Vanessa and her mother, Christine Holloway. Anyone with information should call the FBI at 203 503 5555 or the Ansonia Police Department at 203 735 1885.
ANSONIA — Police Tuesday formally identified the father of missing toddler Vanessa Morales as a suspect on both the little girl’s disappearance and the killing of her mother, Christine Holloway.
The father has not been charged with a crime in direct connection to Holloway’s death or Vanessa’s disappearance.
In a statement posted on social media, Ansonia police said they are still searching for Vanessa, who was last seen by a relative Ansonia Friday, Nov. 29.
Holloway was found dead inside their Myrtle Avenue home Monday, Dec. 2. She died from blunt force trauma and her death was ruled a homicide.
“Finding Vanessa and bringing her home safely is our main priority. We are not looking to arrest or start criminal proceedings against whoever has Vanessa; we just want her returned to her family,” Ansonia police said.
“It is imperative that we find Vanessa, a one-year old child who is wholly dependent on others for her care and well-being and we know locating Vanessa would bring a sense of relief to her family.”
Police added that anyone who had contact or saw Vanessa’s father, Jose Morales, 43, of New Haven, on Saturday, Nov. 30, Sunday, Dec. 1 or Monday, Dec. 2 should call the FBI tip line at 203 503 5555 or the Ansonia Police Department at 203 735 1885.
The Valley Indy first reported Dec. 5 that Ansonia police investigating the homicide secured a search and seizure warrant for the father’s residence in New Haven. That search happened the day after Hollway’s body was found. The warrant, which included a search of Morales himself, was connected to the homicide investigation, The Valley Indy previously reported.
Ansonia police allegedly found two stun guns inside the father’s New Haven residence. Police knew the father is a convicted felon, meaning he should not have weapons, so Ansonia police called New Haven police who placed the father under arrest.
He’s been in jail ever since, and has been talking to police to some extent.
Bloody clothes were found in a clothes donation bin on Derby Avenue in Derby on Dec. 5. The material is thought to be connected to Holloway’s death, which is why Derby police put out a note asking for anyone in the Derby Avenue/Route 34 east Derby area to allow police to check home security cams.
Holloway, 43, was laid to rest Wednesday, Dec. 11. Vanessa and her mom were “inseparable,” according to her obituary.
“Christine was a great mother, daughter, and sister. She always took care of her nephew Dominic and they both enjoyed spending their quality time together. Christine also enjoyed doing puzzles with her niece Serena when she would stop over her mother’s house after work,” according to her obituary.
The Valley Indy first reported Vanessa’s father was a suspect last week.
