Vanessa Morales was just 14 months old in 2019 when her mother was murdered by her father in a town about 10 miles west of New Haven, Connecticut, according to police.
There has been no sign of her since.
In April of this year, Jose Morales, 48, was sentenced to 65 years in prison for beating Christine Holloway to death and for tampering with evidence, though he has maintained his innocence.
At his trial, the 48-year-old claimed that on the night of the murder, he and his daughter were with Holloway in her apartment when two intruders broke in, beat Holloway with a crowbar, assaulted him and kidnapped Vanessa, CBS News reported.
Morales, who said he was high on PCP at the time of Holloway’s murder and his daughter’s alleged kidnapping, admitted to the jury that he tried to clean the apartment after the killing, dumping some of Holloway’s blood-stained evidence in nearby donation bins.
While he is considered a suspect in his daughter’s disappearance, he has never been charged.
During his sentencing hearing earlier this month, Anna Rodonski, Holloway’s aunt, called him an “unforgiveable and disgusting monster” for what he was convicted of doing to her niece, the outlet reported.
“Where is Vanessa?” she added. “How can someone be so cruel?”
Officials at the Ansonia Police Department who worked the homicide applauded the verdict but said Holloway’s murder was just one aspect of the tragic case because Vanessa remains missing.
“The Detective Bureau continually reviews the case and will now begin to review the court transcripts for any new information,” APD officials said in a post to social media.
Anyone with information on Vanessa’s disappearance or who may recognize the age-progressed photo above is urged to contact the police department at 203-7351885. Anonymous tips can be left online by following this link.
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