On December 2, 2019, following the long Thanksgiving weekend, 43-year-old Christine Holloway failed to show up for work at Bright Morning Star Daycare in Bridgeport, where she was a teacher. She wasn’t answering her phone either, prompting concern from her boss, who contacted the Ansonia Police Department. That afternoon, an officer was dispatched to her home on Myrtle Avenue, but no one came to the door.

Later that evening, Holloway’s brother and sister-in-law went to the police station to report their growing concerns. They explained that it was completely out of character for Holloway not to check in during the day or respond to calls. They also mentioned that her boyfriend, Jose Morales, would typically stay at her home from Friday through Monday.

Around 8:15 p.m., police forced their way into the house. Inside, they discovered a horrifying scene: Holloway’s naked and lifeless body had been brutally beaten and left in the bathtub. Her one-year-old daughter, Vanessa Morales, was nowhere to be found, a disturbing detail because the child was known to be constantly by her mother’s side.

An Amber Alert was issued immediately, and both the FBI and state police joined the investigation. Suspicion quickly fell on Morales, as he was the last known person to see either Holloway or Vanessa. Shortly after, he was taken into custody on unrelated firearms charges when police executed a search warrant at his New Haven home.

Meanwhile, the search for Vanessa intensified. Her photo appeared in business windows across the community, and volunteers distributed flyers in a desperate effort to bring her home.

November 27, 2019, Thanksgiving Weekend

Jose Morales reportedly stays at Christine Holloway’s home from Friday to Monday, as he typically does. Christine Holloway, Jose Morales, and 1-year-old Vanessa Morales spend Thanksgiving weekend together at Morales’ house in New Haven.

They decorate the Christmas tree and later go to Barberino Nissan, where Christine purchases a new black Ford Focus with Morales’ assistance. They trade in Christine’s old Mazda Protégé.

November 29, 2019

• 3:00 p.m. Vanessa and Christine were last seen by family members. This was the last confirmed sighting of Christine and Vanessa together.
• Evening Christine and Vanessa drop Morales off at Hector Rodriguez’s house in New Haven. Morales claims he stayed there the entire weekend, though witness accounts vary.

November 30, 2019

Multiple witnesses later report seeing Morales near 6½ Myrtle Avenue, Ansonia.

• Patrick Rowley sees him outside the apartment.
• Justin Gasso sees a man resembling Morales placing a child in a car seat.
• Morales’ car is seen in surveillance near donation bins in Derby.

December 1, 2019

1:52 a.m.

• A 911 call is received by Ansonia Police from a phone number linked to Morales. A man slurs “Myrtle Ave,” while a female voice in the background is heard saying, “Stop, hang up. Who are you calling?” Police are unable to trace the call or find the caller after checking the area.

Monday, December 2, 2019

12:52 p.m.

• Rosie Clark, Christine Holloway’s employer at Bright Morning Star Daycare, calls the Ansonia Police Department to request a welfare check after Christine fails to show up for work and does not respond to calls.

12:59 p.m.

• Officer Kelley performs a welfare check at 6½ Myrtle, Ansonia.
• The front walkway is covered in fresh snow with no footprints, suggesting no one had entered or left that day. No one answers the door, and the officer sees a bay-style window rolled down slightly at the back and notices no movement inside.

1:04 p.m.

• Officer Kelley clears the scene and notifies Rosie Clark that there was no contact with Christine.

7:36 p.m.

• Christine’s brother, Steven Holloway, and his girlfriend, Jodi Jacobellis, report to Ansonia PD. They say it is unusual for Christine not to respond to their calls and note that Jose Morales usually stays at her home from Friday to Monday.
• They last heard from her on Friday, November 29, at approximately 3:00 p.m.
• Jodi had gone to Christine’s residence, but there was no answer.
• Christine’s car was also missing.
• Jodi and Steven go to Morales’ residence at 105 First Avenue in New Haven.
• Morales tells Jodi he last saw Christine and Vanessa at 7:00 a.m. when Christine left for work, and that they all left at the same time.

8:15 p.m.

• Officers return to 6½ Myrtle Avenue and find a black 2017 Ford Focus, Connecticut plate 411WBY, parked outside, registered to Christine Holloway.
• They observe two open windows despite the below-freezing temperature.
• Officers force entry through the front door, unlocking a double-locked deadbolt, indicating someone had locked it from the outside using a key.

Inside the Apartment

• Officers find Christine Holloway’s body in the bathtub, nude and clearly deceased.
• A search of the residence for Vanessa yields no results.
• The scene is secured until a formal search and seizure warrant is obtained the next day.

Shortly After 8:15 p.m.

Officer Nelson speaks with neighbor George O’Mara, who provides key witness information.

• He saw Jose Morales leave the residence in the late morning or early afternoon, shortly after Officer Kelley had left.
• O’Mara saw Morales start a car, possibly a gold Mazda, and leave the area.
• Morales’ Nissan Sentra was captured on nearby surveillance at 1:49 p.m., sounding like it had a faulty muffler.

Post-Discovery of the Body

Morales is interviewed by police and provides conflicting stories.

• Claims he last saw Christine and Vanessa on Friday, November 29, and that he went to a friend Hector’s house in East Haven.
• Morales cannot provide Hector’s last name or address.
• Denies being “close” with Christine, despite them sharing a child and spending holidays together.
• Says, “We’re in love with the baby,” but offers no idea where Vanessa could be.
• Initially claims he was not at Christine’s apartment at all that weekend.

Morales is asked about his phone activity.

• States he called Christine Monday morning to say “Hi.”
• Officers later examine the phone and find only seven calls total, none from the morning of December 2.
• Morales says he deleted “most of the stuff” from his phone.
• He also has a second phone, a gray iPhone 6, which he claims only works through Wi-Fi.

Evening of December 2, 2019

• Officers match the Nissan Sentra, Connecticut plate AF38999, seen in surveillance video, to Morales.
• The car is located parked in front of his residence at 105 First Avenue in New Haven and later seized.

December 3, 2019, Early Morning Hours

3:40 a.m.

• Ansonia and New Haven Police arrive at 105 First Avenue, where Morales resides with his mother Lydia DeJesus and stepfather Marcos Garcia.
• Morales is informed that Christine Holloway is dead and the victim of a homicide, and that Vanessa is missing.

Inside the Home

• Morales shows no emotional response. He puts his head in his hands but does not cry or express shock.
• Marcos and Lydia become visibly upset, and Lydia bursts into tears.
• When Marcos confronts Morales and asks if he had anything to do with it, Morales replies, “Nothing,” showing no emotion.
• When pressed about Vanessa’s whereabouts, Morales says he does not know and questions why he is being asked.
• An Amber Alert is issued for Vanessa Morales. The FBI and Connecticut State Police join the investigation.

December 3, 2019

Morning, While Awaiting Warrant for Morales’ Home

• Morales continues to deny knowing anything about Vanessa’s whereabouts.
• Detectives observe abrasions on Morales’ knuckles, faint scratches on both arms, and redness and swelling on the right side of his face.

11:12 a.m.

• A search and seizure warrant is executed at 105 First Avenue in New Haven, Morales’ home.

Investigators seize:

• Blood-stained towels.
• A white T-shirt with stains.
• Tissue paper with stains.
• Two stun guns, illegal for Morales to possess as a felon.
• Morales is arrested for possession of the stun guns.

Later that Day

• A warrant for Morales himself is also executed.

Investigators collect:

• Photographs.
• Buccal swabs.
• Hair and fingernail clippings.
• DNA samples for profiling.

December 4, 2019

1:44 p.m.

• Christine’s Ford Focus, Connecticut plate 411WBY, is seized as evidence from Myrtle Avenue.
• DNA swabs and blood-like stains are found in both vehicles, Morales’ Nissan Sentra and Christine’s Ford Focus.

Morales’ Sentra shows blood-like stains in:

• A black contractor bag.
• The trunk.
• Pedals, gear shifter, and interior.

Christine’s autopsy confirms homicide from blunt force trauma to the head and torso. A piece of her skull was missing.

December 5, 2019

• Witness Justin Gasso tells police he saw a man matching Morales’ description near 6½ Myrtle Avenue on November 30, 2019, with a little girl and a car seat.
• Chris Picariello, a downstairs neighbor, reports hearing furniture moving and “hammering” between November 29 and December 1.
• Patrick Rowley, another witness, sees a man resembling Morales near the residence around 2:45 p.m. on December 1.

December 6, 2019

• A right pink Croc shoe, size 2/3, matching the bloodstained left shoe found in a donation bin, is recovered from a diaper bag at Christine’s residence.
• No other matching shoe is found inside the home.

December 9, 2019

• A second search warrant is executed at 6½ Myrtle Avenue.

Evidence seized includes:

• Megablocks toys that matched those from the Kiducation bin.
• Three towels and a bath mat with stains from the washing machine.
• 12-month baby clothes.
• Still no sign of Vanessa’s car seat or base.

December 12, 2019

Interview with Morales at New Haven Correctional Center

• Morales admits to using PCP over the weekend of November 29.
• He describes the Thanksgiving weekend as happy, buying a car with Christine, helping decorate her house, and spending time with their child.
• Morales claims Christine and Vanessa left his house on Friday evening and he later went to Hector’s house.

December 17, 2019

In a second interview, Morales claims:

• He saw “guys” running toward Christine’s house and called 911.
• Christine asked who he was on the phone with, then the call dropped.
• Morales was allegedly hit in the face and knocked out.
• He later remembers driving home and still being under the influence of PCP.

December 23, 2019

Third interview at Cheshire Correctional Center

• Morales offers new excuses, including a criminal from his past.
• Detective confronts him with evidence, including hair found in Christine’s hands, a blood-stained child’s shoe, and a garbage bag with her blood.
• Morales becomes emotional but continues to claim he does not remember or did not do it.
• Admits, “If I did clean it up, I don’t remember doing so.”

February 6, 2020

• Morales is charged with murder and tampering with evidence.
• Vanessa Morales, 1 year old, remains missing.

February 7, 2020

• Morales was arrested and charged with murder and tampering with evidence in Holloway’s death.
• Jose Morales had been in custody on a criminal possession of a firearm charge out of New Haven that was unrelated to the Holloway homicide before being charged.
• Later that day, he appeared in court for his arraignment after being held on a $5 million bond. He pleaded not guilty through his lawyers, Kevin Smith and Norm Pattis, in Derby Superior Court.

On February 7, 2020, Morales was charged with murder and evidence tampering. Morales’ 24-page arrest warrant detailed surveillance footage, witness statements, and DNA evidence linking him to the crime scene. Despite denying it to police, phone data placed Morales in Christine Holloway’s neighborhood. According to the warrant, DNA from tissue-like material and a reddish-brown stain on his shoes matched Holloway’s. Investigators also found a trash bag with her blood in the trunk of his car.

One neighbor reported seeing Morales leaving Holloway’s home late morning or early afternoon on December 2. Others recalled hearing sounds like hammering and furniture being moved the day before. The warrant included autopsy findings that described several round marks, roughly an inch in diameter, on Holloway’s head and body. The medical examiner determined her cause of death was blunt force trauma to the head and torso.

Despite the detailed evidence in Holloway’s case, the warrant provided no leads on the whereabouts of Vanessa, Morales’ missing daughter. Morales claimed he had been using PCP that weekend and did not remember what happened, though he insisted he would never harm Christine or Vanessa.

Court documents revealed Morales’ history of violence, including two arrests in 2012 involving an ex-girlfriend. In one case, police said he was under the influence of PCP when he pinned her to the floor and threatened to break her bones despite her already having a restraining order against him.

Trial

April 7, 2025

• Opening statements are expected to begin Monday, April 7. While the trial focuses on Holloway’s murder, the fate of Vanessa remains unknown, and the investigation into her disappearance continues.

Morales Trial Timeline, Day 1

Presiding Judge: Judge Shari Murphy.

Witness 1: Rosie Jones-Clarke

• Christine Holloway’s former employer at a Bridgeport daycare.
• Described Christine as “quiet,” “simple,” “consistent,” and “always on time.”
• Noted Christine’s absence from work on December 2, 2019, prompting her to call 911 and request a welfare check.
• Her 911 call initiated the police investigation into Holloway’s disappearance.

Witness 2: Officer Paul Smith, Ansonia Police Department

• First officer to respond for a welfare check at 6½ Myrtle Avenue.
• Did not make contact with anyone at the home during the initial check.
• Met with Christine’s brother, Steven Holloway, and his girlfriend, Jodi Jacobellis, at the station.
• Called Holloway’s and Morales’ phone numbers. Holloway’s phone rang once, then went to voicemail. Morales answered, identified himself as Jose, and initially claimed he saw Christine and Vanessa that morning before changing his statement.

Witness 3: Lieutenant Alexander Barreira, Ansonia Police Department

• Patrol sergeant and shift supervisor on December 2, 2019.
• Present during Smith’s phone call with Morales.
• Conducted a second welfare check after the first was unsuccessful.
• Bodycam footage showed Barreira kicking in the door and walking through the home.
• Officer Nelson discovered Christine Holloway’s body in the bathtub.
• Barreira noticed a blood stain next to the baby’s crib that appeared to have been cleaned.

Witness 4: George O’Mara, Former Neighbor

• O’Mara opened testimony by using the word “murder” in reference to December 2, 2019.
• Judge Murphy excused the jury and instructed the witness not to use prejudicial terms.
• The defense filed a motion for mistrial, which was denied.
• The jury returned, and the judge ordered them to disregard O’Mara’s initial comment.

End of Day Summary

• Four witnesses testified, including an employer, two police officers, and a neighbor.
• Key evidence introduced included the 911 call, phone conversations with Morales, bodycam footage of the discovery, and observations of the crime scene.
• The trial adjourned at 5:45 p.m.
• The court was set to resume on Tuesday at 10:00 a.m.

April 8, 2025

Morales Trial Timeline, Day 2

Court session start time: 10:00 a.m.

Witness 1: Officer John Norko, Ansonia Police Department Evidence Technician

• Collected and processed physical evidence from the crime scene.
• Described photographing and collecting evidence from Holloway’s home, including bloodstains and items in and around the bathtub.
• Collected Morales’ shoes and noted reddish-brown stains, later submitted for DNA testing.
• Introduced photos of the baby crib, bathroom, and other areas of concern.
• Confirmed the presence of a washed-out bloodstain near the crib and smeared blood in the tub.

Witness 2: Crime Scene Analyst from the Connecticut State Police Forensics Lab

• Conducted DNA testing on various evidence samples.
• Confirmed that the reddish-brown stain on Morales’ shoes and the tissue-like material both tested positive for Christine Holloway’s DNA.
• A trash bag found in Morales’ car trunk had blood consistent with Holloway’s DNA.
• DNA results corroborated that Holloway had suffered blunt force trauma, aligning with the autopsy findings.

Witness 3: Dr. James Gill, Chief Medical Examiner for Connecticut

• Performed Holloway’s autopsy.
• Cause of death: blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
• Noted several round, one-inch diameter marks on Holloway’s head and body, possibly from a hammer or similar object.
• Injuries were consistent with a violent assault and likely inflicted before death.
• No signs of defensive wounds, suggesting Holloway may have been attacked while incapacitated or unaware.

April 22, 2025

• Jose Morales was found guilty of murder and tampering with physical evidence in the 2019 death of his girlfriend, Christine Holloway.