Fotis Dulos' sister issues statement defending her brother
Rena Dulos doesn't believe her brother Fotis is capable of having any involvement in Jennifer Dulos' disappearance.
The sister of the estranged husband of missing Connecticut mother of five Jennifer Dulos spoke out for the first time Monday, defending her brother and insisting he's incapable of having any involvement in Jennifer Dulos' disappearance.
Rena Dulos, who lives in Greece, described her brother, Fotis, as someone who wanted to "have a big family under his paternal 'wings'" and also "lovingly spontaneous to the core when it comes down to lifting other peoples' spirits around him."
Jennifer Dulos, 50, vanished after dropping her children off at school in New Canaan on May 24. Fotis Dulos, 51, and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, are charged with evidence tampering and hindering prosecution and have been accused of disposing of items found in Hartford that contained Jennifer Dulos' blood. Prosecutors consistently hinted more charges were likely, but have yet to file any other counts. The pair pleaded not guilty and posted bail.
Last week, Fotis Dulos made his first public comments since Jennifer's disappearance, saying he loves and misses his children as they remain in the custody of his mother-in-law while he faces criminal charges.
Fotis Dulos stands during a hearing at Stamford Superior Court, Tuesday, June 11, 2019 in Stamford, Conn. (Erik Trautmann/Hearst Connecticut Media via AP, Pool)
The children, who range in age from 8 to 13 and include two sets of twins, have been staying with Jennifer Dulos' mother, Gloria Farber, in New York City. Both Farber and Fotis Dulos are seeking custody of the children.
In a lengthy statement to FOX61, Rena Dulos said her brother desired to be a father and "sincerely craves to see his children and be an integral part of their upbringing."
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She also said her brother, who may have had "personal differences" with his estranged wife, "truly and sincerely holds her in his prayers" and wants "nothing more than to know that she is well and could ultimately return to their children."
She said her brother, who is very predictable and methodical in his daily life, is the "lifeline to a large degree of both our immediate and extended family." The statement went on to describe her brother's character.
"Is it important to make you aware that during a time of increased pressures in my own family (two daughters at a critical age and professional pressures arising from a country under turbulence even before 2008) Fotis undertook to exclusively take care of our parents, whom he brought to the US and set up in his own home that only few could do?" the statement reads, in part.
Jennifer Dulos, 50, vanished after dropping her children off at school in New Canaan, Conn. on May 24. (New Canaan Police Department)
Dulos told the Hartford Courant her brother is "very sad, very emotional and very tired," adding that friends and family in Greece are skeptical of the claims he was involved in her disappearance, saying he is "not the person who they say he is."
"There may have been problems with Jennifer, of course, but he couldn’t do such a thing," she told the Courant. "We all loved Jennifer very much. We had a fantastic relationship with her.”
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According to their arrest warrants, a couple who police have identified as Fotis Dulos and Troconis were seen on video surveillance driving in Hartford around the time Jennifer Dulos was reported missing. The man was seen tossing garbage bags into more than 30 trash bins with items that were later determined to have Jennifer Dulos' blood on them.
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Fotis Dulos' DNA was found mixed with his wife's blood on a kitchen faucet in the New Canaan home where she lived with her children after the couple split, according to State's Attorney Richard Colangelo. Police said the house also had evidence of blood spatter and cleanup attempts, according to the arrest report.
He is scheduled to appear in court again Aug. 2.
Fox News' Paulina Dedaj, Perry Chiaramonte and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
