ELLINGTON--It's been two weeks since Ellington mom Connie Dabate, 39, was found dead inside her Birchview Drive home, and police have still not made an arrest in the case.
The medical examiner said Dabate died from gunshot wounds to the head and abdomen. Richard Dabate, 39, Connie's husband, was also treated at the hospital for minor injuries.
Ellington residents are now expressing concern that there has not been an arrest, or any updates on what exactly occurred.
"There's a lot of rumors going around," said Luann Lanzieri, owner of The Nail Spa on West Road. "It seems like every day, someone's coming in and asking, 'Have you heard anything else? This is what we heard.'"
Lanzieri said most people she talks to are confident the police will find and arrest the right person. "I grew up with her in Vernon as well, when she was little, and she was always a wonderful person. So, I hope they find the correct person that did this to her."
Other neighbors who spoke with FOX 61 said it is scary and nerve-wracking to think there has not yet been an arrest.
Ellington First Selectman Lori Spielman said she is regularly in touch with police, who have told her this was an isolated incident.
"The detectives are working very hard," said Spielman. "They are waiting for a lot of evidence to come back from the labs...They want all their ducks in a row before they can make a decision of what's going on."
Spielman says an arrest might come next week.
On Sunday, Richard Dabate posted the following message on Facebook:
As most of you know by now, Connie has been taken from us far too early. The volume of loving friends, family and acquaintances who we saw at services is a testament at how much she touched the lives of others. Many questions, unanswered, but we are all doing our best to move forward, as impossible as it seems. We try to stay strong, for the boys, RJ & Connor need me now more than ever. Both my family and Connie's have been SO incredibly helpful and loving to those boys. Our friends, and neighbors have also been showing an amazing amount of support. To all of you, I say, "Thank you", and Connie thanks you. She was also much better than I about communication on social media. While I reserved it for irrelevant current event talks, jokes, geek rants, etc. , she used it in a more, "meaningful" way. Although, we all know she was pretty solid in the "Jokes" department. It's going to take me some time to get a rhythm here on FB, but I'm going to use it how Connie used the "Caring for Connor" page. Not only did she post important information about Connor's medical journey, but it was therapeutic for her. Many times, as she shared items, she helped someone else, or someone helped us. I'm going to turn to my Facebook family quite bit. Connie and I always balanced each other out. Now without that balance, I'm worried. I just want to make all the best possible decisions for RJ & Connor. There were afternoons that she came home from work and said, "You really let the kids go to schooling like that?". Apparently my matching skills need improvement. I'm sure she's up there guiding us along the way as we try to heal. I'll reach out more as soon as I'm able, and myself and our family Thanks you for all your thoughts and support.