A Connecticut man who rummaged through trash cans off of Albany Avenue in Hartford could have possibly found evidence in connection with missing Connecticut mother, Jennifer Dulos.
The Hartford Courant reports that the unnamed man said he found a knife under a bloody pillowcase and pillow in May, which he later traded for crack cocaine.
“I put my hand in the garbage can, I picked up the bloody thing, the bloody pillow and I looked underneath and there was a knife under there,” the man told the outlet. “It was about a quart of blood on the pillow, all over the pillow. I tell you, whoever got hurt got hurt real bad.”
The unidentified man reportedly said he took the knife to someone he only knows as “Fudge,” and traded it for $5 worth of crack. Security footage supposedly showed the man reaching into a trash can in May, the month Jennifer disappeared, according to the outlet.
The man added that he didn’t know the pillow had blood on it until he had already picked it up. He described the pillowcase as being blue and white striped with black lining, and the knife as being a fishing knife. He said he wasn’t sure if blood was on the knife.
He put the pillow and pillowcase back into the trash, but the kept the knife, reportedly hoping to trade it to someone who would give him drugs.
“I put the knife in my pocket for some reason. I was thinking stupid. I was on that crack. I wanted a hit so bad I went looking for somebody to sell me some crack. Fudge gave me a $5 piece of crack, and then I gave him the knife, and that’s the last I saw of it.”
As CrimeOnline previously reported, authorities performed an in-depth search along Albany Avenue in late May and found several items of evidence, including, in part, a bra and a blood-stained Vineyard Vines T-shirt, along with bloody mops and sponges. Investigators found the items inside a black trash bag, and believe Jennifer was wearing the T-shirt the morning she disappeared.
Investigators found the items around 75 miles from the home of Jennifer’s estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, who has been the primary suspect in her disappearance. They also had apparently interviewed the man who found the knife prior to the search, although there was no mention of a knife on the list of evidence police compiled.
Although the items were found in May, the exact details of the clothing remained unclear until a law enforcement source recently divulged information, according to the outlet.
Dulos’ defense lawyer, Norm Patti, was reportedly given a list of the evidence found, which included 26 CDs. Some of the CDs showed a man that greatly resembled Dulos dropping trash into trash bins along Albany Avenue.
Pattis said he wasn’t aware of the clothing evidence, however.
“I am unaware of any evidence about what she was wearing. This sounds like desperate speculation. The State has alleged that Jennifer’s blood was in one or more bags. That is far more troubling than an item of clothing.”
According to unnamed sources, investigators found the items after tracing Dulos ‘phone and tracing his girlfriend Michelle Troconis’ phone, which not only led them to Albany Avenue, but to numerous other places with garbage bins, where Dulos and Troconis allegedly dropped trash off at.
Jennifer was last seen on May 24 around 8 a.m. while dropping her children off at the New Canaan Country School in the prominent New Canaan community in Connecticut. Police later found her vehicle, a black 2017 Chevrolet Suburban, parked off of Lapham Road. Jennifer was nowhere to be found. A cleaning service arrived at her home at noon on Friday but Jennifer was not there.
Jennifer also missed several appointments that day, including one at 11 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. Since she vanished, she has not used her cellphone or her credit cards.
Search dogs and search teams scoured through wooded areas by Jennifer’s home, as well as a 300-acre park, bodies of water and a cornfield. Authorities also spent days searching at a large dump facility and scouring Fotis Dulos’ property.
Dulos and Troconis were arrested after authorities said the pair tampered with evidence in connection to Jennifer’s disappearance. According to the arrest affidavit, investigators found,
- Bags of blood-stained clothing and sponges that Dulos allegedly dropped into trash cans at businesses in Connecticut
- Stains of blood on Jennifer’s garage floor
- Blood spatter in numerous areas of Jennifer’s home
- Dulos’ DNA mixed in with Jennifer’s blood on her kitchen faucet
- Obvious attempts to clean up the scene
- Altered Connecticut license plates that belonged to Dulos
- Security footage of Dulos driving his Ford pickup to various locations, dropping trash bags into different public trash receptacles
- Security footage of Troconis “leaning out of the passenger seat of the Ford pickup and either placing something on the ground or picking up an item”
Dulos and Troconis have since bailed out of jail, but both are required to wear a GPS monitor on their ankles.
Bitter Custody Battle
Court documents obtained by the Stamford Advocate shed light on the lengthy and tumultuous child custody battle between Jennifer and her husband.
“I am afraid of my husband,” Jennifer said, according to court documents. “I know that filing for divorce and filing this motion will enrage him. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way.”
“During the course of our marriage, he told me about sickening revenge fantasies and plans to cause physical harm to others who have wronged him. I am afraid for my safety and the physical safety and emotional well-being of our minor children…..I believe him to be highly capable and vengeful enough to take the children and disappear.”
The pair share five children together, who are now between the ages of 8 and 13. According to court documents, Jennifer said her husband was “obsessed” with water skiing and tried to get their children involved in the sport as well.
Court documents also state that Fotis reportedly insisted that their children become “world-class skiers.” He would allegedly train them for 11 hours per day, something Jennifer considered excessive and dangerous for the kids.
When one of the children wanted a break from training, Fotis Dulos allegedly broke a ski on a rock in a fit of rage. Another child, according to court documents, developed mental health issues from alleged intense, severe training.
“We are all terrified to disobey my husband,” Jennifer wrote.
Fotis Dubos, according to his lawyer, denies the allegations. He reportedly claimed that his children had their own choice and he never forced them to ski. Jennifer also claimed that her husband bought a handgun, and she feared what he was capable of doing with it, given his “controlling, volatile, and delusional behavior.”
Fotis Dulos later handed the gun over to police upon request. Jennifer filed for divorce in 2017, after 13 years of marriage.
Prior to the divorce, the family lived in Farmington with Fotis, but Jennifer took the children and moved to a New Canaan rental home. Dulos remains at the Farmington home, where he’s required to wear a GPS monitor on his ankle and have no contact with his girlfriend, as well as his children, who now live their maternal grandmother.
Anyone with information regarding Jennifer’s disappearance is urged to call the New Canaan Police Tip Line at 203-594-3544.
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[Feature Photo: Jennifer Dulos/Handout]
