It's been over five years since a welfare check in Ansonia turned into a murder and kidnapping case that drew national attention. Now, beginning April 7, the man at the center of it will finally go before a jury in what's expected to be a month-long trial at Milford Superior Court. Jose Morales, 48, is charged with murder and evidence tampering in the death of Christine Holloway, 43, the mother of his baby daughter, Vanessa Morales. The little girl is currently still missing. On Dec. 2, 2019, after the long Thanksgiving weekend, Holloway didn't show up to work at the Bridgeport day care where she taught. She also wasn't answering her phone, leading her boss at Bright Morning Star Daycare to call Ansonia police. An officer went to the home on Myrtle Avenue that afternoon, but no one answered the door, police said. Police ended up returning there at night after Holloway's brother and sister-in-law went to the police department to report their concerns. They said it was unlike Holloway not to check in with them during the day or return their calls. They also told police Holloway's boyfriend, Morales, would typically stay at her home from Friday afternoon until Monday morning. Police said they forced entry into Holloway's home around 8:15 p.m. and found her naked, lifeless body brutally beaten in the bathtub. There was no sign of 1-year-old Vanessa, who family said was always with her. "I remember screaming, not realizing it was me. Screaming, 'No! It can't be,'" Holloway's sister-in-law, Jodi Jacobellis, later recounted to News 12. Police issued an Amber Alert, with the FBI and state police joining the investigation. Almost immediately, Morales became a suspect since he was the last one to see Holloway or Vanessa. He was quickly taken into custody on unrelated gun charges after a search warrant was executed at his home in New Haven. Morales couldn't post bond, so police spent the next two months questioning people, gathering evidence and testing bloodstains before arresting him in this case. During that time, the search to find Vanessa intensified. Local businesses hung the toddler's picture in their windows while community members handed out flyers. "I'm a mom from Ansonia, and I feel like it's my duty to help. If it was my daughter, I'd want somebody doing the same thing," said Marissa Toth on Dec. 6, 2019, as she stood at a local intersection, sharing Vanessa's photo with drivers. "Never did I think we'd hear the words 'kidnapping' and 'Ansonia' in the same sentence. And right in the neighborhood where I grew up," added 3rd Ward Alderman Joseph Cassetti. Facebook pages and groups dedicated to bringing Vanessa home were also created. The investigation took detectives to donation bins in Derby and Hamden, where they found a number of baby toys and items, a left pink Croc infant shoe, personal papers of Holloway's and a man's T-shirt - all stained with Holloway's blood, Morales' arrest warrant later revealed. A matching right pink Croc infant shoe was located in Holloway's home. But what police never found was Vanessa's Graco car seat, an Eddie Bauer backpack, her polka-dot comforter and her favorite teething ring. That led police to believe someone took those items to care for her. "We believe Vanessa is alive," Lt. Patrick Lynch stated at a news conference on Dec. 19, 2019. "That is our driving force. When see items like that missing that would be used to care for a child, that gives us the impetus that she is out there, and she is with someone. We want to bring her home safely." On Feb. 7, 2020, Morales was charged with murder and evidence tampering in the case. His 24-page arrest warrant included witness statements, surveillance camera video and DNA evidence that put him at the crime scene. According to the warrant, data from Morales' phones placed him in Holloway's neighborhood, despite Morales telling police otherwise. Tissue-like material and a reddish-brown stain on Morales' shoes came back as Holloway's DNA, the warrant said. Police also recovered a trash bag with Holloway's blood on it in the trunk of Morales' car, the warrant stated. One neighbor told police he saw Morales leaving the home in the late morning or early afternoon of Dec. 2. Others stated they heard what sounded like hammering and furniture being moved around on Dec. 1, according to the warrant. The warrant also contained information about Holloway's autopsy, which noted "several round shaped marks that measured approximately 1 inch in diameter on Christine's body and head." The medical examiner said her death was the result of blunt force injuries to her head and torso. But Morales' warrant offered no clues to Vanessa's whereabouts. Morales told police he was using PCP that weekend and doesn't remember anything, but he would never hurt Holloway or Vanessa. Court documents obtained by News 12 in 2019 showed Morales had a history of violence, including two arrests in 2012 for incidents with an ex-girlfriend. In one, police said he was high on PCP when he pinned her to the floor and threatened to break all her bones. The woman already had a restraining order against him at the time. During an interview with News 12 in 2021, Holloway's sister-in-law said Holloway had mentioned Morales' struggles with drugs but nothing about domestic violence. "Chrissy kept that all from us because she knew we'd be like, 'Get away from him.' But she saw something good in him," Jacobellis said. Morales' case has slowly made its way through the legal system over the years, with Holloway's and Vanessa's loved ones at each court appearance. Last year, Morales rejected a plea offer and opted to take his chances with a jury. "Myself and the family are content with going to trial because now we can prove Jose committed the crime, and there will be justice for my sister-in-law Christine," Jacobellis said after court that day. Morales hasn't been charged with his daughter's kidnapping, but police named him a suspect in it. Vanessa's disappearance will be part of his trial. Her family hopes the upcoming publicity of it will finally lead to her being found.