Blood found in missing woman’s home, search shifts to New York

NEW CANAAN — Detectives found traces of blood in the New Canaan home of Jennifer Dulos the day after she was reported missing.

The 50-year-old mother of five was reported missing on the evening of Friday, May 24.

In less than 24 hours, police issued a Silver Alert for Dulos, found her black Chevrolet Suburban near Waveny Park and launched a full-scale search for the missing mother.

Law enforcement sources close to the investigation told the Hartford Courant on Thursday that detectives from the State Police Western District Crime Squad were checking Dulos’ New Canaan home on Saturday — the day after she had been reported missing — and found traces of blood.

The sources told the Courant it appeared the scene had been cleaned before detectives found it. It was unclear if investigators have tried to match this blood with Dulos’ DNA.

Sources told the Courant that this grim discovery — along with undisclosed “other evidence” — led police to suspect that Dulous might have been the victim of a violent crime.

Late Thursday, WFSB reported that law enforcement sources close to the investigation said Dulos’ case is now being treated as a homicide.

When asked to confirm the blood findings on Thursday, the State Police Public Information Office directed all questions about the investigation to New Canaan Police.

New Canaan Police Lt. Jason Ferraro said the investigation into Dulos’ disappearance is ongoing and active, adding he couldn’t comment on specific questions from a Hearst Connecticut Media reporter.

Ferraro said Thursday that the search for Dulos crossed state lines to search a home in Pound Ridge, N.Y. The Courant reported that the home is associated with Dulos’ family.

“Regarding the request for information/confirmation on the story released by the Hartford Courant no comment will be offered regarding any segments of the story,” Ferraro said Thursday night. “As stated earlier this is an active and ongoing investigation and when appropriate more information will be released.”

Dulos, who was last seen dropping off her children last Friday at New Canaan Country School, has been involved in a two-year divorce from her husband, Fotis Dulos.

Police spent nearly two days searching the sprawling Waveny Park before returning to Jennifer Dulos’ Welles Lane neighborhood Thursday afternoon. Police also started to search Irwin Park on Weed Street — about a five-minute drive north of Welles Lane — on Thursday.

Carrie Luft, a spokeswoman for Jennifer Dulos’ family, told “Good Morning America” on Thursday that “it’s devastating, a heartbreaking situation.”

“We are all incredibly concerned, but very hopeful she will come back to us safe and sound,” Luft said. “And a great deal of what is keeping everyone going is the outpouring of support from the public.”

The state police search-and-rescue teams returned to town Thursday to spend hours on the west side of Waveny House in Waveny Park, searching for possible answers.

On Wednesday, investigators tackled the other side of the building in the high grassy area and near the shallow pond.

Investigators said they have been searching Waveny Park for five days. They said a large mulch pit containing decaying leaves on Lapham Road near where Dulos’ SUV was found has also been searched several times.

Jennifer Dulos’ five children have been staying in New York City with her mother, Gloria Faber, who is also in a legal battle with Fotis Dulos. According to court documents, Faber and her late husband’s estate have accused Fotis Dulos of failing to repay $1.7 million in loans he used to purchase properties and build custom homes as part of his business, The Fore Group.

On Wednesday, Fotis Dulos’ attorney requested a judge to allow his client to see his children who he claims is under the watch of an armed guard at Farber’s apartment.

A divorce hearing that was scheduled for Wednesday at the Stamford courthouse was postponed.

Michael Meehan, a Bridgeport attorney and court-appointed guardian at litem for the Dulos children, filed a motion on Tuesday for an emergency conference “regarding the safety of the children.” A date for the conference has not been scheduled.

The Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence released a statement Thursday in response to Jennifer Dulos’ disappearance. The coalition addressed Dulos’ court filings where she stated she was afraid of her husband and fearful he would retaliate because she filed for divorce.

“While news reports have offered the idea that this circumstance is a result of a custody dispute, there is more than sufficient detail in court documents to authentically describe this situation for what it is; domestic violence,” the coalition’s statement reads.

“Ms. Dulos offered to the court on more than one occasion that she was fearful of her husband who could be vengeful and dangerous. We know that domestic violence is a pattern of behavior that is centered on power and control. Abusers use various strategies to threaten, harass, control and intimidate their partner, including the practice of continuing this conduct through the family court process. When a victim is leaving a relationship and taking steps to move away from the abuse and coercion, this can be the most dangerous time.”

Nine joggers who run the same time every morning said they never saw Dulos in the park before. Jennifer Dulos is also not registered for any Waveny permits with the Parks and Recreation Department.

“It’s so sad,” one runner said. “I hope they find her.”

Some have raised concerns whether there is a safety risk to the public, including Ann Tyler and her sister, who were walking through Waveny Park on Thursday afternoon.

“We walk here all the time and we were just saying why do we feel so safe here ... I certainly won’t be in the woods by myself,” Tyler said, adding that she and her sister might not continue to frequent the park.

Although he wouldn’t answer specific questions about concerns related to the case, Ferraro urged people to “always be safe and aware of their surroundings.”

In 2017, New Canaan police advised women to walk in pairs at Waveny after a man approached a female jogger.