The estranged husband of a missing Connecticut mother of five says he loves and misses his children, who remain in his mother-in-law's custody while he faces criminal charges.
Fotis Dulos made his first public comments Wednesday since Jennifer Dulos disappeared May 24 in New Canaan after dropping her children off at school.
"I just want to tell my children that they are constantly on my mind and that I love them and I miss them very much," he told reporters, including PIX11 sister station WTIC, on scene.
In a motion filed Tuesday, attorneys for Fotis Dulos asked for Jennifer Dulos' attorney to be disqualified, so that he and members of his firm could be material witnesses in both the divorce and criminal cases.
The filing came after a Monday motion in which attorneys for Fotis Dulos said that he denies any involvement in her disappearance and that Jennifer Dulos had motive to cast suspicion on him for her disappearance out of "personal vengeance," citing the theory she may have disappeared in a "Gone Girl"-style escape from her life.
In a statement, Jennifer Dulos' family and friends called the theory "false and irresponsible."
The motion requested that the most recent custody evaluation be unsealed to aid in the defense of Fotis Dulos. On Tuesday, Pattis elaborated, saying in court filings that the evaluation "contains material that tends to exonerate him of all crimes associated with the disappearance of Ms. Dulos."
He and his girlfriend have pleaded not guilty to evidence tampering and hindering prosecution. He spoke briefly to reporters after a family court hearing in Stamford.
Pattis also repeated a suggestion that Jennifer Dulos may not have been a victim of foul play and says he is "contemplating a revenge/suicide hypothesis as an explanation for her disappearance."
Police allege Fotis Dulos and his girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, discarded items containing Jennifer Dulos' blood.
Pattis said in a statement that Dulos "should not be effectively imprisoned on conditions of release and kept from those he loves -- including his children."