Missing Mom Case: Grandmother Awarded Custody Of 5 Children

NEW CANAAN, CT — Gloria Farber, the mother of missing New Canaan mother-of-five Jennifer Farber Dulos, has been awarded temporary custody of the children following a family court decision Thursday, writes the Stamford Advocate.

Farber was granted the right to intervene in the divorce case between Jennifer Dulos and estranged husband Fotis Dulos, a case that had dragged on for more than two year and had turned contentious. The two were in the midst of that case at the time of Jennifer Dulos' disappearance on May 24.

Fotis Dulos, and ex-girlfriend Michelle Troconis, have been charged with evidence tampering and hindering a prosecution in connection the the disappearance, and both have pleaded not guilty. Additionally, Fotis Dulos is seeking to have those charges dismissed.

In Judge Donna Heller's decision in favor of Farber, she says that the five children are "emotionally bonded to her" and that it would be "harmful" to remove the children from her custody, reports Fox 61. The five children have been living with Farber in Manhattan since Jennifer Dulos' disappearance.

The decision also made clear that Farber had been aiding Jennifer and Fotis Dulos financially for some time, including paying the mortgage on the Farmington home that Fotis Dulos was living in since the divorce, writes Fox 61.

Farber is also suing Fotis Dulos, claiming that he owes her and the estate of her late husband, Hilliard Farber, about $2 million. The Farbers loaned money to Fotis Dulos in connection with his luxury home building business.

Patch reached out to a spokesperson for Norm Pattis, Fotis Dulos' criminal attorney, for a comment on Heller's ruling, but has not received a reply.

Pattis told Fox 61 that the decision was a "travesty of justice" and he was looking into possible appeal options for his client.

Click here to read the full story on the Advocate website, and click here to read it on the Fox 61 website.