Weeks After Girlfriend Was Found Dead and Toddler Daughter Vanished, Conn. Man Is Named Suspect
A Connecticut man has been identified by police as a suspect in the killing of his former girlfriend and the disappearance of their daughter.
Christine Holloway was found dead in her apartment in Ansonia on Dec. 2. Her daughter, one-year-old Vanessa, was reported missing on the same day and has not been seen since.
Jose Morales, the toddler’s father, was arrested following day. Police allege they found two stun guns during a search of his residence.
PEOPLE confirms that Morales has been charged with two counts of criminal possession of a firearm. As a convicted felon, he is prohibited by law from having stun guns.
Morales, 43, is being held on $250,000 bond. He has not yet entered a plea. He is being represented by a public defender who did not immediately return PEOPLE’s calls for comment.
Morales has not yet been charged in connection with the death of his girlfriend or the disappearance of their daughter, but Ansonia police named him a suspect in a recent statement posted to Facebook
“The suspect in both the homicide of Christine and disappearance of Vanessa is Jose Morales, age 43, of New Haven,” the statement says. “Jose Morales is the father of Vanessa Morales and the boyfriend of Christine Holloway. Jose is currently incarcerated and has been since December 3, 2019.”
FIRST LOOK: Jose Morales in court with his public defender on stand alone weapons charges. Daughter Vanessa missing now for over two weeks. He is a suspect in her disappearance & her mother’s murder @WTNH pic.twitter.com/9tNhdGsCeu
— Sabina Kuriakose (@SabinaKuriakose) December 18, 2019
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On Dec. 2, someone called to request a welfare check on Holloway because she did not show up for work.
Officers first arrived at her home in Ansonia at about 1 p.m. No one answered at the house and the officers left.
Later that evening, family members grew concerned and requested a second welfare check. When officers returned around 7:30 p.m., they found evidence of a forced entry to the home, and Holloway dead on the premises.
Vanessa, meanwhile, was gone without a trace.
Anyone with information about Vanessa is encouraged to call the Ansonia police at (203) 735-1885.
