Mother pleads for information on daughter who has been missing for 35 years

The mother of a missing Norwalk woman is begging for closure 35 years after the 20-year-old went missing.

News 12 Staff

Feb 3, 2020, 7:45 PM

Updated 1,549 days ago

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The mother of a missing Norwalk woman is begging for closure 35 years after the 20-year-old went missing.
Saturday was the 35th anniversary of April Grisanti's disappearance.
The lone suspect in the case was her boyfriend at the time, James "Purple" Aaron. Aaron died in 2016, taking with him the mystery of what happened to Grisanti in the early morning hours of Feb. 1, 1985.
Police say Grisanti was last seen alive at a bar on Main Street. They say she went across the street to use the pay phone but never returned.
Witnesses reported seeing Aaron force her into his car. Investigators arrested him, and he was later convicted of kidnapping and unlawful restraint.
Police believe Aaron killed Grisanti, but there was no cellphone, DNA or video evidence to help bring forth a murder charge.
Grisanti's 76-year-old mother, Mary Lou Grisanti, wants to know before she dies where her daughter is. Mary Lou Grisanti is convinced someone out there knows something.
"Let me bury this child who will never grow up, never have a marriage, never have children," said Mary Lou Grisanti.
Lt. Art Weisgerber took over the case in 2011. Weisgerber unsuccessfully tried to get the state's attorney's office to prosecute it as a homicide after Grisanti was declared dead in probate court. Weisgerber is still trying to match dental records and DNA to unidentified remains.
This case no longer has any criminal implications so police aren't looking to charge anyone, they just want to know where April Grisanti's body is.
Anyone with information can leave an anonymous tip with Norwalk police by calling 203-854-3111, going to Norwalk police's website, www.norwalkpd.com or texting "NPD" into the text field, followed by the message and sending it to CRIMES (274637).
 


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