New Canaan police say they’ve received 750 tips in their quest to find Jennifer Dulos, who has been missing since May 24.

Investigators continue to be tight-lipped about whether those tips have turned up any leads in the case of the mother of five’s disappearance.

“Jennifer was so gentle and kind and such a loving mother,” recalled Alison Patricelli, Folly Farm Show Stables president.

Patricelli remembered the happy times, when the Dulos children took riding lessons at her stables.

“All five of her children rode here at Folly Farm and they were well behaved, polite, happy children,” she said.

For five years, Ladybug and Coco Puff carried the Dulos children during their horseback riding lessons. When they moved to New Canaan, Patricielli helped them find a new stable to continue their passion. She says the local equestrian community was left devastated by the news of Jennifer’s disappearance more than three weeks ago.

“It’s just always such a tragedy when something like this happens,” she said. “We do talk about and it we’re all still very sad and praying for her and her family.”

While they’re watching the developments closely, Patricelli says she’s not as worried about the lack of information coming from those leading the investigation.

“As far as I’m concerned the most important thing is to find out who’s responsible and to get them prosecuted to the full extent of the law and if that means we have to wait to find out what’s going on, that’s important,” she explained.

Patricelli’s strongest memory of Jennifer is her role as a mother.

“Jennifer’s first priority was always her children. She was so kind and caring. She always had a smile on her face. A very gentle soul and her children were lovely,” she added.

As she waits for the same answers as Jennifer’s friends and family, she says she’s thinking most about her five children who go to bed each night wondering when their mom will come home.

“That’s the worst part. Our hearts are with those children and as a mother myself what a tragedy, what a tragedy,” said Patricelli.

State police said their troopers returned to the MIRA trash-to-energy plant in Hartford on Monday, which marked two weeks since they began sifting through the garbage in the hopes of collecting evidence connected to the disappearance.

Jennifer’s estranged husband, Fotis Dulos, and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis remain out on a $500,000 bond. Each have pled not guilty to evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in connection with the case.

The owners of a Mystic boatyard are hoping to bring the property to life with more places for people to play, live and grab a bite to eat.

But some worry about the effect on the village’s Stonington side, near Washington and Willow Streets.

This project has generated a lot of interest in town. So many people showed up at the last meeting when it was debated it was canceled and moved to Monday with a bigger room for the crowd.

Just steps from the heart of Mystic, neighbors are concerned about a plan to transform a property in already bustling area.

Noank Shipyard wants to revitalize its 11 acres by the Mystic River, which currently includes boat storage, a warehouse and a restaurant.

“This project is the culmination of about 15 years of ownership by our family here in Stonington,” explained Harry Boardsen, the Noank Shipyard general manager.

Boardsen explained their vision for what’s being called Smiler’s Wharf. It includes building a new hotel, an apartment building, another restaurant and recreational facilities such as boat slips and a park.

“Everyone comes here for historical downtown waterfront. That’s what it is,” said Matt Beaudoin, who owns Mystic Knotwork, a nearby business.

He’s concerned how the proposal could change the character of the area, though is keeping an open mind.

“With everything going on in the state with taxes and needing to keep the budget under control, the town has to do something. I’m not convinced this is the right thing to do. But I’m not opposed either,” Beaudoin said.

Monday people packed a public meeting, where they spoke about the benefits including possible boosts to tourism, green space and tax dollars.

But there are worries including potential impacts to parking, traffic and the flood risk.

Boardsen says they’re going to add hundreds of parking spots and will build 2,000 feet of new bulkheading.

“It will help with coastal resiliency, storm water management, things of that nature which will help the town as well as our property,” he explained.

No decision was made tonight about a needed zoning change. If all goes as planned, the owner hopes to break ground in 2021.

Three people were taken to the hospital when a deck collapsed in Haddam Monday.

The Haddam Volunteer Fire Company said five people were on a third-floor deck at a home on Little Meadow Road when it collapsed Monday night. Three adults were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A mother and young child, were evaluated on scene and unhurt.

Fire officials said a support beam collapsed and fell to one side, causing everyone on the deck to slide down.

No other information was immediately available.

Fire officials are working to determine what started a fire in a house and shed in Burlington on Tuesday morning.

Crews responded to 33 Main Street around 7:30 a.m. for a smoke investigation.

Firefighters said when they arrived, they recognized a structure that was on fire and fully involved.

According to fire officials, a home and a shed caught on fire. The flames spread through the first and second floors of the house.

Witnesses said they heard explosions, which the fire chief said could have been small propane tanks in the house.

Nobody was inside either structure at the time of the fire, officials added.

Fire officials said there are no hydrants in the area which caused challenges while trying to get water to fight the flames.

Mutual aid from Avon, Bristol, Canton, Harwinton and Unionville responded to help Burlington firefighters.

No injuries were reported.

The cause and origin of the fire remains under investigation by the state and local fire marshals. 

Police are trying to identify a man who is accused of robbing a gas station in Middletown this past weekend.

Officers said a man robbed the Irving Gas Station when it opened on Saturday. He is accused of threatening an employee with a semi-automatic black gun.

The robbery suspect is around 6-feet tall and 220 pounds with facial hair.

In a photo released by authorities, he is seen wearing a baseball cap with a red brim, a grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Detective Semper at dsemper@middletownctpolice.com.

A woman who worked for an energy company in Bridgeport is accused of stealing money from customers and has been arrested.

Daneeka N. Thompson, 37, of Bridgeport, allegedly stole thousands of dollars from customers who had prepaid for heating fuel, according to the Chief State's Attorney.

Thompson was arrested Monday by the Office of the Chief State's Attorney on a warrant charging her with larceny in the first degree and computer crime in the first degree.

An arrest warrant affidavit said Thompson is accused of stealing more than $35,000 from customers of Santa Energy Corp., where she worked.

She then wrote and cashed checks drawn on funds from the customers who had locked in prices and prepaid for fuel to protect themselves from price spikes during the heating season, the warrant said.

The company has made good on the customers' losses, the warrant adds.

Thompson was released on $35,000 bond and will be arraigned in court in Bridgeport on June 26.

Actor Mark Wahlberg is making a trip to Connecticut this week to visit the state's only Wahlburgers location and the public is invited to meet him.

Wahlberg, who is a co-owner of Wahlburgers, will be at the restaurant in the Westfield Trumbull mall on Thursday from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. He will greet fans and celebrate his first visit to the Trumbull Walburgers location.

Seating at the restaurant will be available on a first come, first serve basis.

The Lord & Taylor court at the mall will also be available for the public to gather for a chance to meet Wahlberg.

Walberg co-owns Wahlburgers with his brothers Donnie Wahlberg and executive chef Paul Wahlberg.

Comedian Jon Stewart ripped Mitch McConnell during a late-night appearance Monday after the senate majority leader had said Stewart was "bent out of shape" in how he's advocated for the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. 

The former host of "The Daily Show" stopped by his old correspondent and long-time friend Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" to continue to push for Congress to extend the relief for 9/11 first responders. The appearance followed Stewart's impassioned testimony before a congressional subcommittee a week ago that went viral. 

McConnell had said on Fox News earlier Monday morning, "we'll get to it when we get to it."  

"You really want to go with the 'we'll get to it when we get to it' argument for the heroes of 9/11?" Stewart said. 

Stewart, who's been advocating for the 9/11 first responders for a long time, traveled to the nation's capital last Tuesday with what he called "sick and dying" first responders and their families, only to find several empty seats on the dais.

An angry Stewart said at the hearing that the absenteeism of lawmakers during the discussion about extending benefits for the next 70 years was "an embarrassment to the country and a stain on the institution." He went on to say that lawmaker absences were "utterly unacceptable" and a "disrespect" to the heroes who are now suffering from respiratory diseases and other illnesses.

After the collapse of World Trade Center towers in September 2001, a cloud of thick dust billowed over Lower Manhattan. In the following months, police officers, firefighters, construction workers and others were exposed to toxic chemicals without the adequate protection while working at the site. 

In the years since, many have seen their health decline and develop diseases like cancer. More than 40,000 of these first responders have applied to the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund but 21,000 claims are still pending.

Sen. McConnell, when asked on "Fox & Friends" about why the vote on this legislation has yet to pass, said they have "never failed to address this issue." He said he didn't know why Stewart was "all bent out of shape."

McConnell was also asked why so few members of Congress showed up to the hearing. "That frequently happens because members have a lot of things going on at the same time," he answered. "He [Stewart] is looking for some way to take offense."

On Colbert's show Monday, a still upset Stewart said that, if anything, he's only "bent out of shape" for the responders and that he "didn't mean to interrupt them with their jobs." 

"They're currently still suffering and dying and still in terrible need," Stewart said. "You'd think that'd be enough to get Congress' attention, but apparently is not."

Stewart criticized McConnell for supporting the 9/11 community only when they serve his "political purposes." But when they need help McConnell opts to "slow-walk," "dither," and use the cause as a "political pawn," Stewart said.

The comedian and a group of 9/11 first responders spent a year compiling bipartisan cosponsors and advocates, he said. He urged McConnell to meet with group on Tuesday and "pass this thing as a stand-alone bill." 

Stewart closed by saying that "the next time we have a war or you're being robbed, or your house is on fire, and you make that desperate call for help, don't get bent out of shape if they show up at the last minute, with fewer people than you thought."

When a masked gunman opened fire outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building in Dallas, photojournalist Tom Fox was already on the scene.

Fox, a veteran photographer for The Dallas Morning News, was downtown at the federal courthouse Monday morning to get a picture of a defendant in a charter school fraud case when gunshots rang out.

Fox told NBC 5 he saw someone coming down the block but he couldn't make out who it was. He pulled out his long-lens camera and looked in the viewfinder to get a closer look. That's when Fox saw a masked man and the muzzle of a gun. After snapping a picture, he ran for cover.

"I ran down the sidewalk thinking I had to get out of harms way, he's coming this way," Fox said. "I didn't want to be shot in the back, so I ducked in the first alcove, which happened to be the first one by the glass door at the back of the building."

The gunman, later identified as 22-year-old Brian Clyde, was carrying more than 150 rounds of ammunition for his high-powered rifle. He approached the Jackson Street entrance of the federal courthouse and "shot out the door" before Federal Protection Service officers stationed at the building engaged in a gunfight. 

A video of the incident, taken from a building across the street and obtained by NBC, shows Clyde walking alongside the building, and stopping just feet away from where Fox is hiding behind a column.

"I just crouched in a corner and tried to make myself as small as possible ... and just pray that he didn’t walk past me because I'm in plain sight," Fox said. "And if he saw me sitting there with a camera, he would...I have no doubt he would have shot me."

The shooter was wounded in the exchange of gunfire with officers and fled to the parking lot across the street where authorities found him lying on the ground between two cars. Fox said he used his iPhone to grab a quick shot of Clyde on the ground, surrounded by officers. Clyde was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Fox recalled thinking during the gunfire that "this is not how I want to go," and said he's just thankful to be alive.

"You think about family, you think about friends, you think about things that are important to you," Fox said. "I'm coming off vacation with all my family and it was great to see everybody again."

Preschoolers on government food aid have grown a little less pudgy, a U.S. study found, offering fresh evidence that previous signs of declining obesity rates weren't a fluke.

Obesity rates dropped steadily to about 14% in 2016 — the latest data available — from 16% in 2010, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.

"It gives us more hope that this is a real change," said Heidi Blanck, who heads obesity prevention at the CDC.

The results were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The improvement affected youngsters ages 2 through 4 who receive food vouchers and other services in the federal Women, Infants and Children nutrition program. About 1 in 5 U.S. kids that age were enrolled in 2016.

An earlier report involving program participants the same age found at least small declines in obesity in 18 states between 2008 and 2011. That was the first decline after years of increases that later plateaued, and researchers weren't sure if it was just a blip.

Improvements in food options in that program including adding more fruits, vegetables and whole grains may have contributed to the back-to-back obesity declines, researchers said. Other data show obesity rates in 2016 were stable but similar, about 14 percent, for children aged 2 to 5 who were not enrolled in the program, Blanck noted.

While too many U.S. children are still too heavy, the findings should be celebrated, said Dr. William Dietz, a former CDC obesity expert. "The changes are meaningful and substantial."

Dietz said program changes that cut the amount of juice allowed and switched from high-fat to low-fat milk likely had the biggest impact. He estimated that amounted to an average of 9,000 fewer monthly calories per child.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends low-fat milk for children. It also suggests kids should limit juice intake and choose fresh fruits instead.

Further reducing U.S. childhood obesity will require broader changes — such as encouraging families and day care centers to routinely serve fruits, vegetables and whole grains; and employers to extend parental leave to make breastfeeding easier for new mothers, said Maureen Black, a child development and nutrition specialist at the University of Maryland.

Studies have shown breastfed infants are less likely than others to become obese later on. 

The Naval Submarine Base New London (SUBASE) and its Navy Security Force are holding security drills in Groton that will include gunfire starting on Tuesday.

The SUBASE is participating in exercises called the "Citadel Project" and will conduct various trainings and drills along the base's waterfront, according to the Naval Base.

Drills will involve SUBASE security boats, simulated aggressor boats, submarines and waterfront facilities.

Some trainings will also include live automatic weapons firing with blanks, officials added. The live-fire training and drills with blanks are scheduled between the hours of 8:15 a.m. through 3:30 p.m.

The trainings begin on Tuesday and go through Friday. They are expected to continue next Monday through next Thursday.

The regularly-scheduled Navy-wide exercise helps SUBASE continue to enhance the readiness of base Naval Security Forces to respond to threats to the base and its homeported submarines, officials said.

If neighbors or base personnel hear gunfire or anything of concern at any other time, they are urged to report it immediately so authorities can investigate it.

A 30-year-old man has life-threatening injuries after being shot in the chest in New Haven Tuesday.

Police said the man was standing outside a home on Huntington Street, between Newhall Street and Shepherd Street, when he was shot around 1:15 p.m.

Investigators stopped a vehicle connected to the case at the intersection of Ogden and Prospects streets, but no charges have been filed.

There are several roads closed in the area.

Anyone who witnessed the shooting should call the New Haven Police Department Detective Bureau at 203-946-6304.

Emergency crews responded to a home on Fairhaven Road in East Lyme Tuesday after a resident found a white powder substance in their mailbox.

 East Lyme Police Department, the Niantic and Flanders Fire Departments, US Submarine Base Fire Department Haz Mat team and the Connecticut State Police Emergency Services Unit all responded.

Officials quickly determined the substance was not hazardous, according to police.

You’ve probably seen it and perhaps struggled to understand the craze. CBD, or cannabidiol, a cannabis extract, has made its way up to food, drinks and dietary supplements almost everywhere. The hype has significantly grown in the U.S. in the last five years. However, its legality and benefits remain in a gray area and debated in the country, where 33 states have legalized medical marijuana and 10 have legalized recreational pot.

Last December, a federal farm bill removed hemp-derived products like CBD from the list of controlled substances but the Food and Drug Administration still hasn't cleared CBD for use in foods or for making health claims.

On May 31, the FDA held a hearing in which its Acting Commissioner, Norman Sharpless, said that “CBD and THC cannot lawfully be added to a food or marketed as a dietary supplement.” The agency has opened a public docket for people to comment on how to regulate CBD products until July 2. 

Meanwhile, companies like Walgreens, CVS and Rite Aid are selling CBD products in some states and the Vermont-based company Ben and Jerry’s is looking to bring CBD-infused ice creams to the market.

Here’s what else you need to know about CBD:

What is CBD?

CBD, or cannabidiol, is an extract that comes primarily from the hemp flower but can also derive from marijuana plants.

“Cannabis is a broad term referring to the herb that can be grown with various composition/ratios of over 100 biologically active chemical compounds called phytocannabinoids,” said Dr. Tyler Gaston, a neurologist from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Epilepsy Center.

CBD is the second-most known cannabinoid after tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound in cannabis.

CBD products are usually categorized as "isolate," "broad spectrum" or "full spectrum." Isolate means that the cannabidiol molecule has been separated from the other compounds. Broad spectrum contains all the cannabinoids except THC and full spectrum has all the cannabinoids, including some trace amounts of THC.

Does CBD get you high?

Neither version of CBD products get you high. “It has no psychoactive or high producing effects,” according to Gaston. The “high” effect is caused by THC.

So what does CBD do?

In the last five years, as CBD products have proliferated, claims from consumers who use it for its “properties” have increased too. Many products labeled as “CBD-infused” also claim to improve people’s general wellness.

The executive director of the National Hemp Association, Erica McBride, said that CBD “is good for all sorts of wellness issues like pain management, neuropathy, and it has anti-inflammatory properties.”

But a consensus in the scientific and medical communities does not exist due to the lack of regulation from the FDA, which has only approved one medicine, Epidiolex. The prescription medicine is used to treat seizures associated with two particular epilepsy syndromes that are typically diagnosed in childhood -- Lennox Gastaut and Dravet Syndromes.

In Europe, Sativex, a product containing CBD, has been approved to treat spasticity in multiple sclerosis.

“While there are significant interest, large amounts of anecdotal data and many studies underway for these other conditions, the only high quality scientific data we have currently is only for this one particular product (Epidiolex) in the treatment of seizures in those two particular epilepsy syndromes,” explained Gaston with the University of Alabama.

For 31-year-old Omar Pérez, an urban planning PhD student in Southern California, CBD has helped him "survive."

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Pérez started using CBD to treat his anxiety shortly after starting his doctorate studies and after Hurricane Maria obliterated Puerto Rico, where his family lives, in September 2017. But he kept using it to relieve his pains and inflammations.

"I recommend CBD to everyone. Your body feels loose, relaxed and without pain when you use it. It's like walking out of a nice and warm jacuzzi," he told NBC.

How is CBD consumed?

CBD comes in many shapes and forms. From oil to dietary supplements, creams, tinctures and as additions to coffee and cocktails, the variety is rich. The most popular, according to McBride with the National Hemp Association, are infused drinks and edibles. And restaurants are taking notice.

The National Restaurant Association and the American Culinary Federation surveyed 650 chefs and found that 3 out of 4 considered CBD-infused food as a hot trend for 2019.

CBD isolates are used in drinks because they are water soluble.

Tinctures and oil extracts, meanwhile, are oil based and, therefore, not water soluble.

Typically, people who use CBD tinctures add a few drops under their tongues or to their food and drinks, while CBD oils are consumed through vaporizers.

Will CBD show on a drug test?

The isolate molecule does not have THC at all. “Therefore, there is no risk for consumers who are taking an isolate product to ever fail a drug test,” McBride explained.

“Full spectrum is considered to be more effective because all the cannabinoids work together in the body and result in the entourage effect, whereas just isolating the CBD molecule may not provide the same benefits as a full spectrum product,” McBride said.

Full spectrum products contain THC, but McBride said they have no more than 0.3% of it, the legal limit of this cannabinoid in a product.

Still, McBride said that if a person were to consume a full spectrum product every single day for a year at some higher doses, "it's conceivable that enough THC builds up in the body to be detected in a drug test."

Is CBD legal?

This is where the discussion turns gray. CBD is currently unregulated, although it has really become popular in the last five years with the passage of Congress’ 2014 Farm Bill that allowed states to pass hemp legislation and conduct hemp trials. “That was the start of the blooming industry that we see today,” McBride said.

With the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill, hemp and its derivatives on a federal level were taken off the list of controlled substances.

But regulation at a federal level is still lacking, with rules and laws a "long way out," according to Doug Farquhar the director of the environmental health program at the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL).

"The states are much more able to react to these nuances, but right now it makes it a little bit more difficult because they can't react to regulation that's just not there," he said.

Mindy Bridges, a policy specialist also with the NCSL, said that since the 2014 federal farm bill, the USDA is trying to catch up with some states that are already growing hemp. However, "the USDA will not come up with a regulation plan at least until the fall," she said.

Bridges said that state and federal laws, including the FDA and the USDA, "are trying to catch up with each other."

Since CBD laws and regulations vary from state-to-state, travelers are paying the consequences.

Back in April, Hester Burkhalter, a 69-year-old grandmother from North Carolina, was arrested in Disney World after a guard found a bottle of CBD oil in her purse at a security checkpoint. She also tested positive to THC and was detained for 15 hours.

Burkhalter, an arthritis patient, uses the product as recommended by her doctor in North Carolina. 

Meanwhile, in Texas, Lena Bartula, a 71-year-old grandmother and artist, was arrested at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport after police officers found CBD oil in her travel bag. She spent two nights behind bars before a grand jury decided to drop her case.

Bartula, still affected by those two nights in jail, says she'll never pack CBD again when she travels and is advising every CBD user she knows to do the same.

"I have warned everyone I know, because most people my age, with my kinds of aches and pains, do take this," she told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth. "They rely on it."

The FDA has said CBD is not legal for use in food, drinks and supplements until they figure out a system to regulate the products.

Again, the only approved CBD product is Epidiolex, which is available by prescription. And yet, the FDA can’t authorize a dietary supplement to be in the market if the active ingredient is already a prescription drug, McBride said.

“The time is now for them to figure out the regulatory path forward," she said.

McBride said the industry as a whole is supportive of and in need of regulation.

Both Dr. Gaston and McBride agreed that there are two main issues in the discussion on CBD: the lack of regulation that makes the situation vary from state to state and the inconsistency in content and labeling of these products, where what is listed on the label is different from what it is actually in the product.

“There have been two studies published on artisanal products and their content. In one of these studies, only 40% of the online-purchased CBD products were correctly labeled for content. This obviously has huge potential implications,” said the neurologist. 

Last February, NBC Miami's investigators purchased 35 CBD products from seven different companies and had them tested in a laboratory. The investigation found that 20 out of the 35 had less than half of the amount of CBD advertised on the label, and some had no CBD at all.

Chris Martinez, the president of Evio Labs, which ran the tests, told NBC Miami that "patients are being duped."

Where to buy CBD?

Given the unregulated market and the wide variety of products out there, CBD-infused products are easy to find since they’re almost everywhere.

For this reason, the executive director of the National Hemp Association tells consumers to be skeptical and informed before purchasing any product. “Unfortunately, this is the challenge. It’s tremendously difficult for consumers to be able to differentiate a quality product from a non-quality product, which is part of the reason regulations are desperately needed,” McBride said.

She made the following suggestions for consumers who want to buy CBD-infused products:

• Buy from trusted stores or retailers.
• Ask these stores or retailers for the product’s certificate of analysis.
• Look for a product that’s been made in the United States. That helps to ensure it’s a quality product.
• If buying online, many retailers make the certificate of analysis available. Look for the source of the product.

McBride understands the biggest problem is that a lot of products don’t contain as much CBD as they claim to and the problem is more a matter of what the consumer is paying for rather than an issue of safety.

“Certainly, it’s an unregulated industry and consumers need to be mindful of where they’re purchasing their products,” she added.

On a quiet Sunday morning in the woods of Sherman, the Pascarella family completed a journey that began nearly a year and a half ago. The dying wish of their mother, who passed away after an illness at the age of 79, was to have a 'green' burial.

Green burials are designed to have less of an impact on the environment. The burials often use biodegradable caskets, and do not use chemicals for embalming, hardwood caskets, varnishes, vaults or liners.

Video provided to NBC Connecticut Investigates with the approval of Tessa Pascarella's family shows her wish finally being fulfilled, 17 months after she died.

"It was a great relief to be able to bury my mother," said Aldo Pascarella, Tessa's son.

Since Tessa died on January 21, 2018, her son has been fighting a bureaucratic battle. Aldo found himself in the process of seeking - and obtaining - state approval, along with getting approval from Sherman's Planning & Zoning Committee as well as the town's Inland Wetlands Commission.

On June 11 at town hall, final approval was given for a small, private cemetery on the family's own property.

"I would encourage who feels strongly about doing something in the world to go ahead and do it," Aldo said.

Green burials are legal in Connecticut and all 50 states, but there can often be restrictions at the local level concerning where, exactly, these burials can take place.

"Connecticut Green Burial Grounds is here to change that, to give everyone in the state the option of natural burial ground in a beautiful setting," said Elizabeth Foley, who is the founder of an organization trying to establish cemeteries specifically for green burials.

"There's a ton of interest," said Foley. "It's just trying to find the right land and the right conservation partners and that process takes time."

Tessa Pascarella's remains had been stored in a "climate-controlled environment" at Leo P. Gallagher Funeral Home in Stamford. The funeral home offers green funeral and burial options.

"We come into this world surrounded by people who love us and we leave this world surrounded by people who love us," said Aldo.

A 2018 survey by the National Funeral Directors Association showed nearly half of respondents were interested in exploring green funeral options; mostly for environmental or cost-saving reasons.

Two existing Connecticut cemeteries, in Danbury and Deep River, are already using a portion of their properties for green burials. But the Connecticut Green Burial Grounds group is pushing to create the region's first all-green cemetery.

In the 25 days since Jennifer Dulos disappeared, the New Canaan sent email updates, created a website for tips, and put a request for surveillance footage. However, the department has yet to hold a single news conference.

On Tuesday, Connecticut State Police provided an update on the search for Jennifer.

Brian Foley is an aid to Commissioner James Rovella, who oversees the Connecticut State Police.

“You know everyone’s asking is this a homicide investigation, is this a missing persons’ investigation,” Foley told reporters Tuesday.

State police have assisted New Canaan police with searches for evidence at Waveny Park in New Canaan, the MIRA trash plant in Hartford, and by deploying dive teams in two separate ponds in Avon.

“Everyone wants to know what evidence was found in the case but understand with evidence in these types of cases that evidence is only known to the suspect the victim and investigators and sharing it publicly is a defense attorney’s dream,” Foley said.

It’s been one week since Jennifer’s estranged husband Fotis Dulos posted his $500,000 bond. Fotis and his girlfriend Michelle Troconis have entered not guilty pleas for charges of evidence tampering and hindering prosecution in connection with the disappearance.

Police have confiscated multiple items from Fotis Dulos. His attorneys have filed a motion to return the seized property.

The court documents list the items as a Ford Raptor, Chevrolet Suburban, a Jeep Cherokee, a server, aMacbook Pro 15-inch computer, other computers, 2 iPhones, a hard drive, two external drives, and personal papers.”

The filing said Fotis needs the seized items returned for practical reasons, and to help mount his defense.

A second motion from Fotis’ legal team asks the state’s attorney and police to take reasonable steps to preserve all evidence in this investigation.

That includes surveillance video from private or public cameras, audio recordings, transcripts, documents and phone records.

While out on bond there is an order from a judge barring Fotis Dulos from having contact with his children.

In court last week, Dulos’ defense attorney Norm Pattis said the child custody battle was turning the way of the children’s father.

West Haven police are trying to identify a suspect who robbed a Key Bank branch on Main Street Tuesday.

Police said the suspect entered the bank at 322 Main St. around 9:30 a.m. and handed a teller a note demanding cash. The suspect implied he had a gun but did not actually show one during the robbery.

The suspect was described as male, wearing a black hat and dark clothing with a construction-style vest and black backpack. He fled on foot down Washington Avenue and a K9 lost the trail in the area of Washington Manor.

Anyone who recognizes the suspect pictured above should contact police at 203-937-3934.

Four people were rescued from a sinking boat near Peck’s Ledge Lighthouse in Westport Tuesday.

Westport police said they responded to the call around 2:30 p.m. Responding units found a small aluminum boat partially submerged with four men clinging to it. Two of the men did not have life jackets on and none of them were properly dressed for the conditions, police said.

Police rescued the men from the water and handed them off to a Norwalk Fire Department Boat. The men were taken to Norwalk Hospital for treatment. The officers also pumped the water out of the boat to prevent it from sinking, then towed it back to the shore in Norwalk.

More information about the victims’ conditions was not immediately available.

 WinCo Foods says it sold some frozen red raspberries that may be contaminated with norovirus. No one has reported getting sick, but the company is urging people to throw away or return the products to the store for a full refund.

Comments made by the president about plans to remove undocumented immigrants from the country have the attention of many in Connecticut.

Ahead of his campaign kickoff in Orlando Tuesday, President Donald Trump tweeted in part:

“Next week, I.C.E. will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States. They will be removed as fast as they come in…”

The Pew Research Center estimates 120,000 unauthorized immigrants live in Connecticut as of 2016.

Alicia Kinsman is an attorney in Bridgeport who represents many of them.

“Right now, living in the United States, living in Connecticut as an undocumented person, as a foreign born individual, can be terrifying,” says Kinsman, who is the senior staff attorney and technical advisor at the Connecticut Institute for Refugees and Immigrants.

“I’ve had so many clients who are afraid to identify themselves in any way, that includes calling the police.”

Kinsman says her clients’ concerns have grown with the current media and political climate.

“You know, vague information about deporting, removing millions of individuals without actual information about what’s happening, and who and where and when, adds to this all-pervasive climate of absolute terror,” said the attorney.

Lizzeth Vibaldo, a Bridgeport immigrant from Mexico, came to the United States two years ago to join her now-husband. Before then, she was scared.

“They just target you as an immigrant, and I was afraid of that, of having the hate and having these kind of situations where people are mean to you just because of who you are,” she noted.

Vibaldo says she found a welcoming new home in Bridgeport, and recently acquired her conditional green card, allowing her to work and live here legally for two years. Some of her family and friends remain undocumented.

They are sad and they are worried, and of course they are scared of having their families split, especially with the situations happening right now with immigration,” she mentioned.

In a statement NBC Connecticut received from ICE today, the agency said it’s “committed to identifying, arresting, and removing undocumented immigrants who are in violation of U.S. law, particularly those posing a public safety or national security threat,” adding that “these interior removals are helping to restore the integrity of our nation’s immigration system and enhance the safety and security of the United States.”