CT CT - April Grisanti, 20, Norwalk, 1 February 1985

NamUs

Doe Network

Charley Project



Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: February 1, 1985 from Norwalk, Connecticut
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth: May 1, 1964
• Age: 20 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'4, 120 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black rabbit-fur coat, a black shirt, blue jeans that may be striped, white sneakers, a plain silver ring, a thin silver ring with a turquoise stone, and silver earrings.

Details of Disappearance
Grisanti was last seen leaving Anthony's Cafe, a bar on Main Street in Norwalk, Connecticut, on February 1, 1985. She was carrying a gray and beige clutch purse with a top zipper at the time of her disappearance, and accompanied by her boyfriend, James C. "Purple" Aaron Jr. A photo of James is posted below this case summary. A witness reported seeing a woman kicking and screaming in James's car as he drove away. Gristani has never been heard from again. Her car was later found near Ann Street, in the Norwalk River.

Half an hour before her disappearance, Grisanti told the police she was having an argument with James. One of her fingers was bleeding, and she said he'd assaulted her. She refused to have him arrested, however, and left with James in his blue Cadillac at 12:30 a.m. He said she got out of his car at a stoplight three blocks away. Grisanti's mother reported her missing later that day. Her wallet with her credit cards, driver's license, and birth certificate was found abandoned in Norwalk a month later.

James's estranged wife, Mary Aaron, disappeared in July 1981 and was found murdered in a wooded area in Norwalk a month later. They had been discussing divorce at the time of her disappearance. James was questioned in her disappearance, but no charges were ever filed. He remains the prime suspect in her death.

Later in February 1985, Aaron was charged with kidnapping Grisanti. He was convicted and served nearly six years in prison before his release in 1991. Grisanti's mother filed a lawsuit against him for injuries her daughter suffered in the kidnapping; the suit was settled in 1992 for $50,000. Grisanti has never been located.

Cold Case: Police Still Seek Norwalk Woman Who Went Missing 30 Years Ago

Norwalk family hopes for justice for April Grisanti, missing since 1985 - January 2014

A Norwalk family is hoping for justice and to give a proper burial to a woman who disappeared nearly 30 years ago.

April Grisanti was last seen with her boyfriend James "Purple" Aaron in Norwalk in 1985.

The family believes Aaron kidnapped and killed Grisanti after she broke up with him that night.

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Here's the Norwalk, CT flyer for her: http://www.norwalkct.org/DocumentCenter/View/4956

Definitely looks like he did it. I found a newspaper article about him pleading not guilty though. https://news.google.com/newspapers?...AIBAJ&sjid=hwYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1888,3946167&hl=en

Suspect in 1985 cold case dies leaving family with unanswered questions

http://connecticut.news12.com/news/suspect-in-1985-cold-case-dies-leaving-family-with-unanswered-questions-1.12453443

James Aaron, the only suspect in April Grisanti's 1985 death, died on Oct. 10.

Aaron was convicted of kidnapping Grisanti and served five and a half years in prison. Police say they believe he killed her, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute him.

Grisanti's sister says she hopes someone who knows something about the case will come forward now that Aaron is dead.

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Bumping up with NAMUS pics:

Grisanti was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend of 3 years. On the evening of 1/31/85 into 2/1/85 the two had been involved in a physical altercation and the police responded but Grisanti did not press charges. A second altercation occurred at 0015 hours on 2/1/85 where witnesses observed her boyfriend force Grisanti into his blue Cadillac as she fought with him and drive off. Grisanti was never heard from or seen again and her body has never been recovered. Her wallet with drivers license, credit cards, and birth certificate were found in Norwalk about 1 month later.
https://www.findthemissing.org/en/cases/3272/

http://charleyproject.org/case/april-l-grisanti Updated Charley Link

interesting fun fact: April was in an Amtrack crash at age 20 in July of 1984.

Date of Last Contact: February 1, 1985
Missing From: Norwalk, Connecticut
Missing Age: 20 Years
Date of Birth: May 1, 1964
Height: 5' 4"
Weight: 120 lbs
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown

Clothing: Black rabbit fur jacket. Black shirt. Blue jeans, possibly striped and white sneakers
Accessories: Gray/beige clutch type purse with top zipper
Jewelry: Small plain silver ring, a thin silver ring with turquoise stone. April also had pierced ears.

Circumstances of Disappearance: Grisanti was in the process of breaking up with her boyfriend of 3 years. On the evening of 1/31/85 into 2/1/85 the two had been involved in a physical altercation and the police responded but Grisanti did not press charges. A second altercation occurred at 0015 hours on 2/1/85 where witnesses observed her boyfriend force Grisanti into his blue Cadillac as she fought with him and drive off. Grisanti was never heard from or seen again and her body has never been recovered. Her wallet with drivers license, credit cards, and birth certificate were found in Norwalk about 1 month later.

JusticeWillBeServed said:

NamUs

Doe Network

Charley Project

Vital Statistics at Time of Disappearance
• Missing Since: February 1, 1985 from Norwalk, Connecticut
• Classification: Endangered Missing
• Date of Birth: May 1, 1964
• Age: 20 years old
• Height and Weight: 5'4, 120 pounds
• Distinguishing Characteristics: Caucasian female. Brown hair, brown eyes.
• Clothing/Jewelry Description: A black rabbit-fur coat, a black shirt, blue jeans that may be striped, white sneakers, a plain silver ring, a thin silver ring with a turquoise stone, and silver earrings.

Details of Disappearance
Grisanti was last seen leaving Anthony's Cafe, a bar on Main Street in Norwalk, Connecticut, on February 1, 1985. She was carrying a gray and beige clutch purse with a top zipper at the time of her disappearance, and accompanied by her boyfriend, James C. "Purple" Aaron Jr. A photo of James is posted below this case summary. A witness reported seeing a woman kicking and screaming in James's car as he drove away. Gristani has never been heard from again. Her car was later found near Ann Street, in the Norwalk River.

Half an hour before her disappearance, Grisanti told the police she was having an argument with James. One of her fingers was bleeding, and she said he'd assaulted her. She refused to have him arrested, however, and left with James in his blue Cadillac at 12:30 a.m. He said she got out of his car at a stoplight three blocks away. Grisanti's mother reported her missing later that day. Her wallet with her credit cards, driver's license, and birth certificate was found abandoned in Norwalk a month later.

James's estranged wife, Mary Aaron, disappeared in July 1981 and was found murdered in a wooded area in Norwalk a month later. They had been discussing divorce at the time of her disappearance. James was questioned in her disappearance, but no charges were ever filed. He remains the prime suspect in her death.

Later in February 1985, Aaron was charged with kidnapping Grisanti. He was convicted and served nearly six years in prison before his release in 1991. Grisanti's mother filed a lawsuit against him for injuries her daughter suffered in the kidnapping; the suit was settled in 1992 for $50,000. Grisanti has never been located.

Cold Case: Police Still Seek Norwalk Woman Who Went Missing 30 Years Ago

Norwalk family hopes for justice for April Grisanti, missing since 1985 - January 2014

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It mentions James estranged wife in 1981 were discussing divorce and she went missing and Found murdered in woods a month later well that is A bit of a red flag..

makes me wonder if April was left in woods somewhere in Norwalk also. I wonder if they ever searched the same woods his estranged wife was found in thoroughly.

Her mom is speaking in thIs recent videoMother pleads for information on daughter who has been missing for 35 years.

Cold Case Mary Aaron

sorry some glitch and my post came out twice.

I'm not sure what the currents in the river in Norwalk are like but it looks like that river leads into the ocean but New York is right beneath it. So I wonder if that's where her car was dropped if her body was too and possibly moved with the current? NamUS didn't show any comparisons with New Yorkers so that maybe somewhere to start.

This monster murdered 2 women and he was only ever sentenced for the kidnapping because the body was never found. Whats the odds of getting away with murder twice?

Moonwalker9 said:

This monster murdered 2 women and he was only ever sentenced for the kidnapping because the body was never found. Whats the odds of getting away with murder twice?

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There's always hell and that's forever.

Moonwalker9 said:

This monster murdered 2 women and he was only ever sentenced for the kidnapping because the body was never found. Whats the odds of getting away with murder twice?

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I know it’s so Crazy right?!

ARSSDGM27 said:

I'm not sure what the currents in the river in Norwalk are like but it looks like that river leads into the ocean but New York is right beneath it. So I wonder if that's where her car was dropped if her body was too and possibly moved with the current? NamUS didn't show any comparisons with New Yorkers so that maybe somewhere to start.

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ct is the long island sound if that helps the sound does eventually lead into the Atlantic ocean but i am not sure from what points

Moonwalker9 said:

This monster murdered 2 women and he was only ever sentenced for the kidnapping because the body was never found. Whats the odds of getting away with murder twice?

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I grew up in Norwalk and was familiar with both April and her kidnapper. One of my best friends, who is now deceased, told me a very believable story about being held captive and raped by him.

April L. Grisanti – The Charley Project

Last updated February 23, 2021; picture added, details of disappearance updated.


Details of Disappearance
Grisanti was last seen leaving Anthony's Cafe, a bar on Main Street in Norwalk, Connecticut, on February 1, 1985. Shortly after midnight she went across the street to use the phone to call for a ride, and never returned. She was accompanied by her boyfriend, James C. "Purple" Aaron Jr. A photo of Aaron is posted with this case summary.

A witness reported seeing a woman kicking and screaming in James's blue Cadillac as he drove away. Aaron drove north on Main Street and then turned left on New Canaan Avenue with Grisanti in the vehicle, still struggling. She has never been heard from again. Her car was later found near Ann Street, in the Norwalk River.

Half an hour before her disappearance, Grisanti told the police she was having an argument with James. One of her fingers was bleeding, and she said he'd assaulted her. She refused to have him arrested, however, and left with James in his blue Cadillac at 12:30 a.m. He said she got out of his car at a stoplight three blocks away.

Grisanti's mother reported her missing later that day. Her wallet with her credit cards, driver's license, and birth certificate was found abandoned in Norwalk a month later.

James's estranged wife, Mary Frattalone-Aaron, disappeared from her husband's Norwalk residence in July 1981 and was found murdered in a wooded area behind a commuter lot on Route 123 a month later. They had been discussing divorce at the time of her disappearance. James was questioned in her disappearance, but no charges were ever filed.

Later in February 1985, James was charged with kidnapping and unlawful restraint in Grisanti's case. He was convicted and served nearly six years in prison before his release in December 1991.

Grisanti's mother filed a lawsuit against him for injuries her daughter suffered in the kidnapping; the suit was settled in 1992 for $50,000. Grisanti has never been located, but she has been declared legally dead. Aaron died in 2016 at the age of 65, while serving time on unrelated charges. He remains the prime suspect in her presumed murder.

Updated again.

April L. Grisanti – The Charley Project

April Grisanti was forced into a car in Norwalk 36 years ago ...
and disappeared. Her sister hopes someone has information on what happened to her in February 1985.
===
Norwalk, #Connecticut - Thirty-six years after she disappeared following arguments with her ex-boyfriend, police still don’t know what happened to 20-year-old April Grisanti.
The older man she was with that night, James “Purple” Aaron, was convicted of kidnapping her but never was charged with murder. Her body has not been found, and she is presumed dead.
Now that Aaron himself has died, Grisanti’s family just wants to know one thing: Where is she?
“This is not a ‘whodunit,’ ” said Gina Grisanti, April’s sister who is looking for help in a renewed effort to uncover information in the case. “This is, ‘Let’s find her.’ "
Thoughtful, ‘pretty girl’
Gina Grisanti’s loss is magnified by the fact that she didn’t become close with her sister until shortly before she disappeared in February 1985. April would be turning 57 on Saturday.
“The sad part is, we were just starting to be sisters,” she said. “She had a car, she would drive me. I had a boyfriend. We only had six months.”
Although they were close in age — April was 14 months older —“we were both opposites,” she said. “I was street smart, she was naïve. She was a good, pretty girl.”
Their mother, Mary Lou Grisanti, described her older daughter as outgoing.
“Everybody liked her,” she said. “Always smiling. Always wanted to be a friend to somebody, always helped out.”
April was sure to check in on her great-grandmother, she said.
“She’d bring her a pizza,” Mary Lou Grisanti said. “She was good that way.”
And when friends who didn’t have much money had a baby, April would buy things for the child.
“She felt bad for them,” her mother said.
Lisa Hector-Ingrassia said she was April Grisanti’s best friend. The two went to middle school together and stayed tight even after Hector-Ingrassia’s family moved four towns away to Monroe.
“She was the most kindhearted, forgiving human being I have ever known,” she said. “She was a very, very beautiful girl.”
Each had an uncanny ability to sense when the other had news, whether good or bad.
“She would call me and say, ‘Are you OK?’ I’d say, ‘My boyfriend just broke up with me.’ I have never had a connection with anybody like that since she disappeared,” Hector-Ingrassia said. “It was the most amazing relationship. Nobody has been that close to me, in any of my relationships.”
“I loved her with every ounce of my being,” she said. “She meant the world to me.”
When her friend was with Aaron, Hector-Ingrassia began to notice something. She saw a different bruise every time Grisanti visited her in Monroe.
When she asked about them, Grisanti would say, " ‘Oh, you know, he gets angry sometimes,’ ” Hector-Ingrassia said. “She felt like she deserved it because she pissed him off.”
One day, Grisanti told her close friend some shocking news: Aaron had been questioned in his wife’s killing a few years earlier. Grisanti downplayed it.
“She said I don’t think he did it. I can’t imagine him doing something like that,” Hector-Ingrassia said.
Mary Aaron homicide
The skeletal remains of Mary Frattalone Aaron had been found on Aug. 1, 1981, in a wooded area of Norwalk near a Merritt Parkway commuter lot. She was last seen on July 2, a month earlier.
She and her estranged husband had been talking about getting divorced, according to the state police, who are still investigating the unsolved homicide. Neither detectives nor medical examiners were able to determine how Mary Aaron died.
Although he was questioned, James Aaron was not arrested.
Grisanti’s mother also knew about the homicide. She brought up the subject with her daughter, who again said she didn’t believe James Aaron was involved.
Like Hector-Ingrassia, Mary Lou Grisanti also noticed marks on April.
“I finally talked to her one day, and she decided I was right,” Mary Lou Grisanti said. Her daughter was going to break off the relationship. She also started calling the police to report that she was being abused.
Two abductions
Witnesses told police that about 9 p.m. on Jan. 31, 1985, Aaron forced Grisanti into a car after they argued in an East Norwalk bar, according to Courant archives.
A few hours later, the two were seen arguing a second time at a different bar, this one at 147 Main St. in Norwalk. Police said Grisanti went outside to make a phone call about 12:15 a.m., and Aaron again forced her into his car and drove off.
Aaron, who was 33 at the time, was arrested less than two weeks later and eventually sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to two counts of second-degree kidnapping and unlawful restraint.
Although her wallet turned up near a Norwalk school and her car was recovered from the Norwalk River, there was no sign of April Grisanti.
Aaron was questioned, but “he never admitted murdering her,” said Norwalk police Sgt. Steve Kalmanides, who leads a new team of detectives working on the investigation. They were given the assignment late last year to put “a fresh set of eyes” on the cold case.
Police sent out a news release about the case after the 36th anniversary of Grisanti’s Feb. 1, 1985, disappearance and posted it on Facebook in hopes the right person would see it and talk. No one responded.
“We’re waiting for tips to come in,” Kalmanides said. “Somebody might have that little bit of information they’re holding onto all these years. We’re hoping there’s somebody out there who will come forward.”
Kalmanides acknowledges the challenges of solving a case so old. He was 10 when Grisanti disappeared.
For one thing, police lack forensic evidence. For another, people with knowledge of serious crimes often are afraid to talk, he said. Even if they want to, memories fade.
“She hasn’t been located. There is no body, there is no autopsy,” Kalmanides said. And “in general terms, people are fearful, and it’s hard to get people to cooperate.”
Grisanti’s family filed a lawsuit in 1987 against Norwalk police claiming the department repeatedly ignored April Grisanti’s complaints of domestic violence. The suit alleged that police ignored two of April Grisanti’s calls, one on Jan. 15, 1985, and one a few weeks later on Jan. 31, and that they took no action in the early hours of Feb. 1 when a woman in one of the bars called twice and said Grisanti was being beaten and kidnapped, according to Courant archives. It was settled in 1994, according to court records; details of the settlement were not available.
Similar complaints from Tracey Thurman of Torrington led to a $2 million settlement and a new domestic violence law passed in 1986. It requires police to make quick arrests during domestic violence calls when there is evidence the law has been broken.
The law came too late to help April Grisanti. But her family hopes now that Aaron is dead, people who might know where April is will be less fearful about coming forward. Aaron died on Oct. 10, 2016, of pneumonia and muscular dystrophy, according to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Gina Grisanti, who has a recurring nightmare of her sister being strangled, will lead the effort of seeking any and all new leads.
“I am not giving up,” she said. “I am not giving up until my dying day.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police. Anonymous tips may be sent via the Norwalk police website at Norwalkpd.com or texted to TIP411 (847411) by typing NORWALKPD into the text field, followed by the tip. Information also may be called in anonymously to the Norwalk police tip line at 203-854-3111.