Erika Cirioni was a 26-year-old mother of two boys who lived in Norwich, Connecticut. Her family remembers her as their baby, a woman who, despite any struggles, did not deserve her fate. Her mother, Carol Cirioni, described the pain of losing her daughter, saying, "She was no angel, but she didn’t deserve to be buried out there like an animal. She was my baby." For years, her sons, who were 10 and 15 when their mother was finally found, held out hope that she was still alive.
The last time Erika was seen was on New Year's Eve, December 31, 2006. She left her home on Division Street in Norwich, apparently walking toward a celebration downtown to ring in the new year. When she did not return, her mother reported her missing to the Norwich Police Department in early January 2007. For more than five years, her family waited for answers, her disappearance becoming one of the region's most prominent cold cases.
The Chief State's Attorney's office included her case in a deck of cold case playing cards distributed to inmates in state prisons, hoping to generate new leads.
A grim discovery was made on March 18, 2012. Children playing in a wooded area off Oxoboxo Dam Road in Montville, a neighboring town, found skeletal remains that were partially buried. A few days later, on March 22, two Norwich detectives arrived at Carol Cirioni's home. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner had used dental records to positively identify the remains as Erika. "I knew this day would come eventually," her mother said upon hearing the news. "I'm just numb. It's like a bomb dropped on my head." Authorities officially classified Erika's death as a homicide.
The investigation into who killed Erika Cirioni has spanned well over a decade, involving the Norwich Police Department and the Connecticut State Police. In the years following her disappearance, police searched various locations, including the grounds of the former Norwich Hospital. After her remains were found, the investigation intensified. In May 2012, more than 50 law enforcement officers canvassed neighborhoods near where her body was discovered, knocking on doors and interviewing residents. "We're leaving no stone unturned," a state police spokesman said at the time.
Years later, a significant development led investigators to a specific location. In March 2016, based on new information, state and local police executed a search warrant at an apartment at 450 East Main Street in Norwich. Authorities did not publicly disclose what prompted the search or what, if anything, was found, but it signaled that detectives were actively pursuing new leads in the long-unsolved homicide.
Though years have passed, the case has never been forgotten by law enforcement or Erika's family. "Unfortunately, this was expected. That doesn't make it any easier," her sister Lisa said after Erika's remains were identified. Her mother expressed a desire for justice, stating, "I want whoever did this to hang. I believe in an eye for an eye." The family finally had a place to mourn, but the question of who was responsible remained unanswered.
As of August 2024, Erika Cirioni's murder remains an active and open cold case. The State of Connecticut continues to offer a $50,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for her death. Investigators urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward. Tips can be directed to the Norwich Police Department at 860-886-5561 or the state's Cold Case Unit tip line at 860-548-0606 or toll-free at 1-866-623-8058. Information can also be sent by email to [email protected].
