The search for Jennifer Dulos, a mom of five from New Canaan, is now in the 19th day and local police said they have received 475 tips and 80 videos after putting out a request for surveillance from people in town.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, has been missing since May 24 and as police search for her, her family released a new statement on Tuesday asking anyone with information to come forward.
On Wednesday afternoon, New Canaan police said the state police dive team is searching a body of water along Old Farms Road in Avon in connection with the case and state police are still at Material Innovation Rycycling Authority, a trash facility in Hartford that they have had a presence at for more than a week.
A source with knowledge of the investigation told NBC Connecticut that state police contacted MIRA about a garbage truck that made a collection on Tuesday, May 28.
On Wednesday, he traveled from his Farmington home to the Adult Probation Office in Hartford and had no comment as he was leaving.
Officials from the judicial department said the meeting was to understand the court-ordered conditions of bail.
His legal team said Fotis Dulos was fitted with a GPS-monitoring device Tuesday, which was to be checked Wednesday to ensure that it was working properly, and he is not allowed to leave the state. He is ordered to check back in with probation in a month.
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All of his vehicles were seized in the investigation, so Fotis Dulos rented a vehicle, according to an attorney who was with him on Wednesday morning.
The prosecutor in the case against Fotis Dulos said the state has new evidence against him. According to prosecutors, his DNA was found mixed with Jennifer Dulos' blood on the kitchen faucet of her New Canaan home.
Norm Pattis, the well-known attorney representing Fotis Dulos, countered this new evidence, saying his client was at Jennifer’s home the Wednesday before she disappeared. The state’s attorney objected, saying witnesses report he was only in the backyard, not in the house.
Pattis said Dulos can account for his whereabouts for most of the day his estranged wife went missing. He said in court that Dulos voluntary handed over his cell phone to investigators but that the state refused to give it back.
The judge in Stamford Superior Court on Tuesday kept Fotis Dulos' bond set at $500,000. The state's attorney wanted the bond number set at $850,000 while Dulos' attorney requested the bond be lowered to $100,000.
“We deny the charges. We don’t know where Mr. Dulos’ ex-wife is. We’re resolute and determined to try this case and we believe fully that our client will be exonerated,” Pattis said outside court Tuesday. “I would ask everyone to put aside the easy narrative here that an angry ex-spouse took matters into his own hands as a result of a custody dispute. That didn’t happen.”
Following his client's release on bond, Pattis sent the following statement:
“I am not sure what the delay was in posting the bond. We were retained over the weekend and were able to assemble a bond package in short order. Obviously, we’re happy to see him head home. We are also looking forward to the forthcoming trial. Mr. Dulos had no motive to kill Jennifer. A recent court-ordered recommendation was that Mr. Fotis share custody 50/50 with Ms. Fotis. We will soon address how he is best able to resume his relationship with his children.”
Jennifer Dulos' mother, Gloria Farber, has filed for custody of her grandchildren and Fotis Dulos appeared in family court Tuesday, hours after pleading not guilty to charges connected to the disappearance.
Fotis was asked to take the stand during the custody hearing but chose not to. The judge hearing the case has not issued a ruling.
Andrew Bowman, Troconis' attorney, had some strong words outside court Tuesday about some media reports.
"Although I generally don't comment outside of the court proceedings, I am deeply disappointed and disturbed to read how some of you, and I repeat some of you, have been, in my opinion, unfair and inaccurate in your reporting," Bowman said. "I don't need to remind you that Michelle Troconis is presumed innocent and when you put inaccurate information in the electronic and print media, it prejudices her right to a fair trial. I assume that none of us want to do that so I would appreciate it if some of you could verify the reporting that you put in the paper."
An NBC Connecticut crew witnessed Fotis Dulos returning to his Jefferson Crossing neighborhood in Farmington Tuesday evening and then head to the probation office in Hartford on Wednesday morning.
Fotis is due back in court on Aug. 2. Michelle Troconis is due back in court on July 18.
Jennifer Dulos, who moved from Farmington to New Canaan after filing for divorce, was last seen while dropping off her children at school in New Canaan on Friday, May 24.
She was reported missing later that night after she missed several appointments and her friends became concerned when they could not reach her.
When police searched Jennifer’s home, they found blood in her garage and suspected she was the victim of a serious assault, according to court documents.
As the search continues, police have dedicated a website, FindJenniferDulos.com, and an email address, FindJenniferDulos@newcanaanct.gov, to the investigation.
Police have been searching places in several locations across the state, including in Hartford, Farmington and New Canaan looking for evidence related to her disappearance.
City surveillance cameras captured a man matching the appearance of Fotis Dulos throwing away bags of garbage along Albany Avenue in Hartford the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared.
A source tells NBC Connecticut that troopers are specifically looking for evidence that might have been picked up by a garbage truck and shredded inside the facility days after Jennifer Dulos disappeared.
Search Continues for Missing Mom, Jennifer Dulos
NBC Connecticut drone footage taken on Friday showed police walking out of the woods and through the backyard of Fotis Dulos’ Farmington home.
After they spent around an hour at the home, NBC Connecticut captured video of a woman resembling Troconis leave the property in a silver BMW with a man who appeared to be her attorney, Andrew Bowman, behind the wheel.
The vehicle matched the one that Troconis was seen leaving in after a court appearance last Monday. NBC News has confirmed that Troconis and her attorney met with investigators last week.
She is out on bond and has been ordered to wear a GPS monitored ankle bracelet.
Pattis' law firm released a statement on Saturday saying in part, “I caution the world at large that things are rarely as they appear early on in a sensationalized investigation like this one. The rush to judgment stops now as does the conviction by innuendo. If necessary, we’ll let a jury decide what happened here."
