The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Remains not yet ID’d as Danbury woman
PATTERSON, N.Y. — On a fall evening more than two years ago, LaelCira DeLima left her home in Danbury and locked the door behind her, telling her family she was going to the pharmacy.
She hasn’t been seen since. On the morning of Feb. 1, 2020, a hunter scouting a wooded area behind behind Putnam Diner off Route 22, discovered a human skull.
DeLima’s red Honda Accord had been abandoned in the diner’s parking lot in late 2017. The diner’s owners had called police after noticing the car hadn’t moved in nearly a week.
It evidently looked like another employee’s car, so it hadn’t raised alarms at the diner.
So far, police in New York and Connecticut have not confirmed the remains belong to DeLima. Capt. Lisa Ortolano, of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office, said Tuesday the coroner’s office is investigating, and may be able to identify the body within a day or two.
Danbury police Detective Lt. Mark Williams said in an email he could neither confirm or deny the skull found was related to
DeLima’s missing person investigation, but said “Patterson has contacted our local investigators and they are looking into the matter.”
After the hunter called police, investigators found a scattering of bones around the cranium, as well as clothing, Ortolano said.
Based on the size and type of clothing, investigators believe the remains are from a woman, Ortolano said. Some of the bones were still in the clothing, she said, and animals appear to have disturbed the remains.
Last November, Danbury police posted another flyer on their Facebook page in the hopes that someone might come forward with information about what happened to DeLima.
Authorities had no reason to suspect foul play, Detective Lt. Chris Carroccio said at the time.
“There was no sign of struggle in the car, no damage to the car,” he said. “There was no indication of foul play at all.”
DeLima was last seen Oct. 20, 2017, around 5 p.m. She was seen wearing a black V-neck shirt and blue jeans, Danbury police said.
“Basically around 5 she was going to Walmart to pick up prescriptions,” Carroccio said.
“She picked up her kids from school, told them to lock the door behind her, and she left.”
Police searched the area around the diner after DeLima’s car was found there weeks after she went missing.
“We had park rangers and the dogs going through hundreds of acres,”Carroccio said. “We went through that area for a day.”
Video surveillance from the diner did not give police any new leads, because the camera had been knocked out of angle, Carroccio said.
In 2012, DeLima and her husband filed for bankruptcy, public records show. Carroccio said the filing was related to a condo complex and a cleaning company they owned.
Rena Hanziargriou, who owns the Putnam Diner with her father, said they were upset by the news.
“It’s sad, we’re very sad for the family and for LaelCira,” she said Tuesday.
The diner, which has been here for 20 years, typically serves a mix of local regulars, families and out-of-towners — mostly skiers, hunters and travelers passing through, she said, sitting at a table in the back of the diner Tuesday morning.
Both she and her father, Steve Hanziargriou, said they never saw LaelCira DeLima in the diner before police found her car there nearly 21⁄2years ago.
It’s not uncommon for hikers to leave their cars parked in the diner’s lot, both said. But after five days went by and the car stayed in the same spot, Rena called the police.
Her father said police came with drones and dogs to search the area, but nothing turned up.
Then about two Saturdays back, police came to the woods behind the diner, Steve Hanziargriou said — and then more kept coming.
Rena Hanziargriou said she was not frightened, but saddened by the discovery behind the diner.
“This is a quiet neighborhood,” she said. “Nothing like this ever happens around here.”