108 replies to this topic

[Kelly]

http://www.wtnh.com/...21&nav=3YeXZmHV

Missing person investigation continues in Seymour

By News Channel 8's Sara Welch
Posted August 11, 2008
Updated 11:00 PM

Seymour (WTNH) -- The search for a Waterbury man, that went missing in August 2004, is wrapped up for the evening, but is far from over. Investigators will continue their search at a Seymour farm for answers.

The Connecticut State Police are working with the FBI to find Billy Smolinski. Police say they have uncovered new leads in the case and have been searching private land in Seymour for evidence related to Smolinski's disappearance.

Excavation crews began searching the land on Bungay Road on Friday and resumed work today. Police stress that the land owner has been very cooperative with the investigation and does not have any involvement in the case.

"At this point in time, we have been digging since early Friday," Lieutenant J. Paul Vance, of the CT State Police, said. "Did some digging Saturday and have not located any evidence that is pertinent to the case."

Smolinski's parents are hoping this latest development might give them the answers they've been longing for. Their son disappeared in Waterbury four years ago.

"It's heartbreaking and it's really hard to function, but we know we have to go on," Janice Smolinski, Billy's mom, said.

Through the years, police have followed several leads. But, they now say its the latest tip that have investigators searching in Seymour that is the most significant yet.

Over the years the Smolinski's have put up posters, held vigils and displayed billboards to keep their sons memory alive. They even pushed for a new state law improving how police investigate missing person cases. For the Smolinski's, the waiting and wondering is the hardest part.

"It's hard to put into words how it is for us, for the past 4 years," Bill Smolinski, Billy's dad, said. "We have been working every day to get some answers and I hope within the next couple of days we do get them."

Last May, investigators dug up a yard in Shelton looking for clues.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.courant.c...0,6644789.story

Seymour Site Is Searched In 2004 Missing-Person Case
By JODIE MOZDZER | The Hartford Courant
5:25 PM EDT, August 11, 2008
SEYMOUR - State police detectives were at a property on Bungay Road for much of Monday, helping the FBI search for evidence in a 2004 missing persons case out of Waterbury.

Trooper William Tate said the investigation teams were searching on private land for "items of evidentiary value" in the case of missing Waterbury resident William Smolinski, who disappeared on Aug. 24, 2004. Tate would not elaborate on what led investigators to the Bungay Road property or if anything of interest has been found.

According to the FBI missing persons website, Smolinski, who was 31 when he disappeared, asked a neighbor to watch his dog for a few days while he went to look at a car he wanted to buy. When no one had heard from Smolinski after a few days, his family contacted the Waterbury Police Department and reported him missing. Smolinski left behind his vehicle, wallet, and keys.

The FBI began excavating on Bungay Road on Friday and continued over the weekend, according to a press release from Connecticut State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance.

In May 2007, a tip led investigators to dig beneath a driveway of a Shelton home in search of evidence, but they found nothing.

[Denise]

http://www.rep-am.co...f5335625354.txt

Search for clues in 2004 disappearance continues

The search for evidence in the 2004 disappearance of Billy Smolinski Jr. continued on Tuesday on Bungay Road, but investigators were unable to uncover additional clues at the site, according to state police.

State and local police began excavating property at 160 Bungay Road on Friday. Excavators from the town's Public Works Department continued to dig Saturday, Monday and Tuesday. According to Trooper William Tate, a state police spokesman, digging might continue today.

Smolinski was 31 when he disappeared from his Waterbury home in 2004. City police eventually turned over their investigation to the FBI. Authorities have investigated leads that have led them to a driveway in Shelton and now the 21-acre farmland on Bungay Road. Police did not find evidence in Shelton that Smolinski was buried there and, so far, haven't found any clues here.

[Denise]

http://www.connpost....ews/ci_10182954

Police to keep digging in Seymour

MELVIN MASON
Article Last Updated: 08/13/2008 12:35:59 AM EDT

SEYMOUR — State Police and FBI investigators will return today to a home on Bungay Road for a fifth day of searching for the remains of a Waterbury man missing since 2004.

The search of the 21-acre property at 160 Bungay Road is scheduled to resume after investigators combed the site Tuesday for clues in the disappearance of 31-year-old William Smolinski, said state police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance. The search began last weekend and continued through Tuesday.

"We still have some work to do there. It's still an active, open case," Vance said. "Tomorrow's another day."

Vance did not elaborate on what had been found during the course of Tuesday's search and would not say if the continuing review of Susan Giordano's property means they are closer to locating Smolinski, who was last seen Aug. 24, 2004.

Investigative leads developed in recent weeks led authorities to Giordano's property. Police have repeatedly said that Giordano has "no involvement whatsoever" in the investigation.

[Kelly]

A Message From the Family:

Thank you to everyone for your thoughtful prayers and messages reaching out to our family during these days of waiting for news, IT IS APPRECIATED.

If we could ask you again today for HOPEFUL thoughts and PRAYERS.

We are so PROUD of and GRATEFUL to the local, state and federal authorities spending countless hours trying to uncover Billy's remains on the farm in Seymour. Their actions, professionalism, kindness, caring and thoughtfulness are beyond what words could even say.

The media is also giving us an opportunity to express our thoughts and make people aware of what is taking place. Since the public has been informed there has been VITAL information and TIPS are coming in. Keep them coming even the smallest suggestion could be the golden key.

The operation and dig will continue today. PLEASE we beg you if you know anything come forward tell the truth we need Billy home where he belongs.

Pray for ALL the heroes who are involved in this operation and may the good Lord guide them in the right direction and keep them safe from harm.

Thank you to the numerous people who send kind thoughts, prayers and encouragement.
It sure helps!

Positive thoughts and prayers we ask. When two or more are together in His name He listens, dear God help them uncover Billy today.

GOOD ALWAYS OVERCOMES EVIL.


JUSTICE WILL BE DONE!

WITH MUCH FAITH, GRATEFULNESS & ALWAYS HOPE,
JAN

www. justice4billy. com

[Denise]

http://www.connpost....ews/ci_10194593

Search for missing man entering Day 6

Article Last Updated: 08/13/2008 10:43:10 PM EDT

SEYMOUR — State Police and FBI investigators will be back at a Bungay Road home today to resume looking for clues in the disappearance of a Waterbury man four years ago.

Investigators and members of the town Public Works Department are expected to return this morning for a sixth day of digging at Susan Giordano's 21-acre property at 160 Bungay Road. The search is part of the effort to find William Smolinski, who was last seen alive in August 2004.

State police spokesman J. Paul Vance declined to comment on what has been found as a result of the digging there or when it will be finished.

"We're still doing work. We'll be back out tomorrow," he said.

In previous days, police said they had found "nothing of evidentiary value." Investigative leads, developed in recent weeks, led authorities to Giordano's property. Police have repeatedly said that Giordano has "no involvement whatsoever" in the investigation and have praised her for being extremely cooperative during the search, which began last Friday.

[Denise]

http://www.rep-am.co...27131152651.txt

Search for clues continues in Smolinski disappearance

Investigators continued their search Thursday on Bungay Road to find evidence in the 2004 disappearance of Billy Smolinski Jr.

According to Lt. J. Paul Vance, state police spokesman, authorities haven't found any new clues.

State and local police have been at 160 Bungay Road since last week using heavy equipment from the town's Public Works Department to excavate a large portion of the property.

Smolinski was 31 when he disappeared from his Waterbury home in 2004. City police turned over their investigation to the FBI. Authorities have investigated leads that have led them to dig up a driveway in Shelton and now the 21-acre farm on Bungay Road. It's possible work at the site could continue today, Vance said.

[Denise]

http://rep-am.com/ar...news/359247.txt

Police confirm they are looking for clues to Smolinski's disappearance

BY JONATHAN SHUGARTS | REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN 

State police officials, with help from the FBI, continue to dig in the rear of the property at 160 Bungay Road in Seymour on Monday as they investigate a tip on the disappearance of Billy Smolinski Jr. of Waterbury, who was last seen Aug. 24, 2004. Officials have been excavating on the property since Friday.

SEYMOUR -- Police confirmed Monday they are searching on Bungay Road for evidence in the disappearance of Billy Smolinski Jr., a Waterbury man who has been missing since 2004.

Investigators recently developed a lead that caused them to use heavy machinery to dig at least one large hole on property at 160 Bungay Road, according to police.

The spot where investigators focused their search on Monday was in the rear of the property near a small patch of woods that separates the parcel from a nearby subdivision. The town's public works department is helping to excavate the site, which is about a half-mile from Seymour Middle School.

Smolinski was reported missing in 2004, when he was 31. In August of that year, Smolinski asked his neighbor to watch his German shepherd and mentioned he was leaving to look at a car somewhere up north. He failed to leave his neighbor his keys, which police later found with his wallet and truck at his Holly Street home.

Police in Waterbury turned over their investigation to the FBI in 2006. The federal agency has in turn assisted state and local police in the search for Smolinski.

Tips have led police to track down several leads in the case, including information that Smolinski had been killed and buried.

Last summer, police searched under the driveway of a home on Fort Hill Avenue in Shelton, but were unable to find evidence that Smolinski was buried there.

Now police say a recent lead brought them to the Bungay Road property. Lt. J. Paul Vance, a state police spokesman, wouldn't reveal the source of the lead or say when it was received. He also declined to say what police are looking for in their search.

"What we are searching for in specifics for this case are not available at this time," Vance said. "This is an open, active investigation."

Investigators have spent three days digging on the property, and are expected to resume the search today, according to Vance.

"At this point in time, we have not located any evidence that pertains to this case," Vance said.

According to town property records, the site is owned by Susan Giordano, but Vance said she is not linked to the criminal investigation and is cooperating with investigators. She purchased the 21-acre property in 2002 for $370,000, according to property records.

While the investigation has continued, Smolinski's family has waited for answers. Smolinski's mother, Janice, said the FBI has kept in contact with her throughout the dig in Seymour.

"The wait is hard. I know the police have been working hard," she said on Monday.

[Kelly]

From the Family:

"The authorities are working hard trying to uncover Billy and bring him home. We wait with HOPE and PRAYERS one day soon the answers will come. PLEASE JOIN US ON THE WATERBURY, CT GREEN,SATURDAY, 8/23 between 2-5 PM.

Your presence will help support our family in our constant quest for justice.

The purpose of this day is for public awareness to teach parents, children and the general public the importance of safety on the streets.

Fingerprinting for children,a speaker from the RAD KIDS safety program,search dog demonstartion,face painting for children a number of speakers with beneficial information to help educate the public regarding missing persons and safety.

WE CAN IMPROVE OUR COMMUNITIES.

The Waterbury PD along with the Mayor is stepping up to the plate realizing that education and proper protocol are the only ways to give us back our streets again.

We will conclude the Rally with a 100 balloon release.

PLEASE join us IT DOES TAKE A VILLAGE.

EVIL FLOURISHES WHEN GOOD MEN DO NOTHING!"


Print a poster: http://www.projectja...amSmolinski.pdf

[Lori Davis]

http://www.newsday.c...0,2043340.story

Police end search in Seymour in 2004 disappearance
August 16, 2008

SEYMOUR, Conn. - Authorities say they have ended their search on private property in Seymour for the remains of a missing Waterbury man.

William "Billy" Smolinski was last seen on Aug. 24, 2004, when he asked his neighbor to take care of his dog.

Police say new evidence led them to search the site in Seymour, but that several days of excavation work has ended.

State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance would not say what was found, if anything, but says the investigation remains open and active.

Smolinski's disappearance led to a law changing procedures on how police investigate reports of missing adults.

Smolinski's mother said police made her family wait three days to report his disappearance, because a neighbor told them he had left voluntarily.

[Denise]

http://www.rep-am.com/News/360221.txt

Police call off search prompted by tip about missing Waterbury man

Police have stopped searching a secluded farm in Seymour for the remains of Billy Smolinski Jr., a Waterbury man who has been missing since August 2004.

Police said new evidence led them to search the property at 160 Bungay Road, but that several days of excavation work has ended.

State Police spokesman Lt. J. Paul Vance would not say what was found, if anything, but says the investigation remains open and active.

The 21-acre property is owned by Susan Giordano, who police said is not linked to the criminal investigation and cooperated with investigators.

[Denise]

http://www.nbc30.com...961/detail.html

No Body Found In Search For Missing Man

POSTED: 9:50 am EDT August 18, 2008
UPDATED: 3:01 pm EDT August 18, 2008

SEYMOUR, Conn. -- Police said they did not find the body of a missing Waterbury man while searching a property on Bungay Road in Seymour.

No Body Found In Search For Missing Man

State police are looking for Billy Smolinski Jr., who has been missing for nearly four years.
 
Troopers said they received a tip that his body may have been buried in a metal container.

They have not said whether the search provided them any clues.

[Denise]

Billy has now been missing for 4 years. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones for his safe return.

[Denise]

http://www.wtnh.com/...35&nav=menu29_2

Rally held for missing persons

by News Channel 8's Crystal Haynes
Posted Aug. 23, 2008
8:32 PM

Waterbury (WTNH) -- One family working hard to locate a missing loved one is reaching out to the community in their quest for justice.

They're holding a rally today to raise public awareness and to teach residents about the importance of safety.

One hundred balloons were released into the sky, each one carrying a hope and a prayer for missing loved ones.

"It gives me new hope for others but for my son they feel he is a homicide and we just need to bring him home.  But we don't want other to go through what we've been going through the past four years.  And if there's technology there, I'm out there to help spread the word and let the public know that we're not a CSI society, and that we can be with the proper technology" said Janie Smolinkski of Waterbury.

Smolinski's 31-year old son Billy has been missing for four years.  Since news of his disappearance, Smolinski has become an advocate for new technology to find missing persons.

"Lots of technologies -- the DNA databases, the national registry -- we're still doing the identification kits," said the Executive Director of RADkids, Stephen Daley.  "I think it's all about hope.  Today's event was all about hope.  It was in honor of a man who lost his life, but there were many missing people who were represented today.  We can do something, and as a society we have to demand it."

That's exactly what they were doing today with demonstrations and finger printing.  That's giving people with missing loved ones an important tool, information.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.wfsb.com/...381/detail.html

Smolinski's Truck Searched 4 Years Later
Police Perform Forensics Analysis Of Vehicle
POSTED: 3:27 pm EDT October 8, 2008
UPDATED: 3:34 pm EDT October 8, 2008

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Four years after a Waterbury man went missing, investigators have conducted a forensics analysis on the man’s truck.

Based on new developments, police said they have decided to look at the truck for possible clues, including DNA evidence, that could lead them to Billy Smolinksi.

Smolinski’s parents said they’ve kept the truck in storage because they believed it might hold some answers. His mother, Janice, said they "felt the truck may have been involved in the crime, but the police ignored our concerns at that time."

"It took four years to reach the point we are at right now, with constant work to keep Billy's name out of the cold case files," she said.

Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance said Tuesday that he had no comment because it’s an open case.

The 31-year-old construction worker disappeared Aug. 24, 2004.

Over the summer, police excavated a Seymour Farm in connection to the case but found nothing.

The Smolinskis are currently in Denver, Colo., where Janice recently acted as the keynote speaker for an event held by Families of Homicide Victims and Missing Persons Inc.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nbc30.com...173/detail.html

Police Search Vehicle Of Man Missing Since 2004
POSTED: 1:41 am EDT October 9, 2008
UPDATED: 1:48 am EDT October 9, 2008

HARTFORD, Conn. -- On Tuesday, police searched the truck of a Waterbury man who has been missing for more than four years.

Billy Smolinski disappeared from his Waterbury home in 2004.

State police did a forensic analysis of Smolinski's truck looking for evidence such as fingerprints and blood.

Janice Smolinski was sharing her son's story at a missing person's conference in Denver on Wednesday night when she heard about the search.

"All along we had thought there was a problem with the truck, and we still do," she said.

She said his family thinks the truck might hold clues because it was parked in the wrong place in his driveway.

"It was parked at Billy's house at the end of his driveway, and we had brought that to the police's attention at the beginning when Billy first went missing," she said. "And the truck was also broken into, and we had asked them to take fingerprints, and we felt there may have been a problem. We were totally ignored."

The Smolinski family covered the truck up and stored it at a family member's home, where it was kept until state police took it into custody on Tuesday morning.

"We're grateful now they are looking into it," Janice Smolinski said.

State police and the FBI are both working on the case.

The have followed leads that led them to search properties in Shelton and Seymour.

Although Smolinski is still classified as a missing person's case, police suspect foul play.

Janice Smolinski said the family hopes the search of the truck will help detectives finally solve the case.

"We're not going to give up until we get answers," she said.

She said investigators are doing a remarkable job and said she knows it takes one step at a time.

[Kelly]

AAN Poster Notify Sent to AAN Subscribers   Code 32

Help us find the missing: Become an AAN Member
http://www.projectja.../awareness.html

[Jenn]

http://www.newsday.c...0,7625304.story

Missing persons' families want police standards

March 3, 2009

HARTFORD, Conn. - Families of missing persons are calling on Connecticut lawmakers to require police departments to follow specific protocols when they investigate cases involving adults who have disappeared.

Relatives say too many police officers are not trained to use the latest technologies to identify human remains.

In 2007, the General Assembly required the state Police Officer Standards and Training Council to develop a policy on how municipal departments should handle missing persons cases as of January 2008. But not every department is participating.

Janice Smolinski of Cheshire, whose 31-year-old son, Billy, disappeared in 2004 from Waterbury and remains missing, says there needs to be mandatory participation in a standard protocol for handling missing adults.

[Lori Davis]

https://findthemissing.org/cases/43
NamUs profile for William Paul Smolinski

[Kelly]

http://www.nhregiste...cc220794730.txt

Family continues search for clues: Smolinksi investigation nears 5-year mark

Published: Sunday, July 26, 2009

By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief

The Smolinski family’s Web site continuously counts the days, hours, minutes and seconds since they last saw their son, William Smolinski Jr. of Waterbury.

The counter at www.justice4billy.com is about to hit the five-year mark. Smolinski was last seen Aug. 24, 2004, when he was 31 years old.

It has been nearly five years of anguish, frustration and unanswered questions for his parents, William and Janice Smolinski of Cheshire.

Police, who say they think Smolinski was the victim of foul play, have searched for his body at several locations, including in Shelton. They dug up a field in Seymour in August 2008, but the search has been unsuccessful.

His parents, Janice and William Sr., spend time searching for him on their own, recently looking for his body in the Valley.

“On Father’s Day, Bill and I searched in Derby and Shelton along the water,” Janice Smolinski said. “One day we might get lucky and find something. I need to do something every day. I can’t stay idle. We are not stopping until we get our answers. Our hope is that with media attention, more tips will come in.”

His parents describe Billy as an “outdoor person” who loved fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and riding horses. He had worked as an apprentice heating and air-conditioning technician and part-time tow-truck driver before his disappearance.

Bill Smolinski Sr. said the family follows through on any tips they receive.

“I do feel that something will break soon,” he said. “It has been a long time. If people have any kind of conscience, how long can you live with it and hold it inside? If we don’t talk about the case, we worry people will forget about it.”

The family is convinced that Billy Smolinski was the victim of a homicide.

Shelton Detective Ben Trabka, who is investigating the case, agrees and said police have ruled out scenarios in which he left the area on his own or committed suicide.

“If he were still alive, why leave his dog behind? Why wouldn’t he contact his parents? People who run off and don’t want to be found don’t hide from everyone,” Trabka said. “Suicide also doesn’t make any sense. With suicides, there are signs, like depression or something bad that recently happened. There would be a pattern of depression over a long period of time.”


A LOVE TRIANGLE

Waterbury police reports show a tale of drama in the days before Smolinski disappeared, including a love triangle that resulted in a break-up with his girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason.

Gleason told Waterbury police Smolinski broke up with her because he thought she was cheating on him, and he left her place in the early morning of Aug. 24, 2004, “a little depressed,” and that was the last time she saw him.

Police reports show Gleason had also been seeing a married man, who told police he got a phone message on Aug. 24, 2004, in which the male caller addressed him by name and left a message stating, “You better watch your back.”

Smolinski’s sister, Paula Bell, identified the voice on the message as her brother’s, according to a police report.

Just before he disappeared, Smolinski had gone on vacation with Gleason to Florida, and upon his return he told others she had cheated on him, and they were no longer seeing each other, police reports show.

Gleason told Waterbury police she informed Smolinski about the other relationship during their Florida trip. She told investigators it was Smolinski’s idea to break up, but she agreed. She told police Smolinski wanted to get back together when he visited her Aug. 24, but she indicated she needed time to think.

“She said that he claimed he always messed relationships up and he talked about his relationships being a revolving door. He then left and that was the last time she talked to him,” a Waterbury police report on Gleason’s statement states.

In 2006, a tipster told Waterbury police that Gleason’s son, Shaun Karpiuk, killed Smolinski because he had beaten up Gleason in her apartment. The tipster reported hearing that Karpiuk and a male accomplice then buried Smolinski at a job site where Karpiuk was working in the White Hills area in Shelton.

Karpiuk died in 2005 at age 27 of a drug overdose. According to police, he had done construction, landscaping and grave-digging work. Gleason, however, has told investigators her children didn’t have any problems with Smolinski, police reports show.

According to Trabka, Gleason told police she believes Smolinski ran away and will be back someday.

“She has talked to us, and we believe she could tell us other things,” Trabka said. He added that, “It is still a strong theory that Shaun Karpiuk was involved.

“We are still not at a point where we can rule out anyone,” Trabka said.

HOME SEARCHED

The investigation has shown that Smolinski and Gleason were involved in a “tumultuous relationship,” according to Trabka.

“The break-up itself is a central part of the investigation,” he said.

In September 2008, investigators searched a home at 5 Nichols St. in Seymour, where Karpiuk and his family once lived.

“We aren’t saying that we have ruled out other possibilities or suspects,” Trabka said. “We haven’t been able to rule out certain people or scenarios, so we have to keep an open mind toward that.”

The same tipster that pointed police in Karpiuk’s direction mentioned a man who allegedly helped hide Smolinski’s body. According to Trabka, that man has refused to cooperate with investigators.

“We would be very interested in speaking to him, and he won’t talk to us,” Trabka said. “People who have nothing to hide shouldn’t fear talking to police and being cleared out of an investigation. If these people have no involvement, if they haven’t done anything, then they need to cooperate.”

The married man mentioned in police reports has spoken to and cooperated with police, reports show. When asked if he is a suspect, Trabka said, “We haven’t ruled out anyone.”

A Waterbury police report shows Smolinski talked to a neighbor about his breakup with Gleason, and asked the neighbor to watch his dog “because he was going to go up north for a couple of days.” A missing-person poster says Smolinski indicated he was going to look at a car he was interested in buying.

In October 2008, police looked for clues in Smolinski’s truck, which had been found parked outside his Waterbury home, with the wallet and keys left behind.

According to his family, it wasn’t parked in its usual spot, and they thought someone involved in his disappearance may have parked it there. The Smolinski family has said they haven’t heard anything new about the truck, other than that police found DNA, hair and prints inside.

“The DNA has not been matched to anyone yet, and we are still working on it,” Trabka said.

Police have obtained palm prints from the truck, and Trab­ka said those must be compared by hand, so it will be more time-consuming.

“We are also trying to get palm prints from suspects,” Trab­ka said.

‘TAKING FOREVER’

William Smolinski Sr. said the family is puzzled about what is taking so long.

“They took his truck last October, and now it is the end of July,” he said. “We wish they’d tell us if they had something. … It seems like everything is taking forever. There should be fingerprints in that truck that don’t belong to any of us.”

Trabka said that despite the lull in activity, he is confident the case will be solved.

“You’ll get periods of no activity, and then you’ll get a tip, and there will be a flurry of activity,” Trabka said. “You hope that is the break and you’ll solve it.”

Last August saw such a flurry of activity, when police dug up property on Bungay Road in Seymour searching for Smolin­ski’s remains.

“They told us they’d start digging again (in the spring) once the ground thawed, but then nothing happened,” Janice Smolinski said. “We need to bring Billy home, put him to rest and for justice to be done.”

Regarding the Seymour property, Trabka said, “We really don’t believe that is an area we should explore at this time. We have re-evaluated that lead and that doesn’t appear as credible as when it first came to us.”

Gleason, a Woodbridge resident, has a 2006 lawsuit against Smolinski family members in Superior Court in New Haven, claiming defamation, saying they have falsely accused Gleason of involvement.

Gleason in 2005 lodged a complaint with Woodbridge police claiming that Smolinski family members were harassing her by putting reward posters about Billy in the Woodbridge area. Gleason told Woodbridge police that “she has been tearing down a portion of these posters because she feels it is too much,” documents show.

Janice Smolinski was charged with trespassing and disorderly conduct over the poster dispute, but the state didn’t pursue the charges.

Attorney John R. Williams of New Haven, who represents Gleason in her civil case against the Smolinski family, said the suit is headed to trial.

“The whole business has been devastating for her,” Williams said of Gleason. “The Smolinski family is in an understandable effort to find peace, and have decided that two wrongs make a right. They have taken their own pain and spread it around, and it is a terrible thing.”

When asked about investigators’ continued focus on his client and her son, Williams said he believes police are “only doing that to mollify the Smolinskis.”

“There is no evidence to justify torturing my client,” Williams said. “They have nothing to show for it. She is innocent, and it is terrible what they have done to her. There was no motivation for anyone to murder him. It just doesn’t make sense.”

“I think he was a suicide, and that it is obvious,” Williams said.

Smolinski’s family is hoping that new technology will help locate him. He is now listed in the U.S. Department of Justice’s National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, at www.namus.gov, which has information on missing people and unidentified decedents, a tool for trying to match them.

The family will be having a vigil on the Naugatuck Green on Aug. 23 from 6 p.m. until dark, with some state representatives there to talk about Missing Persons Day.

“It is still in the planning stages, but we are hoping for a night of learning, heartfelt speeches and togetherness,” Janice Smolinski said.

To give a tip in the Smolinski case, call state police in Bethany at (203) 393-4200. Tips can be sent confidentially from a personal electronic device by texting “TIP711” plus the message to CRIMES, or 274637. To reach the FBI, call (203) 777-6311. Trabka can be reached at 924-0212.

[Kelly]

http://www.courant.c...0,2503497.story

Conn. rep. proposes legislation on missing adults

8/6/09

HARTFORD, Conn. - The unsolved case of a man who disappeared five years ago has prompted a Connecticut congressman to propose federal legislation aimed at improving efforts to find missing adults nationwide.

Democratic Rep. Chris Murphy said Thursday he will introduce the measure in the first week of September and is calling it "Billy's Law," after Billy Smolinski, a Waterbury man who has been missing since 2004.

If enacted, the measure would "help thousands of families across this country who are searching for loved ones, trying to bring potential closure to months, if not years, of agony," Murphy said during a news conference at the Capitol, where he appeared with Smolinski's mother.

The legislation would provide up to $2.4 million a year to merge data from two main database systems run by the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the Department of Justice, Murphy said.

The Department of Justice information is currently open to the public, while the FBI database is not. Merging the two would enable families to search all available data, update missing persons case information and examine data on unidentified bodies, he said.

"We know that our law enforcement is doing everything they can to find these individuals, but families want to be part of that search," Murphy said. "It's human nature to want to do everything you can ... to try to bring some resolution to a missing persons case."

The new law would also establish protocols for law enforcement agencies on how to handle and report such cases, and it would provide up to $10 million a year in grants for agencies that want to improve how they report and collect data on missing persons cases.

The proposed measure has the backing of Connecticut's state Department of Public Safety, said Trooper First Class Karen O'Connor, who spoke on behalf of the agency. The FBI and the Department of Justice have been consulted on the creation of the bill, Murphy said.

These new steps would close gaps in existing laws that are more geared toward missing children than missing adults, said Smolinski's mother, Janice Smolinski. It also would help bring closure to families of adults who vanished, she said.

"Uncertainty is a cancer that curses the spirit of loved ones left behind, destroys marriages and tears at the tissue of family bonds," Smolinski said.

The FBI says it had nearly 103,000 active missing persons files at the end of 2008. More than half those missing people were adults.

[Lori Davis]

http://www.nhregiste...--_billylaw.txt

Helping families of the missing: ‘Billy’s Law’ would speed data sharing on nationwide basis
Published: Friday, August 7, 2009
By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo, Naugatuck Valley Bureau Chief

On many popular crime shows like “Bones” and “C.S.I.,” the mysteries surrounding someone’s sudden disappearance or the identity of a body are quickly solved.

William and Janice Smolinski of Cheshire, who have been searching for their son, William Smolinski Jr., for five years, know that often isn’t the case.

But federal legislation about to be introduced is aimed at trying to give families answers, and quickly.

U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy, D-5, announced Thursday in a press conference at the Legislative Office Building in Hartford that he will introduce the Help Find the Missing Act, or “Billy’s Law,” in September to help families find missing loved ones. Murphy said he hopes the proposal will gain approval by the end of the year.

William Smolinski Jr. of Waterbury was last seen Aug. 24, 2004, when he was 31. Police have said they think Smolinski was the victim of foul play, and they have searched for his body at several locations, including Shelton and Seymour, but all searches have proved fruitless.

According to Murphy, the Smolinski family is the driving force behind this effort.

“They are representing thousands of people in the country, people who have loved ones who are missing,” Murphy said. “I am introducing new federal legislation that will help these families by trying to bring them closure. No one should have to go through what the Smolinskis have gone through.”

Murphy said systems available to law enforcement and medical examiners to help families find their loved ones aren’t linked.

“That’s inexcusable, and so the bill I am introducing fixes that problem, once and for all,” Murphy said.

Janice Smolinski said that after her son vanished, the family encountered many problems, such as law enforcement being slow to respond and take their fears seriously. She said around the country, unidentified remains are being cremated or buried without getting DNA samples. It took four years for her son’s information to be entered into the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Crime Information Center, which should happen immediately, she said.

“The notion that we live in a world like on ‘C.S.I.’ is nothing more than television fantasy,” Smolinski said.

She added the changes called for under the Billy’s Law proposal are major breakthroughs.

“Our hope is that these changes will help bring closure and peace to many families,” Smolinski said. “Congressman Murphy’s efforts are long overdue. This act is named for my son, but it is for everyone. I think it is going to work.”

The Smolinski family brought a “Quilt of Hope” to the press conference Thursday. It is covered with pictures and stories about missing people nationwide, such as Billy Smolinski.

According to Murphy, federal law doesn’t mandate that information about missing adults and unidentified bodies be entered into national databases. While law enforcement personnel can voluntarily report the information, a lack of resources and knowledge of the national databases often prevents them from doing so, Murphy said.

Thousands of Americans vanish each year, never to be seen again, Murphy said. At the same time, there are also an estimated 40,000 sets of unidentified human remains that are being held or disposed of across the country. According to Murphy, there is no organized system to match missing person cases and unidentified remains.

“Sadly, because of gaps in our system, few of these remains are ever matched,” Murphy said.

The proposal would provide $2.5 million annually to make sure all information is posted in databases on the missing and unidentified, and to link those databases, Murphy said.

Another $10 million in grants would go to law enforcement agencies to help improve the collection and reporting of data, he said.

The legislation would authorize and help ensure funding for the National Missing Persons and Unidentified Persons System, which was created in July 2007 by the U.S. Department of Justice to provide a missing persons/unidentified database that the public can access and submit information. The NamUs site, at www.namus.gov, has information on both missing people and unidentified bodies, a tool for trying to match them. Smolinski is among those listed on the site.

The proposal would connect NamUs with the NCIC in order to create more comprehensive missing persons and unidentified remains databases, and streamline the reporting process for local law enforcement.

Under the plan, the FBI would make its NCIC information available to the public, with the exception of information it considers to be classified, Murphy said.

The legislation would create an incentive grants program to help states, local law enforcement and medical examiners or coroners report missing persons and unidentified remains to NCIC, NamUs and the National DNA Index System.

“It takes work for departments, and there is a lot of old data that could be relevant,” Murphy said.

If a police department or agency gets the federal grant money, then within 72 hours of a missing person report, required information would go into the NamUs and NCIC databases, according to Murphy’s office.

The proposal will call on the Department of Justice to issue guidelines on handling missing persons and unidentified remains cases.