Anyone with information about Vanessa Morales should call the FBI at 203 503 5555 or Ansonia PD at 203 735 1885.
NEW HAVEN — The search for Vanessa Morales, a missing 1‑year-old girl from Ansonia, continued Thursday as the girl’s father was held in jail in New Haven after he was arrested on weapons charges.
The arrest was made after Ansonia police served a search and seizure warrant on the man’s residence in New Haven’s Fair Haven Heights neighborhood.
Police conducted the New Haven search in connection to “an ongoing Ansonia homicide investigation,” according to an incident report written by New Haven Detective Elizabeth White. Ansonia police are currently investigating the death of the little girl’s mother, Christine Marie Holloway, 43.
Holloway’s name was officially released at an Ansonia police press conference Thursday evening.
The 43-year-old father was charged with possessing two stun guns, according to an arrest report authored by New Haven police. It is illegal for him to possess the items because he is a convicted felon, according to the document. The two pending charges are both felonies.
Ansonia police acknowledged the arrest publicly Thursday but referred questions to New Haven police.
Photo From Facebook
Vanessa Morales and her mother, Christine Holloway.
Background
There are two investigations happening at once in Ansonia — a missing persons investigation, and a homicide investigation.
Vanessa Morales, who lived at 6 1/2 Myrtle Ave. in Ansonia, was last seen by a relative Friday. Christine Holloway was found dead inside the home Monday.
Holloway died from blunt force trauma. Her death has been ruled a homicide.
A Silver Alert was issued for Vanessa Tuesday morning followed by an Amber Alert Wednesday afternoon.
Police said Thursday evening that no suspects have been identified in either the missing child’s case or the homicide.
Anyone with information should call the FBI at 203 503 5555 or Ansonia police at 203 735 1885. Tips can be left anonymously.
Vanessa’s Relatives Ask For Help
At an emotional press conference Thursday evening in Ansonia Town Hall, Vanessa’s relatives stood next to one another behind a podium police used to address the media.
A woman only identified as Aunt Anna fought through tears to get her message out:
Vanessa’s Aunt Anna speaks at a press conference Thursday. Other family members are behind her.
“The family would like to thank all the law enforcement agencies involved in searching for my baby niece Vanessa Morales,” she said. “My name is Anna and I’m Vanessa’s aunt. We the family would like to ask for everyone in our community and beyond us (to) help bring baby Vanessa home safely. Anyone with any information on her whereabouts, we beg of you to please contact Ansonia Police Department or call the FBI tip line 203 503 5555. We desperately need anyone that might be with baby Vanessa to keep her safe, unharmed, and to get her back to us quickly.”
The New Haven Search
As part of the Myrtle Avenue homicide investigation, Ansonia police served a search and seizure warrant at a New Haven residence Tuesday (Dec. 3), where Vanessa’s father lived.
During the search, Ansonia police discovered “two electronic defense weapons,” according to the arrest document.
The Valley Indy and The New Haven Independent are withholding the man’s name, though it is publicly-available, at this point since he has not been named as a suspect in the child’s disappearance or the homicide that happened inside 6 1/2 Myrtle Ave. in Ansonia.
The stun guns were found in a basement bedroom. One was found inside a black box inside a closet. The other was found in a canvas bag within a gym bag on the floor.
Ansonia police contacted New Haven police, who lodged two weapons possession charges against the individual.
“Due to the homicide investigation taking place, the Ansonia Police Department also secured a search and seizure warrant,” for the father, the document states. It does not elaborate, but says in order to carry out that warrant, Vanessa’s father had to be transported to the Ansonia Police Department.
He appeared in court Wednesday and is being held on a $250,000 bond pending a Dec. 18 court date.
A handwritten note in the court file notes bond can be posted only at court with a judge’s permission. He’s being held in the New Haven Correctional Center.\
On Thursday evening Lt. Patrick Lynch confirmed the father’s arrest, and noted that he had been cooperative with police.
Donation Bins Searched
WTNH reported Thursday that Ansonia detectives were following a lead in Hamden that may be connected to the case.
Ansonia Lt. Patrick Lynch addresses the media Thursday.
Lynch, a spokesman for the Ansonia Police Department, said police received a call “that some potential evidence” was recovered from a clothes donation bin owned by Education Donation Center. The company has a distribution center on State Street in Hamden, where Ansonia and state police were sorting through items for most of Thursday.
Bins were also searched in Derby.
Police did not elaborate on the tip or give specifics on the potential evidence.
Derby police, according to a screen shot posted in a Derby Facebook moms group, put out a request Thursday asking for Ring video from any Ring recording devices in the area of Derby Avenue from Division Street in Ansonia to New Haven Avenue to the Orange town line.
Anyone with footage should call the command post at 203 503 5555, according to the post. Ring is a popular home security camera service.
The investigation has taken officers to New Haven, Stratford, Naugatuck and Hamden so far.
Ansonia police also corrected the spelling of Vanessa Thursday. It had been spelled ‘Venessa’ in earlier press releases.
