US: Husband of Jennifer Dulos, missing mother of 5, is charged with murder
Her remains were never found
The estranged husband of Jennifer Dulos, a mother of five who went missing from her home in an affluent area of Connecticut last year, was arrested Tuesday and charged with her murder, his lawyer said.
The husband, Fotis Dulos, 52, was arrested at his home in Farmington, Connecticut, around 11am, said the lawyer, Norm Pattis. He was being held on a $6 million (Dh22 million) bond and was due in court Wednesday, Pattis said.
Authorities were also seeking to serve two other warrants in the case, Pattis said. One was for a murder charge, and the other was for conspiracy to commit murder. Pattis said he could not provide further details.
Connecticut State Police did not respond to questions but said they would provide an update later Tuesday afternoon.
Jennifer Dulos' disappearance launched a statewide search that had law enforcement agencies looking for her across much of Connecticut last year.
Police flew helicopters and drones over a sprawling suburban park, solicited private surveillance footage and spent weeks rooting through a trash facility looking for evidence. Her remains were never found.
All the while, people across the country were drawn in by the disappearance of Dulos, who had been in the middle of a volatile custody battle with her estranged husband when she was reported missing.
The case received national media attention and spurred a host of armchair sleuths to search online for clues and post frequently about them on social media.
For months, investigators had been focused on Foris Dulos, 52. He and his girlfriend, Michelle C. Troconis, 44, were arrested and charged with hindering prosecution and tampering with evidence in June. Another evidence tampering charge was later added, in September.
The two have pleaded not guilty to all charges against them.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, was first reported missing May 24. That morning, law enforcement officials said, she drove her children to a private school in New Canaan, Connecticut, a wealthy community located about 45 miles north of midtown Manhattan.
After Dulos failed to show up for several appointments in New York City, friends grew concerned and called police.
Investigators went to her home that night and found several blood stains in her garage, blood spatters inside her house and evidence that someone had tried to clean the scene, arrest warrants said.
Her black Chevrolet Suburban was found abandoned about 3 miles away near Waveny Park, a vast expanse that was initially the focus of the search for Dulos.
Authorities ultimately concluded that Dulos had been the victim of a serious physical assault.