While many of people will be spending this Mother’s Day with the women who raised them, some families won’t have the chance to – including one from Waterbury who's still holding out hope that police will find their loved one's killer.
The family of Mary Jane Menard placed flowers and ballons that read, "Love you, Mom" along with a note that says, "thinking of you always" behind the New Britain strip mall where Menard's remains were found.
She went missing on a trip to buy cigarettes in 2003, and her remains were found in 2007 along with those of two other women who disappeared around the same time. Police have been investigating ever since.
"People go missing and they leave behind this loss. You can’t even explain the loss," said Menard's sister, Anna Santiago.
She says the days haven’t gotten any easier since her sister’s remains were uncovered.
"I thought she may have gotten into some trouble, but now that we found her remains, now I have to think in my head that she was killed brutally," said Menard's daughter Tiffany.
Police have identified the two other bodies found behind the strip mall as those of Diane Cusack and Joyvaline Martinez. Investigators found more remains just last month but haven't said whether they belong to a fourth person or one of the women already identified.
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Family members hope the new developments will bring them closer to closure.
"We don’t know, but we are hoping to have answers for all three of our families," Santiago explained.
