How police tracked an old work truck to find Jennifer Dulos' alleged killer
After scouring 12 hours of grainy surveillance footage, investigators say they found the way Fotis Dulos drove the 70 miles to murder his wife.
"48 Hours" correspondent Erin Moriarty investigates the disappearance of Jennifer Dulos, a Connecticut mother of five, and the case against Fotis Dulos and Michelle Troconis in "What Does The Other Woman Know? The Disappearance of Jennifer Dulos."
On the Friday leading into Memorial Day Weekend 2019, Jennifer Dulos vanished. The mother and writer was last seen near her New Canaan, Connecticut, home after dropping her children off at school.
Missing Mom
Jennifer Dulos was reported missing by her worried family and friends around 7 p.m. on May 24, 2019. Police quickly determined that the mother of five would never have willingly left her children.
Blood in the Garage
When New Canaan Police arrived to Jennifer Dulos' rented home, they found blood on the floor of the garage. A little over an hour later, detectives found Jennifer's Suburban SUV — also containing blood evidence — abandoned by nearby Waveny Park.
Searching for Jennifer
A multi-agency search began, led by the Connecticut State Police. Authorities canvassed the area around the park, handing out fliers, using canines and doing aerial surveys of nearby woods and ponds.
A Contentious Divorce
Detectives learned that Jennifer Dulos was embroiled in a vitriolic divorce and custody battle with her luxury home building husband Fotis Dulos. The hundreds of motions compiled over nearly two years tells an unhappy story of a marriage with seemingly no end in sight.
Albany Avenue
Suspicions were raised after police found this surveillance video of Fotis Dulos discarding black garbage bags and other items along Albany Avenue in Hartford the evening Jennifer disappeared.
More Blood
Detectives descended on Albany Avenue and began digging through the trash.
They found clothing in Jennifer's size, ponchos and zip ties. The items were covered in blood matching Jennifer's DNA, convincing detectives of what they already suspected — they had a homicide.
"The Other Woman"
In one of the surveillance clips, police noticed a woman with Fotis, she is seen reaching towards the sidewalk [far right]. She was later identified as his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis.
Michelle Troconis
Michelle Troconis was many things — a mother, former ESPN reporter in South America, horseback rider — but now she was an alleged conspirator in her boyfriend's wife's disappearance. She was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and Fotis Dulos was charged with murder. Both pleaded not guilty.
The Police Theory
Authorities laid out their theory of what happened the day Jennifer Dulos disappeared in detailed arrest warrants.
They say it all started with this old Toyota Tacoma truck belonging to one of Fotis Dulos' employees. Police believe Fotis took it without permission on May 24, 2019 and drove it to New Canaan, Connecticut.
Bus Video
At 7:57 a.m., police found this video from a passing school bus of the Tacoma on the side of the road near Waveny Park in New Canaan. It was approximately 100 feet from where Jennifer' Dulos' Suburban would later be found.
Bicycle Spotted in Truck Bed
In one of the videos of the Tacoma, police spotted a bicycle tire in the bed of the truck, leading them to believe that Fotis Dulos biked the over three miles from Waveny Park to Jennifer's house.
Jennifer Last Seen Alive
A neighbor's surveillance camera caught this video at 8:05 a.m. of Jennifer Dulos driving towards her house after dropping her children off at school. Police say Fotis Dulos was lying in wait and that when she returned home, he assaulted her in the garage.
Driving the Suburban
Authorities say Fotis Dulos spent the next couple hours cleaning up, but that he left behind two pieces of evidence —his DNA on a doorknob and a mixture of his and Jennifer's DNA on a faucet in the kitchen. At 10:25 a.m., video shows Jennifer's Suburban leaving her home [upper right corner]. Police believe Fotis was behind the wheel and that Jennifer was deceased or unconscious in the back.
Heading Home
Police then think Fotis Dulos drove Jennifer's SUV to Waveny Park and transferred her body into the Tacoma. The truck is spotted on this highway surveillance camera [upper left under arrow] headed back north towards where Fotis lived.
Cleaning Up
The next part of the police theory comes from Michelle Troconis. During a series of three interviews, she told investigators that she and Fotis Dulos had lunch together on the afternoon of May 24. Afterwards, she said that she and Fotis went to one of his properties to clean it for a client meeting. Investigators say they were bagging up evidence and cleaning the Tacoma.
At the Car Wash
Five days later, police found this video of Fotis Dulos once again driving the Tacoma without permission. He was headed to a local car wash and detail shop, and Michelle Troconis was in the SUV seen driving behind him.
Detailed
Fotis Dolos is pictured in the car wash lobby. He dropped off the Tacoma to be detailed, and then got into Michelle Troconis' vehicle.
More DNA
Police say Fotis Dulos is seen here taking out cash to pay for the cleaning of the Tacoma. Police say despite his effort, they were able to find traces of Jennifer's DNA on the vehicle's passenger seat.
Gone
Three weeks after his arrest for murder, Fotis Dulos died by suicide.
On March 1, 2024, Michelle Troconis was found guilty of conspiracy to murder Jennifer Dulos.
Jennifer Dulos' body has not been found.