Jennifer Dulos' family wants her declared dead to bring 'closure,' attorney says

The family of missing Connecticut mom Jennifer Dulos wants her declared legally dead so they can have "closure," according to a family attorney.

The mother of five vanished in May 2019 amid a custody dispute with her estranged husband, Fotis Dulos. After months of suspicion, Fotis Dulos was arrested for his wife's murder in January 2020. A few weeks after his arrest, Fotis Dulos died in an apparent suicide.

Judge Evelyn Daly said in court Thursday that she needs more time to review the case, and may need to call witnesses, to determine if Jennifer Dulos should be declared legally dead ahead of the usual seven-year waiting period, The Associated Press reported.

The administrator for Fotis Dulos' estate, Christopher Hug, also wants her declared dead, because if it's decided Jennifer Dulos predeceased her husband, bank officials will be able to access certain funds from his estate, Hug said, according to the AP. Hug did not immediately respond to ABC News' request for comment.

The Dulos' five children remain under the guardianship of Jennifer Dulos' mother, Gloria Farber.

Farber and the children "really want closure," Farber's attorney, Richard Weinstein, told ABC News on Friday. "The kids read every article, Gloria reads every article. And it just opens up these wounds."

"We don't want to be dealing with this two and three years from now," he said. "We want the [Fotis] Dulos estate resolved and eventually we can open up her [Jennifer Dulos'] estate and get her estate resolved."

"I don't know of anybody who actually believes that Jennifer is alive," Weinstein added.

The criminal case remains ongoing as Fotis Dulos' girlfriend, Michelle Troconis, and his friend, attorney Kent Mawhinney, were arrested in connection to Jennifer Dulos' disappearance.

Troconis has pleaded not guilty to charges of tampering with evidence and conspiracy to commit murder. Mawhinney has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to commit murder.

Meanwhile, the five Dulos children "are doing great," Weinstein said. "They really are doing wonderful, and thank God for Jennifer's friends, because they've just been tremendous."