On Thursday the search expanded for a New Canaan mother who has been missing for a week.
Investigators scoured Jennifer Dulos’ hometown, as well as a house nearby in New York. And at a vigil Thursday night, many prayed for her safe return.
New Canaan Police have called this an active and ongoing investigation. All they’re saying publicly is this a missing person’s case – though as is typical in these situations - they’re also looking to see if there’s a possible crime involved.
At the St. Aloysius Parish in New Canaan, people came together at a vigil for Dulos.
“We’re simply here to pray for Jennifer, for her family, for all those who love her, for this entire community,” Father Robert Kinnally said.
Kinnally said this is a time for hope not speculation.
“New Canaan is a very close-knit community and when something like this happens, when one of our own goes missing, it affects the entire community,” Kinnally said.
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The 50-year-old disappeared last Friday after dropping her kids off at school.
On Thursday, investigators checked a home in nearby Pound Ridge, New York and returned to a park close to where Dulos’ SUV was discovered last Friday.
“There are police cars on the paths where I usually walk with the dog and lot of K-9s out with their handlers searching through the brush,” said New Canaan resident Jennifer Bennhoff.
Bennhoff said the mystery is the talk of the town.
“We don’t know her personally, but everyone is shaking their heads and how awful, especially for her children,” she said.
Dulos moved to a home in New Canaan after having lived in Farmington and filing for divorce from her husband Fotis nearly two years ago.
In an affidavit in that case, she wrote she was “terrified for (her) family’s safety” and said her “husband has a history of controlling, volatile and delusional behavior.”
But in a court filing, Fotis Dulos denied the allegations and said he had to call 911 with concerns a day before being served with divorce papers.
“I’m worried about my wife and kids because they left to go to New York and I haven’t been able to get in touch with them,” he is heard saying on the recording.
The children are safe with family in New York City. Anyone with information is asked to call police.
