The Strange Case of William Smolinski: CT Man left dark voicemail for love rival before going missin

April 2024 · 3 minute read

WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT: An ominous voicemail from a man who has been missing for over 20 years, has come to light. William "Billy" Smolinski, 31, of Waterbury, Connecticut, left the voicemail for his love rival on the day he went missing. He was last seen on August 24, 2004, by a neighbor.

Smolinski had a disagreement with his girlfriend, Madeleine Gleason, who was 16 years older and had five children from previous marriages, a few days before his disappearance. They met while working as school bus drivers for B & B Transportation in Bethany and later began dating. "I don't know how the hell he came up with this girl, boy, I'll tell you," Smolinski's father, William Sr, told Newsweek in 2014, adding, "We weren't too crazy about her."

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Weekend trip goes wrong

Gleason was grieving the death of her daughter, Krystal Rapuano, and Smolinski had recently ended a long relationship at that time. Things went downhill between them when Smolinski discovered Gleason was speaking to Chris Sorensen, the married owner of a school bus company, as reported by The Sun.

Gleason was reportedly suspected of having an affair with Sorensen. On August 21, 2004, Smolinski and Gleason left for a weekend excursion to West Palm Beach, Florida, where the latter's son, Thomas Karpiuk Jr, worked in security. Smolinski reportedly discovered Gleason on the phone with Sorensen in the bathroom a day later. 

Later on, at the beach, Smolinski tried to snatch away Gleason's phone, and she yelled for the police. They arrived in Connecticut late that night.

Early on August 24, Smolinski climbed up to Gleason's second-floor window. She reportedly let him in and they started arguing about getting back together. She said that he wanted them to start anew but she refused and he left.

'Watch your back'

Smolinski called Sorensen three times the day he went missing. After hanging up on the first two calls without leaving a note, Smolinski left a disturbing warning on the third, "Watch your back." Before he disappeared, Smolinski went to see his neighbor, Laroi Henley, and told him about Gleason. Henley said that Smolinski "asked me if I would watch his dog because he was going to go up north for a couple of days," according to his statement to the Waterbury Police Department a year later. However, Smolinski was never seen again, per The Sun.

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