Body Found In Shallow Grave Behind Branford Restaurant

BRANFORD, CT — Authorities searching for a missing East Haven woman found a body in a shallow grave around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday in the rear parking lot of a Branford restaurant, police officials told Patch.

East Haven police Chief Ed Lennon said investigators found the body after digging in the back parking lot of LoMonaco's Ristorante at 990 W. Main St. The area is littered with large garbage bins, with a wooden fence separating the property from a dense patch of woods abutting railroad tracks.

Lennon said he couldn't comment on whether the body is that of Lizzbeth Aleman-Popoca, 27, of East Haven, who has been missing since July 1. Lennon said Aleman-Popoca's family has been notified of the new developments and that he would have more information Thursday.

Connecticut State Police Major Crime Squad technicians and other law enforcement agencies were at the scene.

Branford police Detective Lt. Dominick Eula said investigators were “in the very early stages of processing the scene.” At around 9 p.m., the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner arrived, and police confirmed a body had been found. Thursday an autopsy was performed. An official from the OCME told Patch early Friday said her cause of death is "pending circumstances that require further investigation."

Investigators could be seen Wednesday night collecting evidence and shoveling an area of “disturbed dirt” behind the dumpster area.

A technician from the state police Major Crimes Squad was in a white suit and could be seen and heard digging, surrounded by a dozen or more members of law enforcement from Branford and East Haven. As night fell, onlookers began to arrive in the parking lot next door, trying to see what was happening.

East Haven police Capt. Joe Murgo said earlier Wednesday night that law enforcement would be on the scene “as long as it takes.” And they were. Police haven't said what specifically had them searching the restaurant's parking lot, but Eula said that “the investigation led us here.”

Lennon later declined to say if Aleman-Popoca's husband, Jonnathan X. Jara-Aucapina, 27, works or worked at the restaurant, but police sources said he'd been a longtime employee. And, although referred to as her husband in the initial media release by police, the couple were not legally married, but he is father to her daughter, her sister told Patch.

Murgo, who has been working the case around the clock for 11 days, said late Wednesday night that the body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and that an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday, which would "reveal more details."

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The Timeline

On July 3, the young mother was reported missing by Jara-Aucapina, her father, Albino Aleman, and her sister, Yaneth Aleman, Murgo said. The family told police she went missing the night of June 30 or early in the morning July 1.

"My sister would never leave her baby. She would never leave her. She's her priority," Yaneth Aleman told Patch earlier this week. "She would have called me. We have good communication. She wouldn't leave us, leave her family without calling to say, 'Come take care of the baby.' She's not the kind of person to randomly go missing. No."

Jara-Aucapina told police his daughter called him at work to tell him her mother was not home when she woke up, Murgo said. He told investigators that when he got to the apartment at 4 St. Andrews Ave., his daughter was home alone, his wife was missing, and her personal belongings were left behind, Murgo said.

At a news conference Tuesday afternoon, Aleman-Popoca's sister and father pleaded for the community's help in locating her. Jara-Aucapina was not there.

'Good' mother, 'sweet' person

Aleman said her sister is a devoted mother. She said she's invested in her child's education and recently got her help in math and reading.

"She's really sweet, and she has good sense of humor, and she loves her baby," Aleman said of her sister. "She'd do anything for her. She's a good mother."

A family's anguish

With her sister missing for two weeks, Aleman said the family is distraught and feeling helpless.

"It's indescribable" she said. "My dad is sad, and he's angry. There's lots of emotions: sadness, loneliness and anger. I feel like, I can't picture anyone else (having) to go through this because you have no idea how to deal with it."

The Aleman family hopes that spreading the word about Lizzbeth will move someone to come forward, as they believe "someone knows something."

"She's not a party girl. She's responsible. She wouldn't just leave," Aleman said.

"I don't want to think something's happened to her," she said. "If anybody knows something, please help us."

See related: 'She Would Never Leave' Her Child, Sister Of Missing Mom Says

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