Justice eludes family of CT mom found strangled in Burlington pond
More than six years after 26-year-old Kelsey Mazzamaro was found dead in a Burlington, Conn., pond, her family is still waiting for answers — and justice.
Mazzamaro was a mother of two. She was book smart, beautiful and a free spirit with a quirky sense of humor, her family said.
Her body was found by a passing motorist in a pond off Upson Road on May 6, 2018. An autopsy later revealed she had been strangled, and her death was ruled a homicide.
But despite several attempts by police to solicit more details from the public, what happened to Mazzamaro is still a mystery.
Mazzamaro lived in the Oakville section of Watertown, about 20 miles from where her body was found. Some state records also list her as living in Litchfield.
She was known to spend time in the Torrington and Waterbury areas, officials have said. She had a tattoo of the name Danny on her left arm, and on her Facebook profile, she is listed as being married to a man with that name.
After three years with few leads, the state issued a $50,000 reward in September 2021 for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case. The reward was authorized by Gov. Ned Lamont.
Kelsey’s father, Carl Mazzamaro, has said all his daughter wanted was to be a good mother. Eileen Mazzamaro, Kelsey’s mother, has been the main caretaker for the young children since the tragedy.
“At some point, Kelsey’s children are going to want to know what happened to their mother,” New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski said when the reward was announced. “Ultimately, we are asking for your help in giving them an answer.”
Carl Mazzamaro urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Do the right thing. That’s all I’m saying,” he said during a news conference in 2021.
Officials are particularly interested in talking to anyone who knows of Mazamaro’s whereabouts on May 5 and 6, 2018, and in the hours before she was killed. A number of tips came in after the reward was announced, police have said, but so far nothing that has led to an arrest.
Carl Mazzamaro told CT Insider in 2021 that losing a child is a difficult thing to go through, and that every day is tough.
“There is never closure when you lose a child,” he said.
Officials have said they still believe there are people out there with information.
“There are individuals who have pieces of this puzzle and we would like to talk to them,” Preleski said in a news release. “Even if you have information that you don’t think is particularly useful, please share it with us so we can put it into the larger context of the entire investigation.”
Anyone who may have information is asked to call the state’s Cold Case Unit at 1-866-623-8058 or email them at cold.case@ct.gov.
To help the two children – a boy and a girl – the family also set up a memorial fund. Contributions may be made to the “Marino Children Memorial Fund” via Webster Bank, 311 West St., Litchfield, CT 06759.