Police have obtained an arrest warrant for the man they say killed their 11-month-old daughter in Naugatuck on Friday. The warrant charges Christopher Francisquini, 31, with murder in special circumstances and risk of injury to a minor.
On Monday morning, Naugatuck Police Chief C. Colin McAllister called the crime “horrific and appalling.” The girl died from neck compression and stab wounds and she had been dismembered, police said Monday. McAllister said it’s one of the most difficult cases they’ve had to investigate. Francisquini has not been arrested and bail was set at $5 million.
Naugatuck officers responded to the home shortly after 11:30 a.m. on Millville Avenue Friday morning and found the girl dead at the location. They originally said that the girl was 1 year old, but they have since clarified that she had not yet turned her first year. Investigators identified Francisquini as a possible suspect and began searching for him. Francisquini lived in the Millville Avenue home with his daughter, according to police.
The car Francisquini was believed to be driving was found abandoned on Interstate 91 in New Haven, near exit 8, late Friday. Officers searched the area of Foxon Boulevard but did not find him.
On Saturday, police released surveillance footage of a person they believed to be Francisquini walking down Quinnipiac Avenue in New Haven. The images were captured around 4 p.m. Friday, police said.
Police said Francisquini is known to law enforcement. He was on special probation and a tracking device was cut off, police said.
Anyone with information on Francisquini’s whereabouts is asked to call the Naugatuck Police Department at (203) 729-5221 or the tip line at (203) 720-1010.