Inside the State Police Unsolved Homicide Unit (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 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 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

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 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 Disappearances of William Sanborn and Alphonse Cote Jr. (Maine): MAINE MYSTERY, 1924: When Lottie reported her first husband, William Sanborn, missing from their home in North Gorham, Maine, the Sheriff took her word for it. But when Lottie's second husband Alphonse Cote Jr. disappeared under mysterious circumstances, it was time to pay a visit to the Cote farm. What really happened to William Sanborn? Did he meet the same fate as Alphonse Cote Jr.? It all points back to their wife in common, Lottie Cote. by Dark Downeast

33 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 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

The Disappearance of Kim Moreau, Part 2 (Maine): What you're about to hear, the details of the night Kim Moreau disappeared, it’s all been pieced together through the family’s own investigation, leads they’ve independently checked, interviews they’ve conducted themselves, combined with information uncovered by detectives and other local and state law enforcement. Still 35 years later, no one has been charged with any crime as it relates to the disappearance of Kimberly Moreau, but the names you’ll hear have long been publicly associated with the case. by Dark Downeast

50 min listen

The Murder of Sonny Grotton (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1983: Sonny Grotton lay in his dooryard, blood pooling around him. Norma dialed 9-1-1. Everything happened quickly. When first responders arrived at the scene, Sonny spoke only in gurgled noises, unable to say who pulled the trigger firing three shots into his body, one at close range. Mervin "Sonny" Grotton was pronounced dead at 8:36 p.m. on December 16, 1983.A giving family man, a long career in the Navy. No known enemies, no suspicious dealings. Who would shoot and kill Sonny Grotton in his own front yard, with his wife and son just inside? by Dark Downeast

35 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

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

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 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 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 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 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

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 Survival Story of Kayleigh Ballantyne (Massachusetts): SOUTH BOSTON, 2013: On the night of July 23, 2013, 21-year old Mainer Kayleigh Ballantyne was randomly attacked as she walked into her apartment in Southie. As her attacker made clear his plans, Kayleigh told herself she was going to survive. A survivor of a random act of violence, Kayleigh is sharing her journey through recovery, how she’s using her trauma for advocacy, and why her story is forever connected to the story of another woman, Amy Lord, who lost her life by the hands of the same attacker. by Dark Downeast

38 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 Murder of Debra Dill (Maine): MAINE MURDER, 1973: When a passing driver discovered 18-year old Debra Dill's car on the side of a rural back road near Litchfield, Maine on September 16, 1973, it began a fifteen year search for answers and a journey to justice in the random, violent killing of a beloved young woman. This is the story of a woman’s life stolen, a bizarre confession and imperfect investigation, and the complex criminal justice issue of parole. by Dark Downeast

32 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 Annie C. Maguire Shipwreck at Portland Head Light: SPECIAL EDITION: On Christmas Eve in 1886, the Annie C. Maguire ran aground on the rocky shoreline of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, just below the iconic Portland Head Light. If you’ve visited the famous beacon, you’ve likely seen for yourself the simple but ever present tribute on those very rocks that’s been painted and repainted for over a century, the original letters inscribed there by the son of the lighthouse keeper whose family helped rescue the ship’s passengers and crew. The waters of Casco Bay and Maine’s coast are drenched with tales of shipwrecks and tragedy and lives lost at sea, but among all the true stories and the legends that endure, the story of the Annie C. Maguire is among the most intriguing. Was the Christmas Eve shipwreck at Portland Head Light an accident? Or was it a crime? by Dark Downeast

32 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 Stella Bolton & James ‘JJ’ Moore (New Hampshire): NEW HAMPSHIRE COLD CASE, 1991: February 16, 2021, marks 30 years since two beloved figures of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire community were found dead, victims of an attack in their own home. This is the case of Stella Bolton and James ‘JJ’ Moore, a special release mini-episode of Dark Downeast. by Dark Downeast

16 min listen

The Disappearance of Anneliese Heinig (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 2019: A passing driver caught only a glimpse as the woman, wearing all black from her shoes to her hat, walked away from a black SUV parked on the side of 295 in Falmouth, Maine. That was the final sighting of 37-year old Anneliese Heinig. It was November 26, 2019. Though her family is still waiting for her to return, you won’t find Anneliese’s case on a Maine Missing Persons list. Anneliese’s disappearance has fallen into a category of missing persons cases with an unofficial conclusion; that she is missing of her own accord, but until she is found, no one can, or should, say for sure what happened to Anneliese. Update: The skeletal remains of Anneliese Heinig were discovered near I-295 just north of the Presumpscot River, found by a kayaker on September 13, 2021. I have been in contact with Anneliese’s mother, Anne, and I ask that we all hold Anneliese, her parents and sister, and Anneliese’s children close to our h by Dark Downeast

45 min listen

The Murder of Lizzi Marriott (New Hampshire): NEW HAMPSHIRE MURDER, 2012: When Elizabeth "Lizzi" Marriott left the University of New Hampshire campus for a movie night at a friend's house, she told her aunt and uncle she'd be home by midnight. On Wednesday morning, Becki and Tony noticed their niece wasn’t home. Maybe it got late, and Lizzi crashed at her friend’s place. But on Thursday morning, there was still no sign of Lizzi. No one has seen Lizzi since that night, October 9, 2012, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know what happened to her… Or who is responsible. by Dark Downeast

39 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 Disappearance of Ludger Belanger (Maine): MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1975: It was November 25, 1975 in Washington, Maine and Ludger Belanger stepped out into the freshly fallen snow, leaving deep boot prints as he disappeared into the woods in search of a buck. That was the last time his young wife Linda saw him, 46 years ago this year. But as the investigation revealed, it’s not the last time anyone saw him. His name remains on the Maine Missing Persons list, but the details of Ludger Belanger’s disappearance point to much more than a man who walked into the woods and never walked out. Tracks in the snow tell stories that those involved won’t. Linda Perkins continues the search for her husband and father of their three girls. She is on Dark Downeast to share his story. This is Unsolved Missing Persons case of Ludger Belanger on Dark Downeast. by Dark Downeast

41 min listen

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Inside the State Police Unsolved Homicide Unit (Maine)

Inside the State Police Unsolved Homicide Unit (Maine)

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