Search for missing mom of 5 intensifies
Jennifer Dulos’ estranged husband claims armed guard watching kids
NEW CANAAN — Local and state police swarmed Waveny Park on Wednesday, searching by ground and in the air the walking trails, a tall grassy area and a pond, in hopes of finding a mother of five children who disappeared last week.
The search has intensified for Jennifer Dulos, who was reported missing Friday night. Her black Chevy Suburban was found on Lapham Road near Waveny Park soon after she was reported missing.
Dulos has been involved in a two-year divorce case with her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, whose attorney requested on Wednesday for a judge to allow his client to see his children.
The motion, filed by attorney Michael J. Rose, said the couple’s five children, who range in age from 8 to
13, have been staying at the New York City apartment of Jennifer Dulos’ mother under the watch of an armed guard the family hired.
“My client has joint custody, but is limited by your orders,” Rose wrote in his motion to the judge. “However, at this point, the court needs to take action to provide my client with custody.”
Rose declined to comment and Fotis Dulos has not been available for comment.
Jennifer Dulos filed for divorce in 2017 after the couple had been married for
13 years. In court documents, Jennifer Dulos said she feared her husband and believed he would “harm me in some way” for seeking a divorce.
A divorce hearing that was scheduled at the Stamford courthouse on Wednesday was postponed. The postponement came one day after a court-appointed guardian ad litem filed a motion for a status conference “regarding the safety of the children.”
Police said two of Jennifer Dulos’ friends reported her missing Friday night after she missed several appointments that day and no one heard from her in about 10 hours.
Police said the last time anyone had contact with Jennifer Dulos was Friday morning after she dropped off her kids at New Canaan Country School.
New Canaan police said their officers and other agencies have since “worked around the clock to locate Jennifer by exploring all leads and tips.”
“This investigation is being treated as a missing person case, but as with any missing person case, a criminal investigation is being conducted concurrently to determine if Jennifer was the victim of foul play or intentional harm,” Police Lt. Jason Ferraro said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.
A large number of New Canaan and state police canvassed the popular 300acre Waveny Park on Wednesday. Their primary focus was the area near the park’s Carriage Barn Arts Center. They searched an open field area and a pond, used a drone and boarded a New York state police helicopter that circled over the area for about an hour.
Police blocked walking trails near the park’s South Avenue entrance and closed the parking lot near the Walled Garden.
At least a half a dozen police dogs searched the park, focusing on the area near the pond and the part known as “the cornfield.”
“I think it is tragic,” Michelle Voigt, of Greenwich, said as she walked in the park. “I have two children and I am the same age. I can’t imagine a mother of five missing that long and not having a major search, a major response from the community. I can’t believe it’s not all over.”
The search on Wednesday shifted from Jennifer Dulos’ Welles Lane neighborhood where she rented a home and lived with her children since filing for divorce in 2017. On Tuesday, about a dozen New Canaan and state police cars lined the neighborhood and K-9 units searched a wooded area along Frogtown Road between Weed Street and Ponus Ridge Road.
In a statement, Jennifer Dulos’ friends and family said they were “heartbroken” by her disappearance, but “moved and inspired by the support, assistance, concern, and love extended by so many.”
“Those who know Jennifer know her to be a devoted mother; an extremely thoughtful, reliable, an organized woman; and attest that she would never, ever, disappear when she is responsible for the lives of five loving and energetic children. Jennifer is gentle, kind, intelligent, and funny, and above all, she prioritizes the health and happiness of her children. She and the children have been embraced by the New Canaan Country School community, where they have made good friends and are active in athletics and arts.”
According to her profile on Patch.com, where she wrote blog posts regularly as an Avon resident, Dulos was a journalist and writer in New York City after earning a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s in writing from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.
“She was a very nice woman, very kid-centric,” said Arnold Karp, who owns the New Canaan house that Jennifer Dulos has been renting and living in with her children. “It’s a head-scratcher for all of us, which is…again, it’s the mystery of where did it go and what happened to her?”
As part of the divorce proceedings, Jennifer Dulos filed for an emergency order for full custody that was denied in July 2017. The couple has a shared custody arrangement until the divorce is finalized.
Since Jennifer Dulos disappeared, the children have been staying in New York with her mother, Gloria Farber. Farber and her late husband’s estate are also in a legal battle with Fotis Dulos, claiming the builder owes $1.7 million in loans he used to purchase and develop homes.
Fotis Dulos has remained at the Farmington home, which he also uses to operate his building company, The Fore Group. According to the company’s website, Fotis Dulos received a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a master’s from Columbia Business School. The 6-bedroom, 10,000-square-foot Farmington home is listed for sale at $4.35 million.
Anyone with information about the case can contact the New Canaan Police Tip Line at 203-594-3544.