The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-01-27
Slain Girl In Furnace
CContinued from Page 1)


 Laws purported confession, said Eagan, did not relate an attempted criminal assault before Miss Bran cato allegedly was choked, and her body crammed into the furnace used to heat water for tenants of the building-last July 5.
 As for the motive in the crime, Eagan said police were not prepared at this time to make 1t public.
 Two Investigators on Eagan's staff were away from the cIty yesterday, but the nature of their mission was not revealed.
 Authorities said that in Laws con- fession, he related he was not sure whether Miss Brancato was alive or unconscious, when the body was placed in the furnace. Law, super intendent of the building and father of three children, is said to have told police he choked the reporter until her body became limp, and then fed her fully clothed body to the flames.
 Law reenacted the crime for in- vestigators after 48-hours of ques- tioning reportedly brought an ad- mission he had induced Miss Bran cato to meet him in the building by telephoning her he wanted to introduce her to an Army officer she was anxious to meet.
 Earlier that day, according to Eagan, Law had asked Miss Bran cato to accompany him to 8 block dance in the evening, given for sol diers attending Yale University. She Is said to have refused, declaring he had been drinking.
 When the second telephone call was made to her office, associates recalled later she had been talking with 8 person she called "Bill," and this furnished police with the first clue that Law might have been implicated in the staying.
 AWVS Member
 Miss Brancato had been a mem Der of the American Woman's Vol untary Service, which had an office in the building where Law was su- perintendent and it is believed they became acquainted during her AWVS activities.
 Although investigators withheld most of the details of the purported confession, they said Law induced Miss Brancato to accompany him to the basement of the building where the attack took place.
 The furnace was being used dur ing the summer months, they said, to heat water for tenants. While wide search was being made for the missing reporter, Law remained at his job until Decem- Der, when he quit and worked for a short time in 8 New Haven war plant. Then he went to Sparrow Point, Md, where he was employed in another war industry. He was arrested when he came home over the past weekend to visit his fam fly.
 No formal charge has been brought against him in connection with the staying. Meantime, he is being held on accusations of embezzlement and burglary in connection with articles stolen from the building while he was superintendent, and for alleg- edly padding the payroll by draw ing the wages of a night porter whose fictitious name had been add ed to the payroll.
 Eagan said formal charges prob ably would not be filed until the investigation was completed and a grand jury was summoned by the states attorney to consider an in- dictment.
 New York, Jan. N.-(UP)-The search for evidence of a corpus de- lecti in the Rose Brancato staying at New Haven, Conn, today re- called similar case here where the discovery of bone and teeth par ticles in 8 furnace resulted in a murderer's conviction.
 The slayer, Thomas Conroy, 38, was executed in 1941 for the murder of Genevieve Connolly, 12, after 1t was proved that she was cremated in the furnace of an apartment house where Conroy was janitor.
 The evidence was obtained by Bronx County Assistant District At torney Sylvester Ryan, who ordered the furnace ashes sifted. Several particles of bone and teeth were re- covered and identified as from a human body, thus establishing the corpus delecti evidence requisite for conviction in New York state.