Update: Manhunt Underway In Connection To Two Deaths

DERBY — This story was updated Monday morning and is available here.

UPDATE, 6:15 p.m. Sunday: The 23-year-old man wanted in connection to two deaths in Connecticut also allegedly took a woman with him as he fled a crime scene in Derby, The Valley Indy has learned.

The woman was found alive in New Jersey Sunday afternoon, along with her 2016 black Volkswagon Jetta that was allegedly stolen from 404 Roosevelt Drive in Derby. 

The woman and her vehicle were found at a rest stop off a New Jersey road near the Pennsylvania border.

Several hours earlier, a man had been found dead inside the second-floor apartment at 404 Roosevelt Drive Sunday. The discovery was made about 11 a.m.

That suspect wanted for questioning in connection to that death, 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia, remained at large as of 5:44 p.m. Sunday. Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Penn., where police were actively searching for him as of 6:15 p.m. Sunday.

The woman, who was not mentioned by police during a press briefing Sunday afternoon, is the girlfriend of the man who was found dead inside the apartment. The Hartford Courant identified the dead man as Nicholas J. Eisele, 23.

Police will be interviewing the woman. She was not physically harmed, police said. Police stopped short of using the word ​“kidnapping” because it is still under investigation.

The deceased male has not been publicly identified. At a press conference state police described him as an ​“acquaintance” of Manfredonia, who is originally from Sandy Hook, about 11 miles from Derby off Route 34 (Roosevelt Drive).

Manfredonia’s crimes allegedly started Friday in Willington, where he is suspected of killing a 63-year-old man before stealing a car, weapons, and heading to Derby, where he allegedly ditched or crashed a vehicle at some point early Sunday near Cullens Hill Road and Hawthorne Avenue before heading down to Roosevelt Drive (Route 34).

Here is a press statement sent by state police:

State Police Derby-Willingt… by The Valley Indy on Scribd

Earlier versions of this story with more background appear below:

UPDATE: At 5 p.m. state police sent a Tweet correcting its 3:19 p.m. Tweet. The car stolen from Roosevelt Drive in Derby was found in NEW JERSEY, on the border of Pennsylvania.

The suspect remained at large at of 5:03 p.m. Sunday.

Vehicle was located in New Jersey at the Pennsylvania border. https://t.co/x3EQTvJUlL

— CT State Police (@CT_STATE_POLICE) May 24, 2020

Original story follows:

An extensive manhunt was underway Sunday for 23-year-old Peter Manfredonia, who is wanted for questioning in connection to two deaths since Friday, including a man found dead in his apartment on Roosevelt Drive in Derby.

State police said Manfredonia is armed and dangerous. Anyone who sees him should call 911. The public is advised not to approach him.

At about 1:30 p.m. state police said they did not think Manfredonia was in the immediate area.

Authorities think Manfredonia is traveling in a 2016 black Volkswagon Jetta, license plate CT AU78524. It has a bumper sticker on the rear driver’s side that is a tribute to the Sandy Hook school shooting.

Manfredonia is described as a white male with black disheveled hair. He could be wearing a gray t‑shirt and gray sweat pants. Early Sunday police said he was carrying an unknown-type bag with food rations.

Manfredonia is a suspect in the May 22 killing of 62-year-old Ted DeMers of Willington.

At a press conference across from Osbornedale State Park Sunday, state police said Manfredonia is also suspected of stealing a car and weapons from a residence on Turnpike Road in Willington. He then drove to Derby, where the stolen vehicle was left near the intersection of Hawthorne Avenue and Cullens Hill Road, which borders the 350-acre Osbornedale State Park.

The vehicle was found about 6:45 a.m. and touched off a manhunt in the area of the park.

At about 11 a.m., police received a 911 call regarding a possible stabbing at an apartment at 404 Roosevelt Drive.

Inside, a man police described as an ​“acquaintance” of Manfredonia’s was found dead. The medical examiner announced May 26 that the victim died from a gunshot wound.

The precise time Manfredonia was in Derby was not clear as of 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

A man who lives in the first floor at the apartment house told police he heard a commotion coming from the second-floor apartment at about 6:30 a.m.

A few hours later he heard a man screaming that he had found a body inside. The first-floor tenant told police he believed the man who was screaming was the victim’s father. The Jetta was taken from the Roosevelt Drive crime scene.

The man identified as the victim’s father was interviewed by detectives. He was driving a vehicle with a Sandy Hook volunteer fire department emblem above the front license plate.

Police had said earlier Manfredonia is from Sandy Hook originally. 

Seymour state police posted to Facebook at 9:17 a.m. Sunday saying a person matching the suspect’s description was seen on Tomlinson Road.

State police said they’re following every lead that comes in. Helicopters and drones were also involved in the search Sunday.