Mom of missing Connecticut woman Jennifer Dulos files for custody of her grandchildren
The mother of Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut woman who has been missing for over a week, has filed a motion for custody of her daughter's five children.
In the documents, Dulos' mother, Gloria Farber, cites the arrest and incarceration of Dulos' estranged husband and the children's father, Fotis Dulos, and requests that even if he is released that the kids remain in her custody.
It is unclear where the Dulos' five children are now, but a statement from family spokeswoman Carrie Luft on Friday said they are "safe and well-cared for."
The new filing comes as the search intensifies for 50-year-old New Canaan resident Jennifer Dulos, who was last seen on May 24.
Fotis Dulos, 51, of Farmington, and his live-in girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, 44, were arrested on Saturday, charged with tampering with or fabricating physical evidence and hindering prosecution, according to authorities.
More charges are likely, prosecutors said Monday.
Investigators believe Jennifer Dulos suffered a "serious physical assault" in her garage, where blood stains and blood spatter were found, according to arrest warrants obtained Monday.
Clothes and sponges with Jennifer Dulos' blood were also found in trash cans in Hartford, where the documents said surveillance cameras captured a man appearing to be her husband, Fotis Dulos, disposing of garbage bags in multiple receptacles, according to the documents.
A woman in the passenger seat of the man's car fit the appearance of Troconis, according to the documents.
Troconis and Fotis Dulos were held on $500,000 bond at Monday court appearances. Troconis posted bond Monday afternoon. Their next court date is June 11.
Jennifer Dulos' disappearance came amid a contentious custody dispute between the former couple.
In 2017, Jennifer Dulos filed for an emergency order for full custody of the children, which was denied, court documents show. Jennifer and Fotis Dulos had temporary shared custody of the children until the end of the divorce proceedings.
Jennifer Dulos alleged that her husband exhibited intensifying "irrational, unsafe, bullying, threatening and controlling behavior," stating that she was afraid for her safety as well as the physical safety and emotional well-being of their children.
The mother alleged that Fotis Dulos threatened to kidnap their children in May 2017 if she did not agree to his terms in the divorce settlement and that he had bought a gun that year.
In Fotis Dulos' amended reply to the motion, he claimed he legally bought the gun in 2017 for home security. He denied exhibiting "irrational, unsafe, bullying, threatening and/or controlling behavior" and stated that he never threatened to kidnap the children.
New Canaan police this week asked residents to save surveillance camera footage from May 22 to May 25 as it may help with the search. Police say they've established a timeline of when the New Canaan mom of five went missing and are looking for cameras that capture driving activity.
