'I Am Afraid Of My Husband,' Missing Mom Of 5 Wrote In Court Documents

A missing mother, long embroiled in a custody battle with her estranged husband, detailed how much she feared her former partner in divorce-related court filings.

Jennifer Dulos, 50, was last seen on Friday evening driving a 2017 black Chevrolet Suburban in New Canaan, according to the New Canaan Police Department. That vehicle was found the same day but with no trace of the mother of five.

Dulos filed for divorce from her husband Fotis Dulos, who operates a construction business called The Fore Group, in 2017. The couple had been married for 13 years and had five children who range in age between 8 and 13. The missing mom reportedly filed an emergency order for full custody the same year she filed for divorce, the Connecticut Post reports. That was denied. In 2017, Jennifer abruptly left the town of Farmington, where the family lived, and moved to New Canaan with the children, according to the Stamford Advocate.

“I am afraid of my husband,” reads an affidavit tied to an order of custody filed in June 2017, according to the Stamford Advocate. “I know that filing for divorce and filing this motion will enrage him. I know he will retaliate by trying to harm me in some way.”

She also wrote in the same document what she was “afraid for my safety and the physical safety and emotional well-being of our minor children.”

Jennifer Dulos Photo: New Canaan Police Department

The divorce and custody proceedings have yet to be settled. A hearing was scheduled Wednesday regarding the safety of the children, the Stamford Advocate reports. A similar hearing was scheduled for last Wednesday, but was postponed, the Hartford Courant reports.

Jennifer also brought to the court’s attention that her estranged husband bought a gun, which he later turned over to the police, according to the New York Post.

“I am terrified for my family’s safety, especially since discovering the gun, since my husband has a history of controlling, volatile and delusional behavior,” she said in the affidavit. In one document, she accused Fotis of trying to hit her with a car, according to the Hartford Courant.

During their heated custody battle, Fotis accused Jennifer of being mentally ill, pointing to the medications she is on as evidence. She has claimed in court documents that he's made disparaging remarks about her mental health in front of their children while he has claimed she has made disparaging remarks about his character.  

The two parents shared custody of the kids but Jennifer did have sole physical custody.

Jennifer and Fotis, both graduates from Brown University, married in 2004. In an apparent bio on a Patch site, Jennifer describes herself as a former writer from New York “doing journalism, essays, plays and screenplays, and is currently finishing a novel.” She has a bachelor’s degree from Brown University and a masters in writing from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.

It appears investigators are looking at the possibility of foul play in Jennifer’s vanishing.

“This investigation is being treated as a missing person case, but as with any missing person case, a criminal investigation is being conducted concurrently to determine if Jennifer was the victim of foul play or intentional harm,” police Lt. Jason Ferraro said in a statement released on Wednesday.

The last time the mother was seen was when she dropped off her kids at New Canaan Country School. Two of her friends reported her missing after she missed appointments and wasn't heard from for about 10 hours.