Jennifer Dulos Was 'Violently Assaulted,' Lead Investigator Says; Believes Her Body Will Be Found

The lead investigator in the Jennifer Dulos disappearance is convinced that her body will eventually be found.

"We still have a lot of stuff we are doing and I'm confident we are going to find her," lead investigator and Connecticut state police Sgt. Kenneth Ventresca said on a Monday episode of NBC’s “Dateline.”

The Connecticut mother vanished in May 2019 amid a heated divorce custody battle between her and estranged husband Fotis Dulos for the couple's five children. Fotis died in January after an apparent suicide attempt in his garage while facing murder and kidnapping charges in Jennifer’s presumed death. 

The Dateline episode, entitled “The Day Jennifer Disappeared," dived into the case and presented to the public home videos of the Dulos family as well as fresh interviews with Jennifer's friends and investigators. The interviewed investigators remain adamant that Fotis, despite his insistence before his death that he was innocent, killed his estranged wife.

"Most telling, honestly, was the zip ties that were cut and had Jennifer's blood on them," Chief State's Attorney Richard Colangelo said on the show. "Our theory is that they were used to incapacitate Jennifer in the garage."

Investigators found four plastic zip ties in trash bags allegedly disposed of by Fotis, according to an arrest warrant issued by investigators. Both he and his former girlfriend Michelle Troconis were allegedly caught throwing evidence, like the zip ties, into trash cans around Hartford. Both Troconis and Fotis’ former civil lawyer Kent Douglas Mawhinney have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder in the case. 

That arrest warrant alleged that Fotis was “lying in wait” for Jennifer the day she vanished and that “the crime and clean-up are believed to have occurred” shortly after. The arrest warrant points to an assault in her garage, which Ventresca referred to on Monday's show. 

“My personal beliefs is that, based on the blood spatter, a serious violent assault occurred in that garage,” Ventresca stated.

Colangelo hinted that Jennifer could still be on one of Fotis’ properties. 

"You know, I have theories," Colangelo said. "I have ideas. There's a lot of property up there that Mr. Dulos owns, you know, in the Farmington, Avon area."

Last month, police drained a septic tank at an Avon home where the former married couple once lived together, the Stamford Advocate reported. Cadaver dogs and a septic company assisted police investigators in the search of the area. It’s not clear if the search resulted in any relevant findings.

Investigators have hopes that Fotis’ alleged co-conspirators could also help lead to Jennifer’s body.

Mawhinney is currently jailed on a $2 million bond. Troconis is currently on house arrest. In May, she put out a statement alleging ignorance. She is expected to appear in court on Aug. 6.