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Man accused of killing his wife in Gardner still hasn’t been found a year later
“I think the most helpful thing would be to continue to circulate his photo.”
A year after he allegedly killed his wife in their Gardner home, authorities say investigators are continuing to search for Aaron Pennington.
Police have been looking for the 33-year-old Air Force veteran since Oct. 22, 2023 when they found his wife, 30-year-old Breanne Pennington, dead of a gunshot wound to the face. In the days and weeks following her murder, authorities from multiple agencies searched the wooded area of Camp Collier off Kelton Street in Gardner.
In a statement on Tuesday, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early said additional searches have been conducted of the woods as recently as Sept. 23, 2024.
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“Investigators are going to perform additional ground and air searches in the Gardner area as the investigation continues and will continue to search until he is located,” Early said.
Pennington’s car was found in the 400-acre area surrounding Camp Collier, a Boy Scout camp, in October last year. He is believed to have left his home at 42 Cherry Street in Gardner around 9 a.m. on Oct. 22, 2023 after shooting his wife in the face.
Pennington is described by authorities as a white male with blonde hair, blue eyes, 6′ 2″, and weighing approximately 175 pounds.
According to court documents, the investigation into Breanne Pennington’s murder began after the couple’s four children went to a neighbor’s house the day of the murder and the neighbor called 911. Investigators last year determined that the Penningtons had long-standing “marital issues,” and according to court documents, Breanne Pennington was planning on leaving her husband and taking their children with her.
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Brenda Hull, Breanne Pennington’s aunt, told The Boston Globe on Tuesday that the couple’s children are with their mother’s relatives.
“The kids are doing great. They are happy,” she told the newspaper. “They are involved in sports and music and academically, they are excelling.”
Hull, who lives in California, said she is certain that Aaron Pennington is alive. She said though tensions had escalated in the couple’s relationship, she never believed he was capable of murder and believes her niece didn’t think so either.
“We don’t have a body. We don’t have his whereabouts, we don’t have anything,” she told the Globe. “So I think the most helpful thing would be to continue to circulate his photo.”
The DA’s office is urging anyone with information about the case or any potential sightings of Pennington to contact State Police detectives assigned to the prosecutor’s office at 508-832-9124.
“Police are warning the public not to approach Pennington as he is potentially armed and dangerous,” the DA’s office said.
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