Manhunt Continues For CT Double Homicide Suspect Last Seen In PA

CONNECTICUT — The search for University of Connecticut student Peter Manfredonia, 23, continued Monday in Pennsylvania. He is a suspect in two deaths, Theodore DeMers, 62, of Willington on Friday and Nicholas J. Eisele, 23, of Derby, on Sunday, state police said.

He is also accused of committing a home invasion in Willington and abducting a person from Eisele's Derby home Sunday, state police said. The abductee was found in New Jersey unharmed and was brought back to Connecticut and identified Manfredonia as the person behind the kidnapping, state police said.

Manfredonia remained at-large Monday and is considered armed and dangerous. He was last spotted in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania on foot Sunday night. There have been no new updates concerning where Manfredonia may be now.

Michael Dolan, an attorney who is representing Manfredonia's parents, held a news conference Monday night and pleaded with Manfredonia to turn himself into police.

"From your parents... 'We love you. It's time to turn yourself in,'" Dolan said, according to NBC Connecticut, adding Manfredonia has suffered from mental health issues.

State police released new details Monday about the reported abduction which occurred in Derby Sunday morning.

“On scene in Derby, the Connecticut State Police were able to determine there may have been another individual in the house on Roosevelt Drive,” state police said. “Connecticut State Police were attempting to locate and drafting a Silver Alert when authorities from Paterson, N.J. notified the Connecticut State Police that the individual was located in their city. The individual was not injured and brought back to CT. The individual did positively identify the captor as Peter Manfredonia. We are purposely not releasing any information of the individual to protect the safety of any potential witnesses and the integrity of the investigation.”

Manfredonia is accused of killing Eisele and then abducting a person from the home, stealing a 2016 black Volkswagen Jetta and driving to New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border, which is where the Jetta and the abductee were found, state police said.

"Anyone with information are asked to call Connecticut State Police- Troop C at 860-896-3200 or the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI (225-5324). Please call 9-1-1 for anything immediate on the whereabouts of the suspect. Do NOT approach, he is considered ARMED AND DANGEROUS," State police said Monday.

Manfredonia is a suspect in the homicide of DeMers, who was killed Friday morning on Mirtl Road in Willington. Another victim sustained serious injuries. He is also a suspect in Eisele's homicide that occurred Sunday morning, state police said.

It was quiet on Saturday concerning the whereabouts of Manfredonia, but there was a flurry of activity on Sunday. State police said on Sunday morning Manfredonia left the area of Turnpike Road in Willington after committing a home invasion where pistols and long guns were stolen. The victim in the Willington Sunday home invasion was not injured.

Manfredonia took the homeowner’s vehicle, traveled to Derby where he abandoned the stolen car in the area of Osborndale State Park. State police said Manfredonia had an acquaintance who lived on Roosevelt Drive in Derby. Upon checking the home, Eisele was found dead, state police said. Eisele's cause of death will be determined by the Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner.

"Once again we extend our sympathies to all of the families involved. The Connecticut State Police is working aggressively to bring this individual to justice," state police said.

State police have said Manfredonia is a suspect in both the Willington and Derby homicides. Derby police on Sunday morning confirmed a "secondary crime scene" on Roosevelt Drive or Route 34.

Earlier Sunday morning, Derby police said they were investigating a minor one-car motor vehicle accident at Hawthorne Avenue at Cullens Hill Road. The vehicle was abandoned when police located it at 6:45 a.m., and the exact time and circumstances of the accident is unknown, police said.

That vehicle is believed to be associated with Manfredonia, police said. Police said Sunday that there was a "heavy police presence" and "aerial reconnaissance" while they searched for the suspect and evidence in the Derby and Seymour area.

Earlier Sunday, Manfredonia was believed to be in the Seymour and Derby area and possibly at Osbornedale State Park in Derby and that he may have been "armed with pistols and long guns," state police said. The park was closed briefly on Sunday morning.

Seymour police said around 9 a.m. Sunday that they were searching for Manfredonia, who was "believed to be on foot in the area of Great Hill Road and Roosevelt Drive (Route 34). The suspect was possibly seen on Tomlinson Road..."

Manfredonia left the initial Willington scene on a motorcycle Friday morning, which was found mid-afternoon Friday at the end of Old Town Road in Willington, off Fermier Road. Hearst Connecticut reports that Manfredonia is a 2015 Newtown High School student and a current University of Connecticut student.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for the family of DeMers and nearly $50,000 has been fundraised thus far. "The Demers family has suffered an unspeakable and incomprehensible tragedy. We are trying to raise some money to assist the family in any way possible. Please feel free to share and support a wonderful family. Anything helps." View the GoFundMe page here.

A GoFundMe page has also been set up for the family of Eisele and more than $12,000 has been raised. According to the GoFundMe page, he is survived by his parents, John Eisele and Michele Eisele; his twin brother Michael; and two sisters, Jessica and Gianna. He is also survived by a girlfriend. Eisele graduated from Newtown High School in 2016. >>>View the GoFundMe page here.

photos via Tim Jensen/Patch

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