‘Every day it’s haunting.’ Search for Norwalk woman’s body hits 40 years

Saturday marks 40 years since April Grisanti, 20, was forced into a car outside a Norwalk bar and presumably killed.

Marissa Alter

Jan 31, 2025, 10:54 PM

Updated 3 hr ago

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Saturday marks 40 years since April Grisanti, 20, was forced into a car outside a Norwalk bar and presumably killed. The case isn't a whodunnit, but there’s one question that continues to torment her family: where is April Grisanti’s body?
“We never got to bring her home, so every day it's haunting,” explained Gina Grisanti, April’s sister.
April Grisanti was last seen outside Anthony’s Bar on Main Street following a fight there with a man she'd previously been involved with, James "Purple" Aaron. Witnesses told police Aaron dragged her into his car and took off. That was just after midnight Feb. 1, 1985.
“Worst day of our lives. Hard to believe it's been 40 years. It still hurts every second of the day,” Gina Grisanti told News 12.
April Grisanti’s wallet later turned up near a Norwalk school and her car was recovered from the Norwalk River, but police never found April Grisanti.
Aaron was convicted of her kidnapping but with no body, couldn't be charged with her suspected death. He died in prison in 2016, while serving time on unrelated charges. That hasn't stopped Gina Grisanti from her search for her sister’s remains.
“I pretty much stayed in Connecticut just for this reason—trying to find her, always feeling guilty if I left. And I would like to, you know, leave Connecticut. It's too many bad memories, but I’d like to take her with me,” Gina explained.
That's why getting answers about her sister's whereabouts is so important now. Gina Grisanti’s daughter, who’s named for her aunt, lives out of state.
“I would love to be with my April,” Gina Grisanti said. “I just want to make sure that, you know, if I’m going to leave, I’m going to leave with some kind of knowledge of where she is or where she could’ve been, and for it to be the truth.”
Gina Grisanti believes other people know what Aaron did with April Grisanti's body. She said she doesn't care about arrests, just information.
“Tell the truth. Please, if you know something, say something. Do it for my mother. She's 82,” Gina Grisanti pleaded. “If it's your family, you'd want them home too.”
Gina Grisanti asks anyone with answers to call her at 203-505-1200.
April Grisanti’s case remains with the Norwalk Police Department’s Cold Case Unit, which can be reached at 203-854-3111. Anonymous tips can be called in to 203-854-3111 or texted to TIP411 (847411) by typing NORWALKPD followed by the information.