0:03
Oh, holy. When Christine Holay and her 14-month-old daughter suddenly vanished
0:09
without a trace, panic spread fast. To her friends and family, it felt like a nightmare. But as police began to
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investigate, they quickly realized that this was only the beginning. What started as a missing person's case would
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soon spiral into something far darker. Surveillance footage surfaced. Forensic
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evidence piled up. And then came the discovery of Christine's body hidden in plain sight. But as for her baby,
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Vanessa, she was still missing. At the center of it all was a man who not only
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became the prime suspect, but may go down as one of the most reckless, baffling, and outright foolish killers
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that this channel has ever covered. This includes body cam footage, several lies
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unraveling in real time, and clues so damning it's almost hard to believe. And
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so, on that note, who killed Christine Holloway? Why? And what happened to her
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daughter? We know where Christine is. Do you know where Christine is? Yes. Oh, you guys found her? Yes. Well, you want
1:09
to hold the baby? Uh, Christine's dead.
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Welcome or welcome back to Coffee House Crime, folks. My name is Adrian and today we're looking at the case of
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Christine Holloway. A story so twisted, frustrating, and utterly unforgettable.
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Before we begin, I post true crime, strange, and chilling stories on a weekly basis here. So, if you haven't
1:30
yet, please consider subscribing. And now, that out the way, please grab yourself a coffee and let's caffeinate
1:35
while we investigate. This is the case of Christine Holay.
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It was just after 1 p.m. on Monday, December the 2nd, 2019, when officers
1:54
arrived at the Holay residence in Ansonia, Connecticut. A welfare check had been requested because Christine
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Holay hadn't been heard from in a while. And with these hours stretching into days, the silence was beginning to worry
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those who knew her. As you can see in this body cam footage, the air outside was bitterly cold. Snow had begun to
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settle, blanketing the ground and rooftops in a soft white coat. There was one detail that stood out to the
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reporting officers. That being, there were no footprints leading up to the front door. Officers knocked first on
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the door and then on the windows, but no sound responded and nothing moved inside. Strangely, they noticed a rear
2:33
window slightly a jar, which was a troubling sign here, especially considering Christine lived there with
2:39
her one-year-old daughter, Vanessa. An open window was not a good sign in temperatures like this. Fearing the
2:46
worst, police forced entry into the home, breaking the door frame and the door in the process. It was a tough call
2:52
to make, of course, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Making their way inside, the house was eerily
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quiet, and the air stood still and thick with tension. It appeared that the kitchen was spotless, almost too clean
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for a young family. Nearby, the officers noticed that the baby's crib was empty, suggesting that she was not inside the
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property. And likewise, the main bedroom, half sealed off behind a wardrobe, was still uncold. Officers
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assumed that nobody was home. But then, as one of the officers approached the bathroom, he called out in horror. A
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candle sat by the door, flickering low, as if it had been burning for hours. And what both officers found next would
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shake even the most seasoned of investigators. Oh Oh dude. What? Holy
3:40
Get in here. Holy Okay, find out. Back up. No. Clear the
3:47
rope. Clear the house.
3:54
4:30 to D2. I'm going to need you here.
4:03
Lying inside the bathtub was the body of Christine Holay. It appeared that she had been beaten so badly that her brain
4:10
was actually beside her body and her hands were covered in dried blood. The scene was beyond horrifying and quite
4:17
evidently she had been bludgeoned to a severe degree. But the most chilling detail out of all of this is that
4:23
Vanessa was still missing. What followed was a wave of fear and heartbreak throughout the many streets of
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Connecticut. A mother had been found murdered in her own home and her daughter had now officially vanished.
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The community was quite understandably devastated and basically everyone tried to chip in to help not only try and find
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Vanessa, but piece together the missing parts of this story. But of course, at least to begin with, all they could do
4:48
was mourn. Candlelight vigils were held and posters of Vanessa's little face were taped to telephone poles and
4:55
storefront windows. Police worked around the clock and volunteers searched nearby woodlands and waterways in desperate
5:02
search for her, but still nobody could find the 14-month-old girl. We've also
5:07
learned that the woman found dead in the home Vanessa should have been with was her mother. Yeah. Fox 61's Gabby Molina
5:13
joins us now live from Ansonia with the latest. And I guess you've got a family member with you, Gabby.
5:20
Tim Margot. Yes. Right now, what's happening right now in Ansonia is family members and friends and members of the
5:26
community are handing out these flyers with Vanessa's picture on them. Four pictures of Vanessa, all trying to find
5:33
her, trying to spread the word here. We've have not seen these pictures yet. So, take a good look. There are some
5:38
really, really clear photos of her face. She has brown hair and brown eyes. And that's right, family members have met
5:44
here on uh in Ansonia to spread the word about this. and I'm joined right now by
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Vanessa's cousin, Joshua. Joshua, tell us a little bit about what has been going through the family's mind these
5:55
past few days. Um, it's very hard on my grandparents and I could only imagine the other side of the family. Um, we
6:02
just want her home um at any means necessary. We just want her home safe,
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healthy. I mean, Christmas is coming. Like, you know, she she got to have her
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second Christmas, you know what I mean? And it's it's cold out here and it's it's so much things going on in the
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world and we would never think it would happen to your own. Thank you so much, Joshua. And he is joined here by a
6:25
couple of family members as well. I want to give you a look. They are standing at the edge of the street. Any car that stops by. They're walking over and
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handing flyers. They brought their own flyers. If we take a look over here, people are handing out flyers to just
6:38
any car that comes by, hoping to spread the word to bring Vanessa home safely. Despite the community's best efforts
6:44
here, no sign of Vanessa was ever found. But then, officers finally experienced a
6:50
break. Not on Vanessa's disappearance, but her mother's murder instead. Tucked away in the corner of a nearby street, a
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security camera had captured a vehicle roaming the streets around the time of her death. It wasn't crystal clear who
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this was, but it was enough to warrant a second look and also enough to suggest that this was not a random driveby.
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Officers needed more time to look into this deeper, and over the following days, what they found was a treasure
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trove of evidence. Now, we'll take a close look into this footage in a short while, but
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it is worth noting here that this was the first real clue towards solving this case. To make things even more
7:28
unsettling, it was observed that Christine's boyfriend, who also just so happened to be the father of Anessa, was
7:34
not only alive and well, but also now living in his parents' house nearby. Naturally, that put him straight into
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the spotlight. And maybe they were right on the money, too. And so, with that said, let's look into the complicated
7:46
lives of Christine and Jose. Before tragedy struck, Christine
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Holay lived a life full of love, warmth, and kindness. At 43 years old, she was
8:00
the beloved daughter, sister, and friend. But perhaps most importantly, she was the devoted mother of her only
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child, Vanessa Morales. It is clear to everyone who knew her that Christine and Vanessa were absolutely inseparable. To
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Christine, a mom was not just a responsibility. If anything, it wasn't at all to her. Vanessa was her entire
8:20
world. Growing up nearby in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Christine was the eldest of five siblings, which of course in turn
8:27
would help her naturally grow into a nurturing and caring person, even from a young age. Her heart was just as big as
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her smile, and she always looked after her younger brothers and sisters. Alongside her age, it was no surprise
8:41
that her compassion made her the first in her family to earn a college degree, that being a bachelor's in psychology.
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It is nice to hear that Christine did not chase glamour or status. Instead, she dedicated her career to something
8:53
that she truly believed in, and that was working with children. She was a daycare educator and was especially fond of
9:00
caring for babies. And whether at work or at home or in her community, Christine was the kind of person who
9:06
would do anything for anyone. She was a proud parishioner of St. Andrew's Church in Bridgeport, an active member of the
9:13
Colombats, and a cornerstone of her family. Her days were often filled with simple joys like helping her nephew with
9:19
schoolwork, doing puzzles with her niece, and spending time with her brothers, parents, and extended family.
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And you could say that she was a real homegirl at heart. Moving on to someone who was unfortunately very important in
9:32
her life. It was through her community that Christine would first cross paths with a man named Joseé Morales. Over
9:39
time, the two seemed to grow closer before eventually finding themselves entangled in a relationship. And then
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months later, it turned out that Christine was pregnant with his child. Now, at first, the relationship did seem
9:53
stable enough. They were not married, but they did share responsibility of raising Vanessa. Friends say that
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Christine was extremely excited to become a mother. And despite the relationship having its challenges, as
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many do, she was deeply devoted to giving her daughter a safe and loving home. Focusing on Jose for a while
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before his life intertwined with Christine, he seemed to live a life that was in many ways under the radar. After
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moving from Puerto Rico to the US in 1989, he grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. He was born on November the
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12th, 1976. And as far as we can tell, his early years did seem to be rather
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unremarkable, just like his academic milestones and his career. In contrast to Christine, Jose was a man with many
10:39
rough edges. Someone who lived a quieter and more troubled existence, and someone
10:44
who, you could argue did not suit Christine. And I'm just going to throw it out there, but maybe didn't deserve
10:50
her either. Moving into his adulthood, Jose had several small brushes with the law, including charges related to
10:57
assault and breach of peace. Of course, this did suggest that he possessed a temper and a poor ability to keep
11:03
himself under control. Not the best characteristics to have as a boyfriend or as a father. People who knew him
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described Jose as someone who could be charismatic, but also volatile when pushed. working in utilities. He wasn't
11:18
known for having a steady career path or strong community ties. But regardless, Jose did eventually cross paths with
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Christine, a woman whose life had been built on patience, kindness, and stability. Quite understandably, he was
11:31
likely drawn to her for her nurturing and loving demeanor. And Christine, well, she probably liked the idea of
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saving a man in need. Their relationship would eventually bring Vanessa into the world. However, as time slowly moved on,
11:45
tensions between the two began to surface. It appeared that arguments became more frequent, and there were
11:52
rumors of jealousy and controlling behavior from Jose's side, too. But Christine was a real peacemaker, and she
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tried to maintain it for the entire family. Now, Joseé had a long-standing
12:06
issue with drugs, and that alone did not do him any favors. Not as a boyfriend or as a father. Christine put up with more
12:13
than most would. I mean, it was obvious that she loved him, maybe even too much. But those closest to her, they could see
12:19
it all over her face. She was clearly waiting for a version of him that sadly may never come. To add to her kind
12:26
demeanor, Christine was also loyal to her fault. And the messages that she sent to Jose painted the picture of a
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woman who always kept loving, hoping, and forgiving. But behind the hope was exhaustion. And as time went on, those
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cracks in the relationship grew wider and all of those around Christine became aware of it. Her friends and family were
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quite honestly worried for her safety. And then on December the 1st, 2019, Christine quite literally vanished and
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stopped responding to all messages. Meanwhile, police began a painfully familiar process and began talking to
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the partner. Jose became the first person they questioned and the last person they knew saw Christine. And
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let's just say things did not go well for him. From the very moment that Jose
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stepped into the interrogation room, his energy seemed off. He slouched in the chair, had his arms crossed, and barely
13:18
made any eye contact with the detectives. It wasn't the posture of a grieving partner. Instead, he was
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defensive and guarded. And at times, he almost looked bored, too. And other
13:30
times, he even seemed frustrated, like he was the one being wronged. Even though the door is kind of closed. I
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mean, you're free to leave. We brought you here to talk to you. I understand you're I'm free to leave. What am I
13:42
going to walk all the way home? No, we'll give you a ride. I'm just saying you're not held captive here. I'm not
13:48
like You're not So, why what I came here for? To talk to you about what? We're trying to find Christina and your kid.
13:55
All right. We That's That's exactly what I've been trying to I've been trying to call her, too.
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Okay. All right. All right. So that we're in the same page. Okay,
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good. It's I'd rather have it that way. When's the last time you talked to her?
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I talked to her I think was Monday morning when she was going to work. So
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that was yesterday morning. Monday. About what time? Early in the morning.
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Okay. So that was talking on the phone or in person? On the phone. Jose claimed that the last time he spoke
14:31
to Christine was one day prior. Apparently, she seemed to be rushed and didn't want to be on the phone, and
14:37
that's why it only lasted for a minute. He also claimed to have last seen Vanessa over Thanksgiving when they
14:43
apparently slept over his parents' house. Did you stay over there this weekend? No, you didn't stay over there
14:50
this weekend. Do you normally stay over there during the weekend? Sometimes I do. Yeah. Not normally, but sometimes I
14:56
stay over. All right. So, when's the last time you saw her in person?
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Friday. Throughout the investigation, Jose desperately tried to claim that he and Christine were not actually that
15:08
close. And rather than discuss how important she was to him, he seemed to be trying to detach himself from her. We
15:15
are boyfriend, girlfriend. You guys are? Yeah, but we're not that close either because she got her own place. She do
15:22
her own life. She live she got her own apartment. when she got this apartment over here, she asked me um if I can help
15:28
her out. Christie, your only girlfriend or you have other girl other girlfriends? Does she have other
15:34
boyfriends? We're not that close, right? It's like we have a baby. Yep. But it's
15:41
not like she my girlfriend. Girlfriend. We say that use that word very lightly. Yeah. But we have a baby together. That
15:49
happened. It happened. So I guess I'm assuming a little bit of responsibility by helping her out a
15:54
little bit. So where did you stay over the weekends? I stayed with my friend Hector.
16:00
Hector? He lives in
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East. What's Hector's last name? I don't know the last name.
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You know where he lives in East Haven? Does he know you're Christine or
16:23
he has no idea? Christine is. So he has no idea where Christine is? He knows.
16:30
I mean, do you have any idea where she could be?
16:39
No. Zero. Zero.
16:46
No idea where a one-year-old would be. And that son. Yeah. No. I mean,
16:52
Christine is an adult, so I mean, I'm more concerned about Christine is with a nice son, I figure. Okay. I'm saying an
17:00
adult's an adult. They can come and go and do whatever they want. A one-year-old's at the mercy of whoever's with him. Yeah. When detectives asked
17:07
him about his whereabouts over the weekend Christine was killed, he would only seem to offer up rather vague
17:13
answers. So, were you at the house at all this weekend? Her house? Christine's
17:21
not. You didn't go there to pick anything up, drop anything off on
17:27
In fact, he would pause very often.
17:32
sometimes so long that I can even narrate sentences like this between the officer's question and his answer. No,
17:40
sure. When asked by officers if he could prove that he spoke to Christine the day prior
17:46
by showing his call logs, Jose did agree to show them his phone, but lo and behold, it appeared that no phone call
17:53
actually took place. Can you can I look at like the mis calls and stuff like that on this?
17:59
There are none. There are no mis calls. Nothing. I don't know. That phone is bugged out.
18:04
That phone dies out. Is you can Is it a smartphone? Jose, when did you go to
18:11
Hector's house? Friday. When? Friday.
18:19
Friday, right? When did you come home?
18:33
[Music]
18:40
Uh Monday time roughly to my mom house. Yeah. To where
18:47
I live at. Yep.
18:54
The other day. Not sure. End of day. During the day, not during the day.
19:03
Your dad said you went to Christine's Friday with her. Why would he tell me that?
19:11
He said that I went to Christine. Yes. Probably. That's why he thought I was.
19:17
Why would you? You said you told him where you went and if you told him you went to Hector. She got her own car,
19:24
right? But why would he tell me that you went to Christine's if you told him where you went?
19:32
Why would he tell? He probably assumed Vanessa's missing and it's my one-year-old daughter. I'm worried.
19:38
That's why I keep trying to call my my kids. The hole right here. You talked about
19:45
everything but her. The hole right here. You didn't talk
19:50
about a one-year-old daughter that's missing. I don't get that. That's my daughter. Yeah, I that's we want to find
19:58
her and the only reason you're here is to find her is to help us find her. All
20:03
right, so let's find her. So where is she? I don't know. She I feel like you don't want to give
20:11
us any information. Your your father's given us more information that you're willing and you would know. You would
20:17
know every single piece of information that your father would know. She's with Christine. That's all I know.
20:22
Christine's a big girl. I'm not worried about Christine. I'm worried about a one-year-old that has no control over
20:28
her life. Zero. That's who I want to find. All
20:34
right. Not 40-year-old Christine or however old she is. I'm here to find
20:40
your daughter. Okay. Let's find And like I said, I find it absolutely bizarre that the whole right here. So, what do
20:47
you think? Did I have my daughter hidden somewhere? I don't know. I'm asking you for help to find her. I don't know. Do
20:53
you you have no idea where she could be, nor did you even really talk about it on the whole ride. So, let's talk about her
21:00
then. Do you have your daughter? This was getting extremely uncomfortable
21:05
for Jose. But the most striking thing is that there was no emotion behind him. No
21:11
outrage, no sadness, and no disbelief. Just pure apathy. As the hours dragged
21:16
on, that lack of emotion and reaction became the loudest thing in the room because sometimes it's not what people
21:22
say or confess, it's what they can't fake. And Joseé Morales, he couldn't even pretend to care. So, the story of
21:29
Christine's murder was now becoming all too painfully obvious for the police. But even still, it wasn't a story that
21:36
anyone wanted to believe. And look, I know I'm showing a lot of interrogation footage here, but this is one of those
21:41
rare occasions where officers really don't hold back. And Jose, he was crumbling hard. I'm going with the
21:48
conversation that I'm having. This stuff doesn't allow me to what you want me to
21:54
do. Cry for my daughter. Cry for Christine. Cry. You can cry. You can laugh. You can do
22:00
whatever you want to do. She's Christine and her. They're not that close. I'm not
22:05
that close to them. Yeah. You said you weren't close to Christine. You didn't care about her. But your daughter was
22:11
extremely important. You said that. Well, well, I guess. Yeah, but my my life is the kids that you met at my
22:17
house. That's where I live. Okay, let's talk about them. All right, let's talk about them. You You want to be there for
22:23
them? Yeah. So, I'm going home. Okay. Okay. Just How long do you think
22:31
that? Keep me updated. What now? What happens if we never find Vanessa? We're
22:38
going to What you mean what happen if we never find Vanessa? Cuz I don't know where they are.
22:44
Jose, if I knew who they are, you wouldn't be sitting here right now. We wouldn't even be having a conversation. We wouldn't have Steven is not here and
22:51
everybody else is not here. Cuz they were already were here. We already had this conversation. All right. This is
22:57
crazy. So, you understood what I told you, right? That somebody saw you leaving the house today, Monday. Yes.
23:04
You understand that? He was then asked to surrender his clothes to detectives and then given a white suit to wear on
23:10
his way home. And just like that, Jose was then released back into the public.
23:18
I can put the sneakers on. You really going to have me go home like this? Mhm.
23:24
You do, boss. Mhm. And then, of course, only one day later,
23:29
officers would find Christine's body in the bathtub. From that moment onwards, the case shifted gears because this was
23:36
no longer a missing person's report. Instead, it was a full-blown homicide investigation. And all of a sudden, all
23:42
eyes were on Jose because not only had his girlfriend now officially been murdered, but his daughter was missing
23:49
without her mother. No surprise, but that is precisely what made this case all the more urgent. Because this wasn't
23:55
just a simple tragedy that had now finished. A child was actively missing. And just as the weight of this evidence
24:01
was now becoming somewhat substantial, something else happened. something that would propel this case to the next
24:09
level. It was on December the 4th, 2019 that two volunteers were clearing out
24:15
the clothing donation bins outside of St. Michael's Church. Now, this was only meant to be a routine job, simply
24:22
sorting through bags of old clothes and then putting them in the truck. However, what they found this morning was
24:29
anything but ordinary. As they unlocked one of the bins and started pulling the items out, something strange caught
24:36
their attention. Among the donations was what appeared to be a diaper genie. Nothing too suspicious. After all, it's
24:42
good for any child. But that was when they realized that it was covered in blood. Now, at first, the volunteers
24:49
were not so sure what they were looking at. But as they kept digging, they realized it wasn't only one or two
24:55
items. Instead, there appeared to be several bags all spotted in blood. They
25:00
loaded the items into a van and then brought them back to the warehouse. It was only the following day, however,
25:07
that they would take a closer look, and that is when they found something extremely chilling. Inside one of those
25:13
bags was a woman's dress, and alongside it was a letter addressed to Christine
25:18
Holay. The name already appeared to ring a bell, and a quick Google search would tell them everything they needed to
25:24
know. News reports had erupted with Christine as the woman who was recently found murdered in her own home. And so
25:32
in light of this, they called the police immediately. Now, the police were already growing quite suspicious over
25:38
Jose, especially after his rather terrible performance in the interrogation room. But then something
25:44
else came through. More surveillance footage. Now, of course, building the timeline wasn't instant, but the moment
25:50
that Christine had been found dead in the bathtub, officers started asking neighbors for any nest cam footage. And
25:56
after a few days of collecting that footage, let's just say that, well, the pieces started coming together frame by
26:02
frame. And what that footage would eventually reveal was something that no one was prepared
26:08
[Music] for. To begin with, forensic analysts determined that Christine was murdered
26:14
sometime between the late hours of November the 30th and the early hours of December the 1st, which meant the
26:21
surveillance footage that came next, it was captured after her murder. At exactly 6:00 a.m. on the morning that
26:27
Christine was killed, her vehicle was caught driving down Myrtle Avenue, which is the same street where she, Jose, and
26:34
Vanessa all lived. Only 5 minutes later, it was then again spotted heading south
26:39
on Elm Street, meaning that with it traveling in this direction, it was leaving the home and the crime scene.
26:45
Only a few minutes later, the same car shows up on Derby Avenue driving towards St. Michael's Church. And if that name
26:52
rings a bell, well, it should because that's the exact location where the bloodcovered diaper genie and her
26:58
clothing were all found in the donation bin. And so right there we have the car, the crime scene, and the dumped evidence
27:05
all linked to this driver. But the burning question here now was who was behind the wheel. 6 minutes later, the
27:13
same vehicle is seen heading back in the opposite direction, retracing its path. And while the footage did give them a
27:19
good timeline, the resolution was too low to ID the driver. That was until our
27:24
next surveillance camera, which was the real watershed moment. At 6:18 a.m., and
27:30
ignore the time stamp here, a surveillance camera from the Shell gas station on Main Street showed Christine's vehicle showing up. Not only
27:37
that, but it parked right in front of the entrance. And side note, but the driver clearly did not care about the
27:43
massive no parking sign here. And guess who steps out? Yep, it's Joseé Morales.
27:49
After walking inside, he tries to buy a pack of cigarettes, but unfortunately for him, he can't find the change, and
27:56
so he walks off instead. Another camera inside would catch his face quite clearly, and there is no mistaking it.
28:02
By this point, the sun's beginning to rise. Jose spends the next hour and a half driving back and forth almost
28:09
aimlessly before then eventually heading back at 6:25 via Cottage Street. He then
28:14
stays at the house, that being the crime scene, until 8:00 a.m. and then leaves again shortly after before returning at
28:21
8:25 and then again at 1:00 p.m. The following day, Christine's car is spotted leaving and then returning four
28:29
separate times in the morning. That being at 4:30, 6, 7:30, and 9:30. It's
28:35
safe to say that the people of Ansonia are not shy with their Nest cameras because, as you can see, there are
28:41
plenty of these cameras tracing his movements. And then only a few hours after all of that back and forth, the
28:47
police show up at the front door. With all of this new information, it became quite obvious what needed to happen
28:53
next. The police were desperate to speak to Jose again. And thankfully, he wasn't too hard to find. Turns out he'd gone
29:00
back to his parents' home to lay low while police discovered his girlfriend's body. And when they showed up for a
29:06
second time, let's just say he didn't seem too shocked. Jose told the officers that he would never hurt Christine and
29:13
especially not Vanessa. And despite his rather sluggish reactions, he would even say that he had no idea Christine was
29:20
dead. At first, he claimed that he hadn't been at the house all weekend. But detectives, they knew that was a
29:26
lie. And as soon as Jose clocked on to that, well, he tried to shift and change his story. And as for his parents'
29:32
reaction to the news, well, you don't need me to describe it. You can see for yourself.
29:39
We know where Christine is. Do you know where Christine is? Yes. Oh, you got to find one. Yes. Well, you want to call
29:46
the baby? Uh, Christine's dead. Go, go, go, go, go, go,
29:54
go. What happened to her?
30:00
This is the moment that officers informed the Morales family of Christine's death. You can see just how
30:06
upset Jose's parents were. But meanwhile, in the background, he hardly seems emotionally moved at all.
30:15
We're looking for this to shine the light on our situation
30:21
that we're working with right now. We're investigating. So, I'll let you know this. It's a homicide.
30:28
[Applause] Oh my god. We are looking for all the help we can
30:35
get. It is noted that both the officers and Jose's parents all seemed to be rattled,
30:42
not just by the news, but by his own reaction, too. Investigators had already seen him leaving Christine's home on
30:49
multiple occasions. And yet, in that room, Jose acted like he still couldn't
30:54
or wouldn't face the truth. Where do you find this? Will you follow
30:59
her? Will you follow her? She's at her. She's at her apartment.
31:05
Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh, we we can't find the car that he
31:12
says she's always driving, but we we know where the car is that you say that she's driving. They
31:17
know why. Yeah. What's that? When I asked you about her buying a new
31:24
car, you said you knew nothing about it. No, I knew about it. Why did you say you didn't know anything about it? I didn't know about it. First time talking to
31:31
Well, she bought a car. She bought it. She bought a car. Jose, where you want us today,
31:38
Jose? We also just took your car. The car is gone. Yep.
31:44
I don't know. I don't know. But you want me to come up with an idea, make something up? What you want me to do?
31:50
What you want me to say to just a situation?
31:56
Cornered by the facts, he suddenly seemed to shift his story. But even then, something was off. His words
32:02
didn't carry the weight of someone who was genuinely shocked or grieving. Instead, he appeared to be quite
32:08
defensive about the entire thing. Obviously, something did happen. Were they in a serious relationship? Huh?
32:15
Were they in a serious relationship? Yeah. Well, he said it was Oh, it wasn't a serious relationship. They were dating
32:22
up. So, he's going to say you were Yeah, I was at on Monday. I was with him on
32:27
Monday. The weekend? The weekend? No, Monday. But you just said you were with Hector
32:33
on Monday. You said I don't remember what I was doing on Monday. I was with Hector the weekend. The weekend. What
32:39
about Monday? They asking about Monday. And to make matters even worse for him, detectives
32:46
were able to poke holes in his new version of events right there on the spot. You leave? But not here. And you
32:54
are putting up a lot of walls. It's not that a lot of walls. Yeah. Maybe my
32:59
brain is messed up, maybe. But I don't I I'm not clear about the person. Okay. I
33:05
can I can understand that. You have a lot of stress in your life. Yeah. I had no job. So by now it was no surprise
33:11
when Jose was officially arrested for the murder of Christine. I mean, the evidence was quite literally stacking up
33:18
by the day. And his story, it didn't hold water. I mean, there was so much for officers to go on here. Surveillance
33:25
footage, phone records, and his own shifting stories painted a picture that was simply too curious to ignore, but
33:31
the real thing that sealed his fate was how he reacted to the information. Nevertheless, his arrest sent shock
33:37
waves through both families, and Christine's parents were absolutely heartbroken that a man she had let in
33:43
was now being triled for her murder. And as for Jose's parents, well, let's just say it was a different kind of grief. a
33:50
sort of dark and morbid confusion to look at a man, their son, who they'd loved and raised for so many years, now
33:57
turn into a monster. Unfortunately, it would take five long years for Jose's trial to
34:04
begin, which is why a case that started in 2019 is only now unfolding. And by
34:09
the time that that moment would finally arrive, well, Jose, he had a whole new
34:14
version of events. And although he admitted that yes, he was at the property when Christine was murdered, he
34:20
insisted that it was not what it looked like. According to Jose, on the night that she was murdered, he stepped
34:26
outside to smoke PCP and claimed it left him foggy, offbalance, and disoriented.
34:32
He then claims that when he returned to the apartment, he went into the bathroom and sat down on the toilet. And that is
34:39
when through his drugged out haze, he noticed two masked intruders approaching the home. but with his pants down and
34:46
his mind clouded, he could not react in time to stop them. Jose then claims that he reached out for Christine's phones
34:52
and dialed 911. But before he could say anything, one of the intruders allegedly hit him across the face and chest, which
35:00
would ultimately leave him on the floor incapacitated. It was from the floor that he then claims to have heard
35:06
Christine scream. One man allegedly attacked her while the other grabbed Vanessa. Jose then watched his
35:12
girlfriend get beat with a crowbar allegedly. He then says that the intruders fled, leaving him with
35:18
Christine's body. But as for baby Vanessa, apparently she had been abducted. So that's Jose's new story.
35:26
But the problem was that his statement completely contradicted what he originally told investigators. At first,
35:32
he initially claimed that he hadn't seen Christine at all that day. In fact, he said that he wasn't even at the property
35:39
at all. and certainly hadn't called 911 to report two masked intruders. So, with
35:45
him now suddenly placing himself at the crime scene in the middle of a violent break-in and claiming to be a helpless
35:52
witness rather than a suspect. Well, to the prosecution, that shift wasn't just
35:57
suspicious, it was entirely damning. Mr. Morales, did you kill Christine
36:03
Holloway? No. Mr. Morales, were you so intoxicated on
36:10
a substance PCP or alcohol or any other substance that you do not remember
36:17
killing Christine Holloway. I did not kill Christine Holloway. I just want to be sure. Right. We heard the 911 tape.
36:24
Is there any possibility that this is a delusion that
36:30
you are engaged in? No. Okay. And you're 100% sure of that? I'm 100% sure that
36:38
people came into the apartment. People came into your house and they killed
36:44
Well, one of them did. Yes. Okay. It is also worth noting here that the jury ended up needing more breaks than usual,
36:50
largely thanks to Jose's absolute bumbling. His inconsistent testimony, constant stumbles and backtracks, and
36:57
halfbake recollections made it painfully clear that he was either completely unprepared or wasn't telling the truth
37:05
at all. And let's just say that in a courtroom like this, neither is a good look. Adding to the weight of evidence
37:11
against him was his very own landlord, who at the time was running a small workshop in the garage beneath the
37:17
property. He told the court that on the day that Christine was killed, he could hear loud, heavy thuds coming from the
37:24
apartment upstairs. That did seem to stand out because according to him, he
37:29
almost never heard anything from above. And then of course came the forensics, the part that no one could talk their
37:36
way out of. Christine's DNA was found on Jose's shoes, inside his car, and on
37:41
several trash bags inside his trunk. Not only that, but his hair was found on her
37:46
hands, and phone data placed him at the crime scene at the time she was murdered. Surveillance footage aside,
37:53
the physical evidence would tell its own story. One that only seemed to get darker when a forensic anthropologist
38:00
reconstructed fragments of Christine's skull, revealing the unmistakable signs of blunt force trauma, likely through a
38:07
crowbar. The jury would only take 2 and 1/2 hours to discuss the verdict. And when they returned, the courtroom fell
38:14
into a heavy silence. Because despite the bizarre story that Jose had told,
38:19
despite the years that had passed, and despite the legal back and forth, the evidence was overwhelming. And so, it is
38:26
no surprise to tell you that Joseé Morales was found guilty of the murder of Christine Holay. He was also found
38:33
guilty of tampering with evidence. in docket number A
38:40
CR20186660T and the first count of the amended information charging the defendant Jose Morales with crime of
38:45
murder in violation of section 53A-54A of the Connecticut General
38:50
Statutes. How do you find the defendant as to the crime of murder? Guilty.
38:58
in document number A CR2018666T and the second count of the
39:05
amended information charging the defendant Jose Morales with the crime of tampering with physical evidence in
39:10
violation of section 53A-155 of the Connecticut general statutes. How do you find the defendant
39:16
as to the crime of tampering with physical evidence? Guilty or not guilty? Guilty.
39:22
However, even with a conviction secured and so much time passing by, there was one question that still remained. Where
39:29
is Vanessa? Christine's murder was simply tragic enough. But the fact that her one-year-old daughter has been
39:35
missing ever since makes this story all the more haunting. But despite the national coverage, Amber alerts, and
39:41
countless efforts, Vanessa still hasn't been found. Not a trace. And tragically,
39:46
as time goes on, it looks more and more likely that not only did Joseé murder his daughter, but he got away with it,
39:53
too. And as for Vanessa's mother, Christine Holay was a devoted mom, a beloved daughter, and a woman who tried
40:00
again and again to see the best in someone who ultimately did not deserve her. Her life was stolen far too soon.
40:08
And her daughter, even still, has vanished into the unknown. And although Joseé Morales may now be sitting behind
40:15
bars, the story is not over. Not for Christine's family. Not for the investigators still searching and
40:22
certainly not for Vanessa. And until she is found, until that final chapter is
40:27
written, this case remains a haunting reminder that justice does not always
40:32
mean resolution. We can only hope that one day she is found safe and well.
40:38
Now that I come to think of it, Jose could be one of the dumbest killers that I've ever covered on this channel. I
40:44
mean, I know technically he could have got away with disposing of his daughter's body, but everything else
40:50
just screams absolute idiot. From leaving behind a mountain of evidence to showing no motion to then changing his
40:56
story mid-trial. Well, he basically gave the prosecution everything they needed.
41:01
I think I'll finish this video here, but before I go, I'd love to know what you think about Jose's story. And even more
41:08
importantly, what do you think happened to Vanessa? Personally, I think he very likely did murder his daughter.
41:15
Honestly, this is just one of those stories that leaves you absolutely haunted by the end of it. So, with that
41:20
said, please share your comments down below. And before I go, I'd love to say thank you so much for watching this
41:26
video and making it this far. I really do appreciate it. If you'd like to support the channel, then please remember that I do have a Patreon or
41:33
alternatively follow me on social media, most notably my Instagram. Once again, thank you so much for spending your time
41:39
with me today, folks. I really do appreciate it. I'll likely see you again in a few days, but until then, remember
41:45
to look after each other, stay safe, and of course, stay curious. Thank you and goodbye.