Felon accused of killing infant daughter apprehended after weekslong manhunt
NAUGATUCK — A felon who has been on the run since police say he strangled and dismembered his infant daughter in their home has been apprehended.
The Naugatuck Police Department said Christopher Francisquini, 31, was apprehended at around 3:05 p.m. Friday. He was taken into custody near a bus stop in the area of 400 Grand St. in Waterbury, which is also near the state Superior Court in the city, according to the Waterbury Police Department.
During the arrest, Francisquini was moving around and had something in his pockets. Waterbury Lt. Ryan Bessette said the suspect did not have a weapon at the time.
The Naugatuck Police Department was scheduled to hold a news conference Friday night to provide further details.
Francisquini was wanted on an arrest warrant charging him with murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a minor. The warrant had a $5 million bond and he will be arraigned Monday, Bessette said.
Naugatuck, state and federal authorities had been searching for Francisquini since Nov. 18, when authorities say he killed his 11-month-old daughter in his home on Millville Avenue. He and the child’s mother had an argument that morning in Waterbury where he destroyed his cellphone and removed a court-ordered electronic monitoring device, according to the Naugatuck Police Department.
Police said they believe the child, Camilla Francisquini, had already been killed when the dispute occurred and the child’s mother was unaware of her death at the time.
Naugatuck Police Chief Colin McAllister said officers found the child dismembered in the home around 11:30 a.m. Nov. 18, and based on the condition of the child’s body, the possibility of her death being an accident was ruled out.
“This was an intentional act,” he said.
Camilla died from neck compression and stab
wounds, according to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office. Family and loved ones held a private funeral for Camilla on Nov. 26. She would have celebrated her first birthday on Saturday.
Police said they initially believed Francisquini fled to New Haven and released photos of a man they believed to be him on Quinnipiac Avenue hours after the killing. Police also said a man matching his description was seen fleeing into a wooded area after abandoning his car on Interstate 91 that night.
In a news conference Thursday, the FBI appealed to Francisquini directly, urging him to turn himself in. FBI Assistant Special Agent Michael Butsch promised the search wouldn’t cease until he is in custody.
Law enforcement cast a wide net in multiple states to find Francisquini. Police received numerous tips regarding his whereabouts, spanning from across Connecticut and the nation. McAllister said his detectives were working around the clock to build a timeline and determine his whereabouts.
After initially offering a $10,000 reward, the FBI increased the amount to $25,000 for information that led to the arrest and conviction of Francisquini. The federal agency also set up billboards with Francisquini’s photo and his charges along interstates 91, 95 and 84.
Butsch warned the public that Francisquini could’ve altered his appearance. Given an extensive history filled
with alleged violent acts, the suspect was also considered armed and dangerous.
Weeks after the homicide, police had not yet determined a motive.
“We’re all searching for answers,” McAllister said. “This is probably one of the most heinous cases in our collective experiences that we’ve investigated.”
Francisquini was on special parole and living in his parents’ home on Millville Avenue with the child and her mother at the time of the slaying. He was under house arrest, except for work and pre-approved appointments, and was required to wear a GPS tracking device. He had been compliant with the conditions until the alleged homicide, according to the state Department of Correction.
Connecticut’s Office of the Child Advocate said in November that it was investigating the incident, looking at whether Francisquini was being properly supervised after he was released from prison. The homicide has also prompted the agency to determine if officials assess the risks and safety for children living with individuals charged with crimes that are not specifically related to children.
“We want to make sure the assessments of risk, the services provided and the monitoring of people is done in the most effective way,” state Child Advocate Sarah Eagan said.
Before the killing, Francisquini spent most of the past decade behind bars for a 2012 assault that put a man in the intensive care unit for several days.
He was released in December 2020, and in November 2021, accumulated multiple charges in connection with a carjacking and assaulting officers while trying to escape a detention facility. These new charges violated Francisquini’s parole, so he was sent back to prison to complete the remainder of his 10-year sentence.
Once he finished the sentence, Francisquini posted $375,000 bond for his pending cases and was released in June.