Search continues for missing Mansfield woman
Anne Marie Pappalardo is a mom of two boys. She grew up in the east end of Hartford, but was most recently living in Mansfield Center.
Two weeks ago, she went missing.
The 61-year-old was last seen on Sunday, Oct. 26, according to police. Her maroon Honda Civic was later found near the Natchaug State Forest, off Route 198 in Eastford, and officials closed off part of the forest to search for her on Oct. 27.
Environmental police and search dogs assisted state police, but the searches were unsuccessful.
The park is over 13,000 acres, has an extensive trail system and spans across several towns in the northeast corner of Connecticut, including Mansfield, Ashford, Chaplin, Eastford and Hampton.
Friends and family organized their own search a few days later, hoping to find anything that could lead them to Pappalardo. In a social media post on Nov. 1, Pappalardo’s niece thanked everyone who came out to help.
“I just wish my aunt could see how many people care about finding her and how much love surrounds her. Thank you all for your compassion, strength, and hope,” Deanna Bennett said in her post.
Pappalardo lost her husband of 27 years, Ralph, to cancer in 2016. They met when they were both 18 years old, and Ralph would send her love letters from all over the world after he enlisted in the Navy, according to his obituary.
Anne supported her husband’s career as a corrections officer, and in 2001 offered emotional testimony to the legislature’s Labor and Public Employees committee in support of a collective bargaining bill for corrections employees. She told the legislature about the toll her husband’s job was taking on the family, with newly implemented 10-hour shifts, verbal harassment and bullying and retaliation from supervisors. She supported him no longer working as a lieutenant.
“We decided that our family was more important,” Anne told the lawmakers during her testimony. “We have boys that want their daddy. We took the financial hit, and we’re all the much happier for it.”
Now, her family is looking for ways to help Anne – and to help the investigation into her disappearance.
They are hoping people who live or work near the state forest may be willing to share any video footage they may have.
Any business, homeowner, hiker, hunter or anyone with a trail camera or security camera near the forest is asked to review footage from Sunday, Oct. 26, at 4:45 p.m. through Monday, Oct. 27, at 2 p.m., according to WFSB News. They are also interested in footage from anyone along Route 198 and its side roads, they said.
“It may only take a few minutes to look through your footage, but it could change everything,” the Pappalardo family told WFSB. “Something small may be the thing that brings Anne home.”
Pappalardo is 5-foot-8 and about 150 pounds. She is white and has medium blonde hair and green eyes, and was last seen wearing a black jacket, a black vest, black leggings and brown boots.
“She completely vanished and zero clues,” another relative wrote on social media. “Please keep your eyes open for her.”
Anyone who may have seen her or might have any information related to her disappearance is asked to call Connecticut State Police Troop C at 860-896-3200.
A tip line has also been set up at (203) 242-2663 and any photos or screenshots from potential doorbell or surveillance cameras in the area can be emailed to HelpFindAnne@gmail.com.