Prayer vigil told Dulos children are safe
NEW CANAAN — The five Dulos children are safe and with family, the head of their school told hundreds at a prayer vigil for their mother at St. Aloysius Church on Thursday night.
Aaaron Cooper, head of New Canaan Country School, told the gathering of several hundred people that he has been in regular contact with each of the children since Jennifer Dulos disappeared last Friday.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, was last seen dropping off her children at the Frogtown Road school last Friday morning. Dulos was reported missing that night and her black Chevy Suburban was then found parked on the side of Lapham Road behind Waveny Park.
The park along with the neighborhood where Dulos rented a home on Welles Lane have been the focus of police searches this week. The search expanded Thursday to the area near a home owned by Dulos’ parents in Pound Ridge, N.Y.
New details of the investigation also emerged late Thursday. One source told the Hartford Courant police found blood in Dulos’ home on Saturday. A WFSB source said law enforcement is now treating the case as a homicide.
Jennifer Dulos has been involved in a two-year divorce case with her husband, Fotis Dulos. In court documents, she said she was afraid of her estranged husband and was fearful he would retaliate against her for seeking a divorce.
The Rev. Robert Kinnally, pastor of St. Aloysius, cautioned “not to speculate, not to guess and not to listen to extraneous stories” in a statement to the media prior to Thursday’s vigil. He echoed those sentiments from the pulpit when opening the service, which occurred on Ascension Thursday in the Catholic faith.
“We’re gathering here to pray for Jennifer, to pray for her family, to pray for those who love her, to pray for this community,” Kinnally said.
A second prayer vigil is planned for 6 p.m. Sunday at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 111 Oenoke Ridge.
“We’re pulling everybody together to pray and be present for us, for Jennifer, for her family, for the school and to keep hope alive,” said the Rev. Elizabeth Garnsey, associate rector of St. Mark’s, whose children attend New Canaan Country School.
The service on Thursday brought together all the denominations in New Canaan to listen to readings from clergy.
Many of those who gathered did not know Jennifer Dulos.
Virginia Apy said residents had to do something in response to Dulos’ disappearance.
“It was a beautiful service,” another attendee, Beth Jones, said.
Maggie Pierce, a 40-year New Canaan resident, said she attended because she has a daughter a few years younger than Dulos.
“It resonates,” Pierce said.