CT Dad Fatally Shot in Parking Lot Picking Up Dinner

This Connecticut-focused blog post takes another look at the 2012 homicide of Kyle Seidel in Waterford. The cold-case investigation is still open, and police are asking the public for help.

More than a decade later, investigators, family, and a statewide program are still pushing to solve what police call a senseless killing along the Boston Post Road corridor. The case lingers, and the search for answers hasn’t faded.

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What happened the night of the shooting and immediate findings

Kyle Seidel was a 34-year-old crane operator and dock builder from Connecticut. On December 21, 2012, he left home around 8 p.m. to pick up takeout from Lucky Inn Chinese restaurant.

His body was found a half-mile away in a Boston Post Road shopping plaza parking lot, near the former Halftime Lounge and Bowling Alley. He lay beside his running black Ford Focus, the driver’s-side door open, with a single gunshot wound to his neck.

Emergency responders brought him to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in New London, but he didn’t survive. The chief medical examiner ruled it a homicide.

Seidel left behind his wife, Kate, and three kids who were just 8, 6, and 2 at the time. The shock hit hard for his family and the wider community.

The crime scene connected the case tightly to Waterford, especially the Boston Post Road near Clark Lane. Families across southeast Connecticut—New London, Groton, East Lyme—watched, shaken by how a quiet night could turn violent.

The ripple effect reached even farther, touching places like Norwich, Old Saybrook, Branford, and Montville. One homicide can echo through a whole region, and this one certainly did.

Ongoing investigation, rewards, and public tips

Waterford Police have kept the investigation active for 13 years. They’ve re-interviewed witnesses, chased down old leads, and checked out new ones when tips come in.

The state is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction. That’s a pretty good sign of how seriously they’re taking this case.

To keep the case in the public eye, Seidel’s photo appears in the state’s Cold Case Playing Cards—the ones handed out in prisons to spark tips from folks who might know something.

Authorities keep urging anyone who was near Boston Post Road and Clark Lane on December 21, 2012, or who knows anything about the shooting, to contact Waterford Police. Seidel’s wife Kate and the family have stayed vocal, hoping for closure and reminding everyone that the community deserves answers.

Share any details from that night, even if they seem tiny or unrelated.
If you know about possible suspects or saw anything odd between 7:45 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on December 21, 2012, speak up.
Check security footage from businesses in Waterford, New London, Branford, and nearby towns—sometimes something small is the key.
Contact Waterford Police with tips, or use the state tip lines that help with cold-case investigations across Connecticut.

Why this case matters across Connecticut towns

While the Seidel case centers on Waterford, its footprint touches a broad swath of the state. In places like New London, Groton, Mystic, and East Lyme, people know that cold cases can hinge on tiny details that pop up years later—sometimes thanks to new technology or maybe just a fresh tip.

The investigation doesn’t stop at Waterford’s borders. It often stretches into neighboring towns like Montville, Ledyard, Norwich, Old Saybrook, and Branford, showing how one unsolved homicide can cast a long, uneasy shadow along the Connecticut coast and inland, too.

Connecticut’s approach to cold cases stands out. Police keep at it, the public gets involved, and programs like the Cold Case Playing Cards keep these stories alive. Even in towns like Milford, Clinton, and those near Quinnipiac, people face the same struggles—so there’s this sense of shared purpose.

The ongoing appeal for information sends a clear message: families in Waterford, New London, and all the nearby towns deserve answers. Justice isn’t just a local thing; it’s something that pulls together communities from Stamford to Branford and everywhere between.

Investigators won’t close the book on Seidel’s case. Folks from Waterford to Norwich and beyond stay alert, hoping for a break.

If you remember anything about that December night—even something that seems small—it might help. Your tip could finally bring some peace to a family that’s waited far too long.

For now, the search goes on across Connecticut’s towns—Waterford, New London, Groton, East Lyme, Montville, Ledyard, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Branford, and probably a few others, too.

Here is the source article for this story: CT dad fatally shot in parking lot, on his way to pick up dinner

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