FBI joins 3 state manhunt for UConn senior Peter Manfredonia suspected in two murders
DERBY, Connecticut (WABC) -- The FBI has joined law enforcement across three states in the manhunt for University of Connecticut student Peter Manfredonia, who is wanted in a pair of murders.
A lawyer for Manfredonia's family spoke out Monday and said the suspect has struggled with mental health issues and has sought the help of therapists.
"Peter, if you are listening, you are loved," attorney Michael Dolan said. He said the family has not had contact with Manfredonia but called on him to surrender and turn himself in.
Manfredonia was last seen in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday night after he abandoned a stolen vehicle.
Pennsylvania State Police released a picture of Manfredonia walking on train tracks in the area on Sunday.
The manhunt began after a murder on Friday when Manfredonia, 23, was seen leaving the scene on Mirtl Road in Willington, Connecticut, around 9 a.m.
Theodore Demers, 62, died from his injuries. Another person was injured in that incident.
The search for Manfredonia intensified following a home invasion in Willington on Sunday. Manfredonia took pistols and long guns before fleeing in the homeowner's vehicle. The homeowner was not injured.
He then traveled to Derby, Connecticut, where he abandoned the stolen car in the area of Osborndale State Park.
After finding that vehicle, Connecticut State Police began searching the park and learned Manfredonia had an acquaintance nearby.
They found 23-year-old Nicholas J. Eisele fatally shot inside the home.
While at that scene, police determined there may have been another individual in the house at the time and taken against their will, fleeing in Eisele's Volkswagen.
Later, authorities in Paterson, New Jersey, notified the Connecticut State Police that the individual, believed to be the 23-year-old girlfriend of Eisele, was found in their city. She was not injured and brought back to Connecticut.
State police said she did positively identify the captor as Manfredonia.
The stolen Volkswagen was found in New Jersey near the Pennsylvania border off Interstate 80 shortly after 3:00 p.m. on Sunday.
The Connecticut State Police are asking the public to be mindful of their use on social media. The suspect may be monitoring law enforcement efforts on all social media platforms, which could be counterproductive in the search efforts.
Anyone with information is 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.
UConn said that Manfredonia is a student in the joint School of Engineering/School of Business MEM program and he is currently a senior. A spokesperson said he was not taking summer courses or living on campus at the time of the incidents. The school is in contact with police and providing any information they can to assist in the investigation.
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