State Police address Amber Alert, deaths

NORTH STONINGTON, Conn. (WTNH) -- The State Police investigation that ended with the discovery of the bodies of Debra Denison and the two boys actually began late Tuesday afternoon.

It ramped up with every passing hour, as more troubling facts about the case came to light.

State Police have a number questions to answer here, among them, where did Denison travel between the time she picked up the boys and when her car was found near that boat launch in Preston, but that's just one of many.

Police will go to painstaking details to learn all they can about Denison and what, if any, criminal history she had prior to Tuesday's killings.     

"That's part of what our criminal investigation will look at is if there's any past criminal involvement," said Lt. J Paul Vance, CT State Police. "They recovered a handgun at the scene, we'll examine that and certainly trace the life of that weapon."

The State Police got involved in the case around four o'clock Tuesday afternoon when the boy's mother called police, saying the kids had not been delivered home by their grandmother.

An Amber Alert was issued and concerns ramped up considerably about three hours later when police found a suicide note.

"We even went so far as to cross over the border into adjoining states, just in case the travel took them there," Lt. Vance said.

The tragic events ended at 9:30 p.m., when the State Police got a 911 call from a driver who had seen the Amber Alert on television and spotted a car that peaked his interest.

"He was near the Lake of Isles boat launch area and spotted what he believed to be a suspicious car, checked it with the Amber Alert and notified the State Police via 911 and troopers and EMS responded to that scene," said Lt. Vance.

There have been reports citing family members saying that Denison had a history of mental health issues. Lt. Vance tells News 8 that legally the department can't talk about her mental condition.
          
As for the other still unknown pieces of this horrible puzzle, what will certainly be an extensive police investigation is now only in its early stages.