The Wrongful Conviction of Isaac Knapper (Maine)

The Murders of Smuttynose Island (Maine): HISTORIC MAINE MURDER, 1873: Smuttynose Island in the Isles of Shoals has become an iconic part of the dark side of Maine and New Hampshire history. This is the historic case of three women attacked in the dead of night, when a robbery turned bloody and the thief wielded an ax that would end the lives of two. The third woman lived to tell her tale, though some argue that it was the sole survivor herself who committed the murders and pointed her finger at Louis H.F. Wager, who would face death himself for the crime. by Dark Downeast

28 min listen

The Disappearance of Daniel K. Wood Jr. (Maine): MAINE COLD CASE, 1954: On July 22nd, 1954, Daniel K. Wood Jr. grabbed his fishing pole and set off on foot down Portland Road in Gray, Maine. Just ten minutes later, the phone rang at the Wood home. It was Danny. He told his mother he got a job with a door-to-door salesman. She warned him not to go off with strangers, but Danny simply replied, "I'll be home by dark." 12-year old Danny did not return. The search for answers in this enduring cold case continues nearly 70 years later. When a strange letter appeared in the mailboxes of two hundred Mainers in 2003, would it lead to answers, or only more questions? by Dark Downeast

39 min listen

The Suspicious Death of Patricia Wing (Maine): MAINE, 1958: Patricia Wing hadn’t been seen in over 24 hours, not since the afternoon of Tuesday, June 3, 1958. As a 29-year old mother of five, it was highly unusual. Her husband Wendell and her youngest son Harvey were both home sleeping that afternoon, but Patricia left no clues, no indication that when she left the house that day it would be for the last time. The case that unraveled from that June afternoon would reveal secrets kept from spouses, an imperfect investigation in a small, rural county, and a compelling case by the defense that is still questioned to this day. Was it all an unfortunate accident? by Dark Downeast

31 min listen

The Murder of Sarah Cherry (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1988: 12-year old Sarah Cherry disappeared while babysitting on July 6, 1988. A clue laying in the driveway of the house where she was last seen pointed investigators to their primary suspect. Two days later, Sarah's body was discovered in a shallow grave in the woods in Bowdoinham, Maine. Dennis Dechaine is serving a life sentence for the murder of Sarah Cherry, but over 30 years later, he maintains his innocence, and so do his loyal supporters. Retired Detective Dan Reed joins me in the telling of this story. He was one of the first to respond when Sarah was reported missing. Dan Reed came face to face with the man who would later be convicted of her murder. by Dark Downeast

51 min listen

The Murders of Dr. and Mrs. Littlefield (Maine): HISTORIC SOUTH PARIS MURDERS, 1937: The murders of Dr. James G. Littlefield and his wife, Lydia Littlefield, became one of Maine's most sensational and confounding cases of the early 1900s. Who really killed the couple, and why? Could the 18-year old Paul Dwyer be the true perpetrator? Or did someone else force him to take the fall, sending him off on a wild ride to nowhere with two bodies in the car? by Dark Downeast

33 min listen

The Disappearance of Ayla Reynolds (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 2011: The Ayla Reynolds case is both the largest criminal investigation and the third largest search for a missing child in Maine’s history. If you’ve lived in Maine or New England in the last decade, you probably know the high-level details of the night she went missing from her father’s home, but there is so much to this case. There’s so much that Ayla’s mother Trista Reynolds has fought for. There’s an overwhelming feeling of knowing what happened to Ayla Bell Reynolds, that night in her father’s care. And yet, the search for justice in Ayla’s case continues 9 years later. by Dark Downeast

42 min listen

The Disappearance of Shirley Moon-Atwood (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 2006: Two women, one murdered and one missing, connected by one man. When police discovered the badly beaten body of Cheryl Murdoch and arrested her boyfriend Shannon Atwood for the crime, they pinned him with the mysterious disappearance of his wife, too. But what should be the simplest answer in the disappearance of Shirley Moon-Atwood isn't simple at all. In this case, we have a man with a history of convicted assault against a woman, an ex-wife with a violent conviction of her own, and a new girlfriend found dead with mountains of circumstantial evidence pointing to a killer. Or does it? by Dark Downeast

31 min listen

Dark Downeast: Maine and New England's True Crime Podcast: Dark Downeast digs into the decades-old and modern day cases that prickle the history of Vacationland and beyond – the unsolved homicides, undetermined deaths, unexplained disappearances and other dark stories of New England. Investigative journalist and storyteller Kylie Low gets straight to the story with a mix of narrated episodes and documentary style production featuring interviews with surviving family and friends and insight on the investigations from detectives and sources who know these cases best. This is heart-centered, ethical true crime, bringing light to stories you’re not hearing on other podcasts. It is Dark Downeast's mission to honor the legacy of the humans at the heart of each story and bring new attention to the cases still awaiting justice. by Dark Downeast

3 min listen

The Disappearance of Cathy Marie Moulton, Part 1 (Maine): MAINE'S OLDEST MISSING PERSON CASE, 1971: On September 24, 1971, Cathy Marie Moulton stepped out onto Forest Avenue in Portland, Maine heading the direction of home. She had plans to attend the YWCA dance that night... But Cathy never made it. The Portland Police Department dismissed her as a runaway in 1971, but that didn't seem like the daughter that Roy Moulton and his wife Claire knew and loved. This is Part I of the special release two-part series, taking an in-depth look at the longest standing missing persons case in Maine, and one of the oldest cases in the country. by Dark Downeast

23 min listen

The Disappearance of Pauline Rourke (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1977: When Honey kissed her sleeping mother goodbye before school on December 15, 1977, it was the last time Pauline Rourke was ever seen again. But this isn’t just the case of Pauline Rourke’s disappearance. This is also the story of Janet Baxter, Patricia Ann Sinclair, and her children Craig, Christopher, and Christine. The one name that connects every person on that list? Albert P. Cochran. This is the shocking timeline of a murderer walking free, leaving victims and trial technicalities and unsolved crimes in his wake, seizing his opportunity to strike again and again. by Dark Downeast

28 min listen

The Victims of the River Spree Killer (Maine): INFAMOUS MAINE MURDER, 2006: On Labor Day weekend in 2006, Christian Charles Nielsen spiraled into a killing spree that a would claim the lives of four people -- Julie Bullard, Selby Bullard, Cynthia Beatson, and James Whitehurst. This is the story of a true monster and one of the most grisly multiple murders in Maine’s history, and it all happened just minutes from a well-known and beloved winter destination in New England. by Dark Downeast

26 min listen

The Murder of Emma J. Turnbull (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1916: Emma J. Turnbull was the widow of Charles Turnbull and mother of eight children. When Harold Turnbull returned home on August 4, 1916 to an alarming scene and his mother nowhere to be found, the frantic search for Mrs. Turnbull became a community-wide effort. Suspicion turned quickly to the woman's own nephew, but with only circumstantial evidence, how could they prove he killed her? It was a job for undercover detectives playing the most unlikely of roles. by Dark Downeast

33 min listen

The Disappearance of Cathy Marie Moulton, Part 2 (Maine): MAINE'S OLDEST MISSING PERSON CASE, 1971: Nearly 25 years after Cathy Marie Moulton's disappearance, a new detective was assigned to the case, and he uncovered new details that no one bothered to look into when the 16-year old girl first disappeared on her way home from a shopping trip in Portland, Maine. The narrative of Cathy’s story for over two decades would be that she simply disappeared, that no one had any idea where she might be. Kevin Cady and his investigative partner changed that narrative. Kevin Cady shares what he knows about the longest standing missing persons case in the state of Maine, and what happened to her after she stepped out onto Forest Avenue that September evening in 1971. by Dark Downeast

39 min listen

The Disappearance of Amy St. Laurent (Maine): PORTLAND, MAINE MURDER, 2001: Amy St. Laurent was a beautiful, driven woman entertaining a new friend in Portland's Old Port one Saturday night in October 2001, when she met a guy -- a predator. Amy never showed up for work the next week. She never returned home to feed her cat. Her friends and family distributed missing posters around the Old Port, hoping someone saw something that would lead them to Amy. On December 8, 2001, after months of searching and a focused investigation in the Scarborough woods, investigators came upon a shallow grave just 150 yards from the road. And buried beneath the dirt, still wearing the outfit she picked for her Old Port night out, was Amy St. Laurent. by Dark Downeast

29 min listen

The Murder of Pearl Bruns (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1991: On August 11, 1991, Bill and Pearl stood in their kitchen, each taking verbal jabs at the other in another argument over money. As the shouting got louder, Bill grabbed his keys and slammed the door on his way out of the house. When he got home hours later, the house was quiet. Pearl was gone. “Probably run off with one of her ex-husband’s,” Bill thought. He crawled into bed and didn’t give his wife a second thought. At least, that’s what he told police on August 14, 1991, two days later, when Pearl Bruns’ daughter Elaine reported her mother missing. This is the story of a missing mother and a daughter's unrelenting search for answers, ending with a gruesome discovery much closer to home than investigators could've imagined. by Dark Downeast

31 min listen

The Disappearance of Virginia C. Douglas (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1988: A spontaneous Maine adventure turns dark when Virginia C. Douglas steps into Reny's in Belfast, Maine and is never seen again. Where did Virginia go? This decades-old missing persons cold case spans two New England states, and will have you questioning which story to believe and who is to blame for the peculiar disappearance of Virginia C. Douglas. by Dark Downeast

25 min listen

The Murder of Mary Catherine Olenchuk (Maine): UNSOLVED MAINE MURDER, 1970: 13-year old Mary Catherine Olenchuk left the beach before her family for a bike ride into town. She was last seen alive just 200 yards from her family's Ogunquit summer home, getting into a maroon car with an unknown man. 13 days later, police found Mary's body in an abandoned Kennebunk barn. To this day, speculation continues over what happened to the young daughter of a military general. Did her father's involvement in a a controversial operation play a role in her disappearance and death? by Dark Downeast

30 min listen

The Murders of Cyrus Everett and Donna Mauch (Maine): MAINE MURDERS, 1964: When a cryptic poem landed on the editor's desk at the Fort Fairfield Review in 1984, it would be the beginning of the end of a 20 year saga that cast a dark shadow over the small Aroostook County town. Two highly publicized murders, plagued by inexperience, rumor, and political drama, would go unsolved for two decades until finally, the spider himself got caught in the tangled web he believed he was weaving. These are the Fort Fairfield Murders of Cyrus Everett and Donna Mauch. by Dark Downeast

50 min listen

The Murder of Beverly Polchies (Maine): UNSOLVED MAINE MURDER: Just before 10 p.m. on the night of October 13, 1984, an unknown man pulled into the emergency room drop-off at Eastern Maine Medical Center. The man didn’t identify himself, or the badly injured woman sitting in his front seat. The driver told hospital staff that she was hit by a car. As they placed the woman in a wheelchair and brought her inside, the driver sped off without another word. Within minutes, the injured woman succumbed to her injuries. She died there at the hospital, nameless and alone. Today, we know her name, but nearly 37 years later we still don’t know the truth about what happened to her. by Dark Downeast

27 min listen

The Murder of Leslie Spellman (Maine): ACADIA COLD CASE, 1977: Leslie Spellman was just 27-years old when she set off to Bar Harbor in the summer of 1977, hitchhiking from Vermont with her scruffy mutt Taylor by her side. Her beaten body would be found just a day after she left for her adventure, along the walking trail at Asticou Gardens in Northeast Harbor. To this day, over 40 years later, her family is still searching for answers -- Who Killed Leslie Spellman? by Dark Downeast

25 min listen

The Disappearance of Virginia Sue Pictou Noyes (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1993: 26-year old Virginia Sue Pictou Noyes disappeared in the early morning hours of April 24, 1993, after she slipped out unnoticed from her Eastern Maine Medical Center hospital room. Nearly 30 years later, her family continues to search for answers through their own investigations and cultural rituals. This is the Cold Case of Virginia Sue Pictou Noyes. by Dark Downeast

35 min listen

The Murders of Janet Brochu & Geraldine Finn (Maine): MAINE COLD CASE, 1987: After she was refused service at a bar in Waterville, Maine on December 23, 1987, 20-year old Janet Brochu accepted a ride home from a guy she'd met at the bowling alley earlier that night. But Janet never made it home. When you hear the details of Janet Brochu’s case, and how it intertwines with the murder of Geraldine Finn, another young Maine woman around the same time and place, you’ll be demanding to know how it’s possible Janet Brochu’s case is still without answers. by Dark Downeast

25 min listen

The Infamous New Sweden Church Poisonings (Maine): INFAMOUS MAINE TRUE CRIME, 2003: Walter "Reid" Morrill heard there were leftovers from the bake sale the day before. They would be the perfect pairing for the strong Swedish coffee always served in the fellowship hall after Sunday service. What Reid and his fellow parishioners didn't know on the morning of April 23, 2003, was that their strong Swedish coffee was tainted, and one of their own was responsible for what would become one of the largest intentional mass poisonings in modern medical history, using a substance that was known all too well among the small community of potato farmers. by Dark Downeast

29 min listen

The Murder of Julie Campbell (Massachusetts): COLD CASE, 1978: Julie Campbell's sister, Lori Manning, is on Dark Downeast to share memories of her sister, and questions that a remain in this cold case over 43 years later. Why end the life of this beloved woman? How did the attacker take Julie by surprise, a woman with a Black Belt in Karate and mace always in her pocket? Who killed Julie? Is it possible that Julie Campbell's murderer has ties to other cases in Massachusetts, Maine, and beyond? by Dark Downeast

44 min listen

BONUS: The Murders of Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki (Massachusetts): A special conversation with Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan, authors of The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer. This special companion episode of Dark Downeast is different from what you’re used to hearing on the show. This interview explores the work that went into researching Tony Costa, the process of digging into Liza’s often challenging and traumatic childhood, what they learned about the women lost to Cape Cod’s serial killer hiding in plain sight, and why Liza might’ve been spared a similar fate. by Dark Downeast

49 min listen

The Murder of Richard S. Bellittieri (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 2012: When anyone asked where Richard Bellittieri was, the carpenter he hired on Craigslist said that Richard had a death in the family and went back to New York. A year later, Richard still hadn't returned to his beloved home in the Downeast region of Maine. When police pulled that carpenter over under suspicion of drunk driving, they uncovered a lot more than an OUI. by Dark Downeast

34 min listen

The Disappearance of Kim Moreau, Part 1 (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1986: If you’ve driven through the western counties of Maine anytime over the last 35 years, you’ve likely seen Kimberly Moreau’s face. Each year, her father hangs posters with the photo of his smiling daughter on telephone poles, hoping someday, someone will dial his number with the answers he’s been seeking since the day his 17-year old daughter went missing in 1986. In this two-part series on Dark Downeast, you’ll hear about an investigation plagued by admitted inexperience and oversight, how her family’s pleas were disregarded, and the decades of rumors and tips. You’ll meet her father, Richard Moreau, her two sisters Diane and Karen, and friends of the Moreau family who have become the critical support and boots on the ground, always searching for Kim. This is the Disappearance of Kim Moreau, Part 1. by Dark Downeast

41 min listen

The Murder of Kathy Frost (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1987: 26-year old Kathy Frost scanned the pages of her Bangor Daily News, concluding with a careful assessment of the personals. One ad caught her eye. An active outdoorsman searching for a lasting relationship. Kathy circled the address. Three weeks later, Kathy married the man from the ad. And 21 days after they said "I Do", Kathy Frost Larson died in an apparent accidental fall from Otter Cliff in Acadia National Park. But Mr. Larson's story wasn't adding up. by Dark Downeast

41 min listen

The Murder of Susan Randall (New Hampshire): NEW HAMPSHIRE MURDER, 1971: DNA evidence is one of the most critical developments in the history of criminal investigations ever. Cold cases from the pre-DNA era are reviewed with new testing and analysis in the hopes that the advanced science will reveal new information in a long-standing unsolved murder. But that’s not the only way DNA evidence is used in criminal cases. According to the Innocence Project, new DNA evidence and testing has exonerated 192 individuals wrongly convicted of crimes that DNA proved they didn’t commit. Could this be the case of Susan Randall and the man convicted of her murder? Not so fast. I want you to hear the whole story -- Susan Randall’s story. by Dark Downeast

36 min listen

SOLVED: Janet Brochu & Geraldine Ann Finn (Maine): MURDER & COLD CASE ARREST: You’ve heard pieces of Geraldine Ann Finn’s story on Dark Downeast before. Her case seemed undoubtedly linked to an over 3-decades old cold case that I covered on the show in January of this year. It’s time to tell Geraldine's whole story. Plus, in a special interview with Lt. Jeffery Love, commanding officer of the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit, you’ll hear an update on the case of Janet Brochu, and I ask why it took 34 years to arrest Gerald Goodale for her murderView source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.comFollow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case, email hello@darkdowneast.comSupport Dark Downeast on Buy Me a CoffeeShop Dark Downeast merch at darkdowneast.com/shop by Dark Downeast

42 min listen

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The Wrongful Conviction of Isaac Knapper (Maine)

The Wrongful Conviction of Isaac Knapper (Maine)

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