A man accused of brutally killing and dismembering his 11-month-old daughter was arrested Friday after a weeks-long manhunt in Connecticut.
On Dec. 2, a witness called police with a tip after recognizing the fugitive at a bus stop in Waterbury, multiple outlets report. Christopher Francisquini, 31, was arrested soon after, per police updates. In a dash-cam video of the arrest, a number of officers are seen surrounding the man and yelling at him to get on the ground, which he does.
Waterbury is about six miles away from Naugatuck, where Francisquini lived with his 11-month-old daughter, Camilla, before her death.
Francisquini was wanted in connection with the baby’s death after Camilla’s body was found inside the home on Nov. 18. Camilla had been choked, stabbed and dismembered, Police Chief C. Colin McAllister said during a November press conference.
The father, who according to police has an extensive criminal record, was on house arrest with GPS monitoring as part of his bond conditions at the time his daughter died. It’s unclear why officials did not begin looking for him as soon as he allegedly fled the house after Camilla’s death.
Francisquini did not remove his GPS tracking device until later that day, when he got into an argument with Camilla’s mother and then went on the run, police allege.
“The dispute stemmed from an argument that occurred at Waterbury Petsmart which resulted in the Waterbury Police issuing an arrest warrant for Francisquini. … Francisquini [destroyed] cell phones and cut off his monitoring bracelet after that incident,” Chief McAllister tells PEOPLE.
After Camilla’s body was discovered, police announced on social media that they were “working around the clock” to track down Francisquini. The FBI joined the hunt, and a reward of $25,000 was offered.
Francisquini was last seen walking along a New Haven street on Nov. 18, according to NBC News. His car was found dumped along Interstate 91, per NBC, and Francisquini was deemed “ARMED AND DANGEROUS AND MENTALLY UNSTABLE,” the FBI New Haven tweeted.
After Francisquini’s Friday arrest, Naugatuck police posted, “We commend the professionalism of our neighbors at Waterbury Police Department who took Christopher Francisquini into custody this afternoon without incident. A violent and dangerous criminal has been removed from our streets.”
At a press conference following the arrest, McAllister said there may be others who assisted Francisquini during his time on the lam. “We can’t rule out that there may be additional arrests if we can determine that somebody was assisting or helping him,” McAllister said.
Camilla was laid to rest in a private ceremony for friends and family. Naugatuck police said her death had “a profound impact on both our officers and our community.”
McAllister also acknowledged Camilla’s family on Friday’s press conference, saying, “Nothing can ease the pain ... but we hope that they can breathe easier knowing that this violent criminal has been taken into custody.”
During the press conference, he called Camilla’s killing “heinous.”
Francisquini appeared in court for a hearing this morning and is still being held on $5 million bond. He faces murder with special circumstances and risk of injury to a child. It is unclear if he has entered a plea or retained a lawyer to speak on his behalf.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
