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 mu...
Jun 21, 2021•42 min
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. View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/richardbellittieri Follow @darkdowneast on In...
Jun 14, 2021•34 min
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. View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/d...
Jun 07, 2021•32 min
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 unoffic...
May 31, 2021•45 min
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 w...
May 24, 2021•41 min
MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1975: It was Labor Day weekend 1975 at Natanis Point Campground in Chain of Ponds Township, and the Newton family was celebrating the end of another classic New England summer. For the first few hours, it seemed as though all was right—the biggest concern of the day being who would catch the first trout. But that picture-perfect morning, set in the deep, green, remote North Woods of Maine would soon become two parents’ worst nightmare and the beginning of a 46-year-old Nort...
May 17, 2021•35 min
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 t...
May 10, 2021•50 min
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 inexperie...
May 03, 2021•41 min
Élan School was founded as a drug treatment program in 1970, pairing controversial confrontational attack therapies with education, all in the wooded setting of Poland, Maine. It's founders, Joe Ricci and Dr. Gerald Davidson, promised rehabilitation, reform, and a future for many children of wealthy and well-known parents. When outside state officials took a closer look at what really went on behind closed doors, it was just the beginning of unending allegations and controversy. For more informa...
Apr 26, 2021•39 min
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 Ma...
Apr 19, 2021•50 min
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? If you have information regarding this case, pl...
Apr 12, 2021•44 min
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. View source materi...
Apr 05, 2021•33 min
MAINE, 1951: When Zenovia Clegg's killer confessed to his crime, he also revealed small scraps of the secrets he’d been keeping throughout the decades. Is Charles E. Terry the serial killer responsible for the murders of two women whose cases are still unsolved decades later? And what really happened to Patricia Wing in the back of that Cadillac? These are the complex, dark, and interwoven stories of Shirley Coolen, Donna Kimmey, Zenovia Clegg, and Patricia Wing. View source material and photos ...
Mar 29, 2021•38 min
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...
Mar 22, 2021•31 min
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 att...
Mar 15, 2021•38 min
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. View source material and photos for this episode at da...
Mar 08, 2021•33 min
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...
Feb 22, 2021•30 min
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. Report what you know with the New Hampshire Cold Case Tip Form View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/stellaboltonjjmoore Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram , Facebook , and T...
Feb 16, 2021•16 min
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? Dark Downeast is supported by Alaina Maria. Get 15% off your order at alaina-marie.com , promo ...
Feb 15, 2021•33 min
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...
Feb 08, 2021•51 min
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? If you have information regarding this case, please contact the Maine ...
Feb 05, 2021•25 min
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. View source materia...
Feb 01, 2021•41 min
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....
Jan 25, 2021•25 min
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 strang...
Jan 18, 2021•39 min
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...
Jan 11, 2021•39 min
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 ...
Jan 04, 2021•35 min
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 tri...
Dec 28, 2020•28 min
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, ...
Dec 21, 2020•42 min
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. Homicide is the third leading cause of death of Native American women. Indigenous women are murdered and sexually assa...
Dec 14, 2020•35 min
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, tw...
Dec 07, 2020•31 min
