May 24. Her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, have been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in the disappearance.
Riley was “so sickened and upset to see that five children have a missing mom that he pledged to put all of the money in his savings account ($500) to any information leading to a conviction or leading to the missing mom,” his mother Danielle Daigle said in the post.
Riley’s mom told Fox 61 that her son originally planned to use the money for his August birthday trip to Disney, but he decided to give that up. Instead, he is saving the money to help police find Jennifer Dulos.
The page had been shared more than 100 times on Facebook, and raised more than $1,000 toward a $5,000 goal before it was taken down.
The post assured readers “that this is not a scam. We will be reaching out to the families attorney giving them access to the funds.”
But New Canaan Deputy Police Chief John W. DiFederico released a statement after the fundraiser was publicized, saying Jennifer Dulos’ family has requested that no funds be collected for a reward.
“The impact of Jennifer’s disappearance on her five young children, family, and friends is affecting many people in similar ways,” Jennifer Dulos’ family said in a statement released last week. “We urge this young man to keep his savings, but we honor his impulse. This is about more than a reward — it is a call to do something.”