The Disappearance of April Pennington
15 year old April Pennington was last seen in Montville, Connecticut on May 29, 1996. She was last seen leaving her family home on Orchard Drive during the early morning hours.
Background
April Pennington was born on August 22, 1980 and has two younger brothers. Her family moved to Montville, Connecticut in 1994, after her father was transferred to the area by the US Navy.
She had been a good student and was a freshmen at Montville High School, but began struggling with her grades in 1995, which resulted in arguing with her parents. Her mother believes she fell in with the wrong crowd, but that it was a normal rebellious teenage phase.
Disappearance
During the early morning hours of May 29, 1996, April Pennington snuck out of her family home on Orchard Drive in Montville, Connecticut. She climbed through her brother’s window and planned to meet up with friends.
When her mother went to wake her up for school at 5:30 am she noticed April missing. A window had been left open in the room, and stuffed animals had been placed under April’s covers.
Her mother immediately called the Montville Police Department to report her daughter missing.
When police initially began their investigation they believed it was the common scenario of a teen sneaking out, and that she’d likely show up at a friend’s house later that day.
April’s mother never believed she had simply ran away. She had snuck out before, but was always back in the morning. $950 in cash was also left in the house on the night she disappeared, and April knew where it was. April also took no personal belongings with her when she left, not even her purse.
She had broken up with a boyfriend a few days prior to her disappearance and was upset, but her family denies she had any mental health issues. They said things had been pretty typical in the days leading up May 29th.
Police checked April’s locker at school to find additional clues to indicate where she might have gone, but the only contents inside were her backpack and a coat.
The caller ID on the Pennington home was checked, which showed a classmate of April’s named Patrick Allain had called several times on the day she disappeared, however officers were unable to track him down.
After three months with no real leads, the case was turned over to the Connecticut State Police.
Patril Allain & George Michael Leinart
A year after April disappeared, police began interviewing 15 year old Patrick “PJ” Allain. He was a classmate of April’s, and had called her several times on the day she disappeared.
Allain told police that after April left home on May 29, 1996, she met up with him, and a 30 year old man, George Michael Leinart. He said that he and April had left home in the middle of the night to meet each other before.
He initially told police that on the night she disappeared the three of them went into the woods behind Mohegan School to drink beer and smoke weed, before both had consensual sex with her.
Allain later changed his story, admitting that they had raped April and that Leinart planned to murder her.
Leinart changed his stories multiple times when questioned about April; first stating that he knew Allain, but later denying it. He also claimed to have never met April.
In April 2008, George Leinart was charged with capital murder, sexual assault, and kidnapping in April’s case. He was already in prison for raping a thirteen year old girl, just six months before April disappeared.
Although Allain also admitted to raping April, the statute of limitations had passed on that charge.
Allain testified against Leinart at trial, stating that April pretended not to be upset after the assault because she feared they would hurt her. He says he became nervous after realizing Leinart intended to kill April, and that Leinart dropped him off at his house and left with April, unaware of what happened to her after.
The day after April went missing, Allain found one of April’s shoes and hid it, fearing that he might be accused of killing her. He says Leinart confessed to killing April, saying he had choked her to death.
Leianrt supposedly put her body in a lobster trap and left it on the bottom of the Thames River.
In addition to Allain’s testimony, three jailhouse informants testified against Leinart, stating he had confessed to raping and killing a teenage girl.
His ex-wife also testified, saying that when she asked him about April’s disappearance he told her the less she knew, the better off she’d be.
On March 2, 2010, George Leinart was found guilty on all charges. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The conviction was overturned on appeal in 2016, but reinstated by a higher court in 2020.
Despite the conviction, April’s body has never been found.
Appearance
White female born on August 22, 1980. April has brown hair, hazel eyes, stands 5’2, and weighs 100 pounds. Her ears are pierced and she has a tan colored birthmark on her right tricep.
Investigating Agency
If you have any information regarding the disappearance of April Pennington please contact the Connecticut State Police at (860) 886-6603.
