A TikTok influencer sparked a police investigation after finding a stained carpet in a river that he believes could be linked to the disappearance of Connecticut mother Jennifer Dulos.
Dulos, 50, a mother of five, is missing and presumed dead after disappearing in a bitter divorce and custody battle with her estranged husband Fotis Dulos in May 2019.
He was charged with murder and kidnapping, although a body was never found, and committed suicide on January 30, 2020.
The couple were embroiled in a two-year custody battle over their children after being married for 13 years.
TikTok star Sean Austin, who describes himself as a paranormal investigator, medium and demonologist, spotted the rug not far from a house where Fotis had previously lived.
Austin reported the carpet Sunday to authorities, who immediately entered the area to find missing evidence.
He claims that “supernatural evidence” led them to the spot on the river bank where the rug appeared to have a vertical stain down the middle.
Jennifer pictured and her husband had been involved in a vicious custody battle for the last two years before her disappearance in 2019
Fotis Dulos, 52, shot himself after being accused of murdering his estranged wife amid a bitter custody battle
In a video released Sunday, he said: “We were doing a little investigation here with divers in the Farmington River and found something shady that may have to do with the case of Jennifer Dulos.”
State police last year raided a home owned by her husband in Farmington after deciding he assaulted and killed her on May 24, 2019.
His former girlfriend Michell Troconis and former attorney Kent Mawhinney have each pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to murder in relation to the case.
Both are out on bail while awaiting trial, and Troconis has also pleaded not guilty to tampering with evidence and obstructing a prosecution.
Dulos is presumed dead after police uncover evidence of an aggravated assault that took place in the garage of her New Canaan home after taking her children to school.
Investigators found bags containing items containing Dulos’ blood and DNA that were disposed of in Hartford, but some evidence was never found.
TikTok star Sean Austin, who describes himself as a paranormal investigator, medium and demonologist, spotted the carpet not far from a house where Fotis had previously lived and thought it was connected to Dulos’ death
Police found a large amount of Jennifer’s blood in her garage in New Canaan. It was on trash cans, on the floor, on her car door and someone was trying to clean it up
Michelle Troconis, 45, and former Dulos attorney Kent Mawhinney (right) are charged with conspiracy to murder
A piece of carpet believed to be from her SUV was also never found by detectives investigating the case.
In divorce documents before her death, Dulos said she knew filing would infuriate her husband.
She claimed that he would “retaliate by attempting to harm her in any way” and that he engaged in “irrational, insecure, bullying, threatening, and controlling behavior.”
According to court documents, she said, “I fear for my safety and the physical safety and emotional well-being of our minor children.”
Hundreds of pages of search warrants revealed how police found large bloodstains from Dulos in her garage, splattered on trash cans and in her master bedroom, along with bombastic interviews with her children’s nanny.
Her estranged husband continued to deny his involvement in her death until he committed suicide.
Documents say it is “strong suspicion” that Jennifer was assaulted in the garage of her New Canaan home shortly after she finished the school run.
Before his death, Dulo’s estranged husband shook his head and grinned when asked if he thought there was enough evidence to convict him
Officials last year searched a Connecticut park in connection with the alleged murder of Dulos, but found nothing
Fotis Dulos was charged in connection with the murder of his wife but killed himself before the case went to court
Michelle Troconis (left) and Kent Mawhinney (right) have both been charged in connection with the death of the mother of five
Police believe she was then put in her own 2017 Chevrolet Suburban to be driven to where the car was eventually found.
In the car, they found their phone, which was active at the spot where the car was parked for 40 minutes before suddenly going offline.
In those 40 minutes, Fotis – who had previously been spotted in Connecticut driving an employee’s car – was nowhere to be seen.
Three minutes after Jennifer’s phone went offline, he was seen turning back onto a road in the same employee’s car he had previously been driving with.
The search warrants give no indication of what might have happened to Jennifer’s body.
When authorities searched Jennifer’s home, they found blood in the garage – which had previously been reported – but exactly where in the garage was remained a mystery until last week.
The new documents list that blood was found on the garage’s concrete floor, two garbage cans in the garage and on the passenger door of a Range Rover parked inside.
Police also found shoeprints and said someone tried to clean the blood.
Authorities reported finding traces of blood on a mobile phone and a tablet that were discovered in the home’s master bedroom.