The mother of Denise Lynette Hart, a missing 25-year-old Connecticut college student whose vehicle was recently found ablaze, is desperate for answers in her daughter's unexplained disappearance.
"Not knowing is killing me," Dedre Robinson told The Huffington Post. "I just want my daughter home. I need her and her 3-year-old son needs her. We're incomplete without her."
Advertisement
Hart, who is studying to be a parole officer, was last seen on the evening of Jan. 25, when she left a friend's residence in Sudbury, Vermont. Sudbury is a small town located in the Champlain Valley.
Several hours later, in the early morning hours of Jan. 26, the 2001 Pontiac Grand Am Hart was driving was found engulfed in flames near the Cornwall-Salisbury Covered Bridge, which is located roughly 11 miles south of Sudbury.
"It’s a very rural area -- it's out there," Vermont State Police Public Information Officer Scott Waterman told HuffPost.
Because of the circumstances, Waterman said there is a "strong indication" of foul play.
Detectives have conducted multiple interviews with individuals who last had contact with Hart. What, if anything, they have learned is not yet known.
Advertisement
"That is part of the investigation," Waterman said. "We can't get into the relationship she had with folks here."
CASE PHOTOS: (Story Continues Below)
Denise Hart Missing
According to Robinson, her daughter regularly traveled from her Hartford, Connecticut, home to Vermont.
"She has friends up there that she has known for a while," Robinson said, adding that her daughter was not dating anyone in that state that she is aware of.
"She is a wonderful person," Robinson continued. "She is very family-oriented and she adores her 3-year-old son."
The distraught mother said she is now caring for her daughter's son, who does not yet know his mother is missing.
Advertisement
"I'm taking care of him," she said. "I'm trying to keep him in the dark. He knows something is going on, but he doesn't know what."
In an unusual twist to an already bizarre case, Robinson said her daughter was named after her father's aunt -- her grandmother's sister -- who was murdered in the 1980s.
"All I know is that her boyfriend at the time climbed in a window and killed her," said Robinson.
Hart's grandmother, Gloria Hart, declined to discuss her sister's murder.
"That crime has been solved and that person has done his time," Gloria Hart told HuffPost. "I have a mental block of it. I won't let myself remember it. That’s my way of protecting myself from the pain."
Denise Hart's father, William Hart, said he is horrified by the thought that his daughter's disappearance could be equally tragic.
"She's a treasure to me," Hart told HuffPost. "I just want somebody to find her."
Authorities in Vermont are actively investigating Hart's disappearance. On Wednesday, investigators conducted a search of Otter Creek. The stream runs below the Cornwall-Salisbury Covered Bridge.
Advertisement
"We searched with sonar and cameras, [but] nothing turned up," Waterman said.
For now, Robinson and the rest of Denise Hart's family must continue to wait for answers.
"As a mother and a grandmother, I am asking anybody with any information to please call the police," Robinson said. "We just want to know where she is."
Denise Hart, also known as "Tiffany" and "Chookie," is described as an African American female, 5 feet 1 inches tall and 115 pounds. She has black hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Vermont State Police at 802-773-9101.
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.