Who was Jennifer Dulos? How mother-of-five's domestic bliss ended in her tragic death

According to divorce documents, Jennifer was terrified of her husband. She says, 'I am afraid that my Husband will harm our children to punish me'
PUBLISHED JUN 6, 2021
Mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos went missing in 2019 (New Canaan Police Department)
Mother-of-five Jennifer Dulos went missing in 2019 (New Canaan Police Department)

Jennifer Dulos and her handsome successful husband Fotis Dulos seemed to have an almost picture-perfect existence. The couple who had five children, including two sets of twins, looked like the epitome of domestic bliss. But sadly, the sensational disappearance of Jennifer which captivated the nation, shows as it often does, that appearances no matter how perfect and privileged, can be deceptive. 

To find out how the Dulos' love story went so wrong, let's first go back to the beginning of what would turn out to be an extremely contentious marriage. You can find out more about the tragic story of Jennifer Dulos in 'Beyond The Headlines: The Jennifer Dulos Story' on Lifetime on Saturday, June 5 at 10 pm.  For more information, you could also look at the documentary 'Vanished in New Canaan: An ID Mystery', which showed experts and close acquaintances of the couple weighing in to uncover new details about her alleged killer

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Who was Jennifer Dulos?

Jennifer and Fotis Dulos knew each other when they were both students at the prestigious Brown University. But romance only blossomed seventeen years later, with a chance meeting at an airport. While they both seemed to want the same things in life, like starting a family, the two were reportedly opposites. While Jennifer who had grown up in wealth and privilege in New York was an introvert and a deep thinker, charming Fotis was athletic and outgoing. It was in fact Fotis' athletic and competitive nature that seemed to lead to the Dulos' relationship going downhill. 

Fotis was very passionate about water skiing and reportedly pushed his children into excelling at it, to the point where Jennifer felt it was reportedly damaging their mental and physical health. It was also through water skiing that Dulos met Michelle Troconis, with who he eventually had an affair. Reportedly Fotis didn't make much of an attempt to even hide his relationship with Troconis, who was a former TV host and also a proficient snow skier, water skier and equestrian. Jennifer eventually confronted Fotis about his affair in 2017 and when he confessed that he was having an affair moved out with her children. Troconis then moved into Fotis' home with her young daughter. A bitter custody battle then ensued between Jennifer and Fotis over their five children. According to divorce documents, Jennifer was terrified of her husband. She says, "I am afraid that my Husband will harm our children to punish me. He is dangerous and ruthless when he believes that he has been wronged. He must always win at all costs."

When Jennifer went missing on May 24, 2019, after dropping her children off at school, it didn't take long for Fotis to become the center of this investigation. Bizarrely Fotis' lawyer even went as far to claim that Jennifer had staged her own disappearance a la the book 'Gone Girl'. However, in January 2020 Fotis was arrested for the murder of Jennifer. Fotis , 52, had been charged with tampering with evidence and hindering prosecution in the disappearance of Jennifer.  Authorities had previously alleged that Fotis killed her, chopped her into multiple pieces and disposed of the evidence. 

A few weeks after his arrest, however, Fotis died from an apparent suicide. Arguably the most tragic victims of this shocking case has been the couple's five young children who are now cared for by their maternal grandmother Gloria Farber. 

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