Hawleyville Excavation—

Danbury Man Facing Police Interference Charge

By Andrew Gorosko

DANBURY — A 65-year-old Danbury man was arraigned in Danbury Superior Court this week on a charge of interfering with police in connection with a state police investigation into the 1984 disappearance and presumed homicide of a Sherman woman.

After state police arrested Ernest Dachenhausen on April 25, he was held on $75,000 bail for his April 28 arraignment. Following the arraignment, Dachenhausen was released from custody on $10,000 bail for a May 12 court appearance.

Last fall, state police conducted an extensive excavation of the backyard at a Farrell Road home in Hawleyville in seeking clues into the disappearance and presumed homicide of Mary Badaracco, who was reported missing from her Sherman home by her daughters in August 1984. Dachenhausen formerly owned the Farrell Road property that state police excavated.

State police spokesman Lieutenant J. Paul Vance declined this week to explain why Dachenhausen was arrested on a charge of interfering with police in connection with their investigation’s into Badaracco’s death.

The arrest warrant affidavit in the Dachenhausen case has been sealed by the court, he said. Such documents explain the specific reason why police seek an arrest warrant.

Generally, the charge known as interfering with police, which is Class A misdemeanor, is construed to mean that the defendant has obstructed, resisted, hindered, or endangered a peace officer in the performance of his lawful duties.

Badaracco has not been located and she was declared legally dead in 1991. She was 38 years old when she was reported missing.

In September 2007, state police received a search and seizure warrant in this case. That warrant allowed them to search the rear yard of the home on Farrell Road.

Lt Vance has said that investigators did not find Badaracco’s body or body parts in the excavation.

During the excavation, items, including several automobiles, were seized as evidence in the case. State police detectives have developed several leads as a result of that excavation, according to Lt Vance.

State police spent several weeks at the excavation site after which they replaced the approximately 500 cubic yards of earthen material that had been removed from the property.

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for Ms Badaracco’s disappearance and/or homicide.

State police are encouraging the public to contact the state police’s Western District Major Crime Squad at Troop A in Southbury if they have information on the Badaracco case. The telephone number is 800-376-1554.