Dateline: Missing in America - 5 harrowing details about Denise Leary's disappearance

An episode of Dateline: Missing in America covered the shocking disappearance and subsequent death of Connecticut native Denise Leary.

As the Dateline episode showcased, Denise Leary was a fifty-nine-year-old woman who was last seen alive at her New Haven, Connecticut, residence on September 29, 2024. She was reported missing the next day by her family members. However, no trace of her was found for several months.

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Then, human remains were found on Rock Creek Road in New Haven, which were then identified as being those of Denise Leary.

Let's take a look at the five most harrowing details from the case as presented on the Dateline episode.

Dateline: The mysterious disappearance and death of Denise Leary explored in depth

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Keep reading to learn more about the bizarre disappearance and death of the New Haven resident.

1) Dateline: Denise Leary's cause of death remains undetermined

At the time of writing, the New Haven police department hasn't been able to determine the exact cause behind Denise Leary's mysterious death. According to the official statement, her remains were found in an advanced state of decay, and investigators working at the scene couldn't determine the gender or the age of the deceased on the spot. It was only confirmed later by the Chief Medical Officer working on the case that the remains belonged to Leary, who had been reported missing since fall last year.

2) Denise was picked up by an unknown individual

As per a statement given by Denise's twenty-year-old son Joshua to Dateline, Denise was reportedly picked up by an unknown individual from her home at around 10:30 PM. Joshua couldn't identify the person who picked up his mother, but he revealed that his mother might have been seeing someone.

3) Denise asked Joshua to turn off her phone's location

Joshua further revealed that before going out on the above-mentioned date, Denise had asked him to turn off her phone's location. Although Joshua was initially hesitant to do so, he eventually obliged. The police haven't been able to shed any light on why Denise might have wanted to do so.

4) Denise seemingly vanished from her room

Denise was last seen in her home, where she lived with her parents and Joshua. On the morning in question, Joshua knocked on her door per usual. Upon getting no response from her, they eventually broke into the room only to find that Denise had gone out through the window using cable cords to hoist herself.

5) A family friend claimed to have seen Denise

According to Dateline, a family friend of the Learys claimed to have seen Denise in the vicinity of Dixwell Avenue in Hamden, Connecticut, by the local Shop and Stop. According to the friend, she did not appear to be in an unnatural condition.