Post by LadyBlue on Mar 21, 2012 13:04:12 GMT -5
Montville, Conn. —
The mother of a Norwich woman missing for the past five years handed over medical and dental records Tuesday, along with DNA samples as police work to identify the skeletal remains of a woman discovered Sunday in a wooded area of Montville.
Carol Cirioni, the mother of Erika Cirioni, traveled with family members to the Norwich Police Department on Tuesday to give DNA samples on the same day state police transported the skeletal remains of a woman found off Oxoboxo Dam Road to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Erika Cirioni, 26, was last seen by her mother and two sons on Dec. 31, 2006. She was attending a New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Norwich when she disappeared.
Norwich Police Sgt. James Tetreault said detectives are aiding state police and asked for Erika Cirioni’s information as part of that investigation.
“We have a missing person, and we’re looking into the possibility it could be her,” Tetreault said.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said a check of all missing persons is part of any investigation that involves unidentified remains. He said he expected it to take some time before the medical examiner’s office could make a definitive identification. Detectives spent the past few days documenting the scene of the discovery and collecting evidence.
When Carol Cirioni first heard news of the discovery on Monday, she traveled with Erika’s sister to Oxoboxo Dam Road out of curiosity. The road was still closed but has since reopened.
“My first thought was of Erika,” Cirioni said. “I hope it’s not Erika, but if it is, at least it will be some closure. It’s been years of waiting.”
Carol Cirioni said she was contacted on Monday by a Norwich police detective and cold case investigator who asked about her daughter’s medical records. On Tuesday, she said police took cheek swabs from her, Erika’s sister and Erika’s younger son, who is now 10.
“He’s still hopeful she’s alive,” Cirioni said of her grandson. “I’m trying to be more rational about it. She wouldn’t have stayed away this long with no word from her.”
Aside from her daughter, Carol Cirioni said her thoughts also turned to the mother of April Pennington, a 15-year-old Montville girl who disappeared in 1996. Her body was never been found, but George Leniart, of Montville, was convicted in 2010 in her rape and murder.
“I hope this means closure for somebody at least,” Cirioni said. “It’s like a living hell when you don’t know anything.”
Norwich police declined any further comment.
www.norwichbulletin.com/carousel/x1730864760/Skeletal-remains-taken-to-medical-examiner-s-office#axzz1pm8xMtbN
The mother of a Norwich woman missing for the past five years handed over medical and dental records Tuesday, along with DNA samples as police work to identify the skeletal remains of a woman discovered Sunday in a wooded area of Montville.
Carol Cirioni, the mother of Erika Cirioni, traveled with family members to the Norwich Police Department on Tuesday to give DNA samples on the same day state police transported the skeletal remains of a woman found off Oxoboxo Dam Road to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Erika Cirioni, 26, was last seen by her mother and two sons on Dec. 31, 2006. She was attending a New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Norwich when she disappeared.
Norwich Police Sgt. James Tetreault said detectives are aiding state police and asked for Erika Cirioni’s information as part of that investigation.
“We have a missing person, and we’re looking into the possibility it could be her,” Tetreault said.
State police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance said a check of all missing persons is part of any investigation that involves unidentified remains. He said he expected it to take some time before the medical examiner’s office could make a definitive identification. Detectives spent the past few days documenting the scene of the discovery and collecting evidence.
When Carol Cirioni first heard news of the discovery on Monday, she traveled with Erika’s sister to Oxoboxo Dam Road out of curiosity. The road was still closed but has since reopened.
“My first thought was of Erika,” Cirioni said. “I hope it’s not Erika, but if it is, at least it will be some closure. It’s been years of waiting.”
Carol Cirioni said she was contacted on Monday by a Norwich police detective and cold case investigator who asked about her daughter’s medical records. On Tuesday, she said police took cheek swabs from her, Erika’s sister and Erika’s younger son, who is now 10.
“He’s still hopeful she’s alive,” Cirioni said of her grandson. “I’m trying to be more rational about it. She wouldn’t have stayed away this long with no word from her.”
Aside from her daughter, Carol Cirioni said her thoughts also turned to the mother of April Pennington, a 15-year-old Montville girl who disappeared in 1996. Her body was never been found, but George Leniart, of Montville, was convicted in 2010 in her rape and murder.
“I hope this means closure for somebody at least,” Cirioni said. “It’s like a living hell when you don’t know anything.”
Norwich police declined any further comment.
www.norwichbulletin.com/carousel/x1730864760/Skeletal-remains-taken-to-medical-examiner-s-office#axzz1pm8xMtbN