The Disappearance of Billy Smolinski

Key facts

• Name: William “Billy” Smolinski Jr.
• Born: circa 1972–1973, Connecticut
• Age at disappearance: 31
• Last seen: August 24, 2004, between 3:30 and 3:45 p.m.
• Location: 100 block of Holly Street, Waterbury, Connecticut
• Height / build: 6’0″–6’2″, 200 lbs, brown hair, blue eyes; blue cross tattoos, left ear pierced with a small diamond
• Status: Still missing — Waterbury Police Department, open investigation
• Investigating agency: Waterbury Police Department; FBI New Haven field office

The dog that was never supposed to be alone

On the afternoon of August 24, 2004, Billy Smolinski knocked on his neighbor’s door in Waterbury, Connecticut, and asked her to look after his German Shepherd, Harley, for a few days. He said he was going up north to look at a car. He was supposed to leave his keys with her so she could get in and feed the dog. He never gave her the keys.

He never came back.

When the neighbor went to check on Harley the next day, the house was locked with the dog inside. Billy’s pickup truck was still in the driveway — parked at the end of it, almost as if it were blocking the way. His wallet and keys were tucked under the driver’s seat. Everything he would have needed to go anywhere was exactly where he’d left it. Billy Smolinski was not.

He has not been seen or heard from since.

Who Billy was

Billy was 31, a working man from Waterbury holding down more jobs than most people could manage at once. He worked full time as an apprentice heating and air-conditioning technician for Midland Heating and Air Conditioning, drove a tow truck part time for Durable Towing, and picked up lawn-mowing and driveway-plowing work on the side. By every account he was dependable — he’d just been offered extra hours at one job after a layoff at another, and he was prepping his house to be painted the week he vanished.

He had no drug history, no criminal record, and drank only socially. He deposited most of his last paycheck in the bank before he disappeared. His bank accounts have not been touched since. His Social Security number has never been used. Whatever happened on Holly Street that afternoon, it wasn’t a man walking away from his life — it was a man who left a dog waiting to be fed.

The last day

The morning of August 24 began at roughly 4 a.m., when Billy visited his former girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason. They had dated for about a year and had recently broken up — Billy believed she was seeing a man named Chris Sorenson. Gleason later said Billy seemed “a little depressed” when he left her home.

What happened in the hours between that visit and the 3:30 p.m. knock on the neighbor’s door is pieced together from phone records and receipts. The last three calls Billy ever made were to Chris Sorenson. Sorenson, who lived in nearby Woodbridge, told police he’d received a message from a male caller telling him to “watch his back” on August 24 — detectives later determined the caller was Smolinski. Before calling Sorenson, Billy had invited another former girlfriend to go with him to Six Flags the following weekend. Around 3:00 p.m., he drove to a local Burger King and bought two hamburgers and fries — the receipt turned up in a trash bin inside his home.

Then the neighbor, the dog, and silence.

In the days that followed, the case took on the shape that has defined it ever since. Several days after Billy vanished, in the middle of the night, his truck was broken into and rifled through. Waterbury police had failed to fingerprint it in time — a lapse his family has never gotten over.

The searches and the shovel

Frustrated by what they saw as a slow investigation, Billy’s family took matters into their own hands. “We hired multiple private investigators, set up our own tip line, and put up billboards over I-84,” his mother Jan Smolinski said later. “Tips going to the Waterbury Police Department just weren’t going anywhere.”

Volunteers searched the Naugatuck River from Watertown to Naugatuck. Billy’s sister Paula brought in an all-volunteer search-and-rescue team. Then, in 2008, came the development that nearly broke the case open — and then didn’t. A man named Chad Hanson (spelled “Hansen” in some case databases, including Uncovered and The Cinemaholic) told investigators that Billy had been murdered: that Shaun Karpiuk had beaten Billy to death and that Hanson had helped bury the remains, wrapped in a carpet and covered with lime.

Three searches followed, led by Hanson to the spots he named: Seymour, Connecticut in 2008; Naugatuck State Forest in 2010; and Oxford, Connecticut in 2011. They found nothing. In 2011, Hanson was charged with interfering with police and making a false statement; authorities believed he had deliberately lied to mislead the investigation. In January 2013, he pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement concerning injury or death and was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. Hanson maintains his innocence in Billy’s disappearance.

Karpiuk was the son of Madeleine Gleason, Billy’s former girlfriend. He died of a drug overdose in January 2005 — less than five months after Billy disappeared. Whatever he knew, if he knew anything, went with him.

The law that carries his name

The Smolinski family’s ordeal exposed something bigger than one case. For years, Billy’s information was never entered into NamUs — the national missing-persons database — and the family learned that local departments routinely failed to file missing adults into national systems at all. Jan Smolinski took that fight to Washington.

The result was H.R. 3695, the Help Find the Missing Act — universally known as “Billy’s Law” — introduced in Congress in 2010 with the backing of Connecticut’s then-Congressman Chris Murphy. It aimed to fund and expand NamUs, improve data-sharing between NamUs and the FBI’s NCIC database, and create incentive grants to get local agencies reporting. The FBI’s Criminal Justice Information Services division testified in support before the House Judiciary Subcommittee in January 2010.

The bill’s journey took more than a decade — it passed the House but stalled in the Senate in 2009, and was reintroduced repeatedly. Finally, as S. 5230 in the 117th Congress, it passed the Senate by unanimous consent on December 8, 2022, passed the House 422–4 on December 14, 2022, and was signed into law by President Biden on December 27, 2022, becoming Public Law 117-327.

Twenty-two years after he asked a neighbor to watch his dog, Billy Smolinski still hasn’t been found. A $60,000 reward remains in effect for information about his disappearance or death. His family still waits — and because of them, thousands of other missing people are harder to lose in the system.

Theories: what might have happened

A confrontation over Chris Sorenson. The facts point hard in this direction: a breakup Billy blamed on Sorenson, a pre-dawn visit to his ex “a little depressed,” and then — as his final three calls — a series of calls to Sorenson and a “watch your back” message. It reads like a man working himself toward a confrontation. But there is no evidence Sorenson ever met Billy that day, and no charge has ever been filed against him. He has never been publicly named as a suspect.

Foul play tied to Shaun Karpiuk. The 2008 Hanson account is the only detailed narrative of what happened to Billy, and it is specific — a beating, a carpet, lime, burial sites. But three searches at Hanson’s directions (2008, 2010, 2011) found nothing, and Hanson was convicted in 2013 of making a false statement about the case. The one man who could confirm or deny it died in 2005. It remains an unproven claim, not evidence.

Voluntary disappearance. The “going up north for three days” story and the Burger King for two suggest Billy told people different things. But nothing about the scene fits a man leaving on purpose: the dog locked inside without its promised caretaker, the wallet and keys in the truck, the paycheck deposited and never touched, the SSN never used in 22 years.

Have information?

Contact the Waterbury Police Department at (203) 574-6941, or the FBI New Haven field office at (203) 777-6311. A $60,000 reward remains in effect for information regarding Billy’s disappearance or death. In an emergency, dial 911.

Timeline

• circa 1972–1973 — William “Billy” Smolinski Jr. is born in Connecticut.
• 2004 — Working full time as an HVAC apprentice, part time as a tow-truck driver; prepping his Waterbury home to be painted.
• August 24, 2004, ~4:00 a.m. — Visits former girlfriend Madeleine Gleason; leaves seeming “a little depressed.”
• August 24, 2004, morning–afternoon — Calls former girlfriend about Six Flags trip; calls Chris Sorenson three times; “watch your back” message; buys two hamburgers and fries at Burger King around 3:00 p.m.
• August 24, 2004, 3:30–3:45 p.m. — Asks neighbor to watch his dog Harley while he goes “up north” for three days; never leaves keys; last confirmed sighting.
• August 25, 2004 — Neighbor finds house locked, dog inside, truck in driveway; wallet and keys under the driver’s seat.
• Days later — Billy’s truck is broken into overnight before police fingerprint it.
• 2004–2011 — Family hires private investigators, sets up tip line, posts billboards over I-84; volunteer searches of the Naugatuck River.
• 2008 — Chad Hanson tells investigators Billy was murdered by Shaun Karpiuk and buried wrapped in carpet with lime; searches in Seymour find nothing.
• 2010 — “Billy’s Law” (H.R. 3695, Help Find the Missing Act) introduced in Congress; FBI testifies in support. Search of Naugatuck State Forest based on Hanson’s directions finds nothing.
• 2011 — Search of Oxford, Connecticut based on Hanson’s directions finds nothing; Hanson is charged with interfering with police and making a false statement.
• January 2013 — Hanson pleads guilty to making a false statement concerning injury or death; sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
• January 2005 — Shaun Karpiuk dies of a drug overdose (relevant to the Hanson claim).
• December 27, 2022 — Billy’s Law is signed into law (Public Law 117-327).
• September 2024 — Dark Downeast podcast devotes an episode to Billy’s case on the 20th anniversary.
• Today — Still missing. $60,000 reward in effect.

FAQ

Is Billy Smolinski still missing?
Yes. As of October 2026, Billy Smolinski has been missing for more than 22 years. The Waterbury Police Department investigation remains open.

Was Billy Smolinski ever found?
No. Despite private investigators, volunteer searches, and three targeted digs following a tipster’s claims, no trace of Billy has ever been found.

What is Billy’s Law?
“Billy’s Law” is the nickname for the Help Find the Missing Act, federal legislation inspired by the Smolinski family’s experience — Billy’s case had never been entered into NamUs, the national missing-persons database. Introduced as H.R. 3695 in 2010, it sought to fund and expand NamUs and improve information-sharing between NamUs and the FBI’s NCIC system. After a 15-year legislative journey, it was enacted as S. 5230 (Public Law 117-327) on December 27, 2022.

What happened to Shaun Karpiuk?
Shaun Karpiuk, the son of Billy’s former girlfriend, was named in tipster Chad Hanson’s account as Billy’s killer. He died of a drug overdose in January 2005 and was never charged. Three searches based on Hanson’s directions (2008, 2010, 2011) found nothing, and Hanson was convicted in 2013 of making a false statement about the case.

Is there a reward in Billy Smolinski’s case?
Yes — a $60,000 reward remains in effect for information regarding Billy’s disappearance or death.

How can I help?
Share this case file, and if you have any information, contact the Waterbury Police Department at (203) 574-6941 or the FBI New Haven office at (203) 777-6311.

Sources

• Official / law enforcement: U.S. Congress, H.R. 3695 “Help Find the Missing Act” (“Billy’s Law”); FBI Deputy Assistant Director Stephen L. Morris testimony before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security (Jan 21, 2010).
• News: Waterbury Observer, “What Happened to Billy Smolinski?”; New Haven Register, “Search Turns Up Possible Clue in Billy Smolinski Case”; Connecticut Post, “Searchers Look Again For Body of Billy Smolinski”; Hartford Courant, “Court Overturns Award Against Missing Man’s Relatives”; Fox News, “Family Hopes For Answers 12 Years After Son’s Disappearance”; Newsweek, “Billy Smolinski Is Part Of a ‘Silent Mass Disaster'”; Connecticut Magazine, “WNPR Takes on Billy Smolinski Case”; Republican American, “‘Billy’s Law’ Gets New Push.”
• Reference: The Charley Project, “William ‘Billy’ Smolinski”; NamUs; disappearedblog.com, “William ‘Billy’ Smolinski” (retrieved Oct 2026); Congress.gov, S. 5230 “Billy’s Law” (117th Congress, Public Law 117-327); Senator Murphy, “The long-awaited ‘Billy’s Law’ gets Biden’s signature” (Dec 27, 2022).
• Media: Dark Downeast, “The Disappearance of William ‘Billy’ Smolinski Jr. (Connecticut)” (Sept 19, 2024); The Echo File, “The Man Who Was Never Filed — The Disappearance of Billy Smolinski” (2026); family’s site, Justice4Billy (justice4billy.com).

Corrections (October 2026 fact-check): MATERIAL — the Chad Hanson tip was misdated 2012 throughout; corrected to 2008 (Charley Project; disappearedblog), with the search sequence (Seymour 2008; Naugatuck State Forest 2010; Oxford 2011), Hanson’s 2011 charges, his January 2013 guilty plea to making a false statement concerning injury or death, and his four-and-a-half-year sentence. Added the enactment of Billy’s Law: signed into law December 27, 2022 (Public Law 117-327); passed the Senate December 8, 2022 and the House 422–4 on December 14, 2022 (Congress.gov; murphy.senate.gov). Noted the surname variant “Hansen” used by Uncovered and The Cinemaholic. Found an error? Tell us via the About page and we will fix it promptly and note the change here. Last verified October 2026.