ANSONIA, Conn. (WTNH) — Police and FBI are still searching for 1-year-old Vanessa Morales from Ansonia. Her family and police took to the streets on Friday to widen their search.
The family of Vanessa told News 8 they plan to hand out flyers around town after tips brought police to the streets of three other towns, but so far no luck finding the Vanessa.
Police confirmed on Thursday that Vanessa’s mother, 43-year-old Christine Holloway, was found dead of blunt force trauma in her home in Ansonia on Monday.
The Amber Alert went out Wednesday for Vanessa. Police got a tip about a child matching her description in Stratford. It turned out not to be her.
Then they got a tip about something suspicious found in a donation bin in Derby. That brought police to Derby and to the Kiducation donation headquarters in Hamden.
So far, they are not saying what was found there. The main thing for police and the family is, Vanessa is still missing.
“The longer this goes the more concerning it gets. This is a 1-year-old child totally dependent on someone else for their well being,” Lt. Patrick Lynch.
“We’re all going through a struggle with this thought that we have a 1-year-old out there an no one knows where she is,” Josh Morales, Vanessa Morales’s Cousin.
In an unrelated event, Vanessa’s father Jose Morales was arrested by New Haven Police for allegedly possessing a taser. He is a convicted felon, so he is not legally allowed to have a weapon like that.
Despite the arrest, police say he is cooperating fully with the investigation into his daughter’s disappearance and the death of Christine Holloway. Police do not consider him a suspect.
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Police continue to urge the public to call if they see a girl matching Vanessa’s description.
