Jennifer Dulos Update: Missing Connecticut Mother Was Embroiled In Divorce Dispute

The hunt for missing Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos was intensified Tuesday as police searched the woods in a wealthy town to find clues linked to her disappearance. The mother of five children who went missing last week was involved in a long custody battle as part of a bitter divorce.

The 50-year-old was last seen driving a black 2017 Chevrolet Suburban, according to the New Canaan Police Department. A missing report was filed Friday evening after her vehicle was found with no trace of Dulos.

On Tuesday, about a dozen state police and New Canaan police cars were involved in the search for the woman in her Welles Lane neighborhood. Police and K-9 units searched a wooded area along Frogtown Road between Weed Street and Ponus Ridge Road.

She sued her husband, Fotis Dulos, for divorce in June 2017, and court records show more than 500 documents were filed since then. The estranged couple has five children — three boys and two girls, including two sets of twins — range in age from 8 to 13. Court records show the parents were fighting over child custody and other issues.

Dulos had filed for an emergency order for full custody that was denied in July 2017.

“The plaintiff has not established by a preponderance of the evidence that there is an immediate and present risk of physical danger or psychological harm to the parties’ children. As a result, the request for emergency relief is denied,” an order from the court in July 2017 reads.

Dulos was living with her husband in Farmington, outside Harford, until she abruptly took the kids and moved to a rental home in New Cannan, the Connecticut Post reported, citing a court order.

On Wednesday, the estranged couple was scheduled to appear in court as part of the custody battle. However, the hearing was postponed, said Jennifer’s lawyer, Wayne Effron.

The State Police Major Crime Unit was assisting New Canaan police with the investigation into her disappearance, a state police spokesman said.