Dark Downeast

08/29/2024

When friends Cynthia Kane-Clark and Dawn Shippee both turned up the victims of homicide, one after the other, in the same two month span, investigators were faced with a complex investigation. It’s now been over 20 years since the two women were killed in neighboring Rhode Island towns, and police are still looking for answers.

If you have information relating to the murder of Cyndi Kane-Clark or Dawn Shippee, please call the Cold Case Rhode Island tip line at 1-877-RI-SOLVE.

New episode of Dark Downeast - listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

08/22/2024

When a teenager disappeared from Brattleboro, Vermont hours before the wind, rain, and damaging floods of a major natural disaster devastated the state, it took days before he was finally reported missing and initial search efforts were hindered by ongoing storm recovery. Now as the case approaches another anniversary in 2024, loved ones are still waiting for the information that could lead them to answers.

If you have information relating to the disappearance of Marble Arvidson, please contact Brattleboro Police at (802) 257-7950.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

08/15/2024

From the location of her car, to the condition of her body, to the timeline of disappearance until discovery, Krystal Lee Higgins’ sister feels that so much of the case doesn't quite add up to an accidental death. So, we’re peeling back the layers of this case even further with the help of experts.

Listen to Part 2 of Krystal's story on Dark Downeast: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

08/08/2024

It’s been 20 years since 17-year old Krystal Lee Higgins disappeared from her downeast Maine town only to be found dead a week later. Her death was ruled an accident, but her sister has questioned that ruling since day one.
Listen to Part 1 now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

08/01/2024

During the late 80s and early 90s, multiple women from Hartford, Connecticut were found dead in remote areas of the city and surrounding towns. After identifying a suspect in one of the cases and bringing it all the way to trial, police thought they might have a serial killer on their hands. But all the suspicion in the world was proven false when years later, advanced DNA analysis challenged what investigators thought they knew.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

07/25/2024

Previously on Dark Downeast, you heard the story of Denise Hart & her still unsolved homicide in Vermont. I mentioned in that episode the case of another woman who grew up in the same city & around the same people as Denise. So, that’s the story I’m going to tell you in this episode – the story of a young mother who walked out the door & got into a waiting vehicle with someone she & her family thought they knew, only to have her life end in his hands.

🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

07/18/2024

Whenever Denise Lynette Hart was away from her young son, she called home every day, multiple times a day to check on him. But then one January night in 2015 those calls stopped. When Denise’s family tried to report her missing, they got the runaround, and no one would know where Denise was until almost a year later when the missing persons case became a homicide investigation.

If you have any information relating to the disappearance and murder of Denise Hart, please contact Vermont State Police. Tips can be submitted anonymously via the form or by texting keyword VTIPS to 274637. You can also call the St. Albans State Police Barracks at (802) 773-9101.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

07/11/2024

For months, Frank Bowen’s daughters complained of strange noises & odd happenings in their Pepperell, Massachusetts home. Frank was sure it was just their imaginations, until an intruder took the entire family hostage one night in December of 1986. When the suspect was released on bail, he was free to commit even more crimes, eventually escalating to murder.

🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

06/27/2024

It’s been more than 45 years since John Donaldson was killed while sitting in his parked car just yards away from the safety of his own home in Harvard, Massachusetts. It took years for investigators to build a case & arrest a suspect, but it would all prove to be a distraction from the truth. Now, Johnny’s siblings are taking up their little brother’s case one last time in hopes of finally uncovering the answers they deserve.

If you have information about the 1979 murder of John Donaldson, please contact the Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the Worcester County D.A.’s office at 508-453-7589 or email [email protected]

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

06/20/2024

During the winter of 1941, the death of a man found in a downtown Portland, Maine alleyway left investigators divided by two very different theories: Was it an accident or was it murder?
Given its age and the circumstances, it’s unlikely that any investigative resources will be devoted to this case ever again…But that’s exactly the kind of story that deserves to be told.
Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

06/13/2024

During a nearly 18-month span beginning the winter of 2003, 3 women in Woonsocket, Rhode Island disappeared without a trace, leaving their families and investigators searching for answers. It wasn’t until detectives received an anonymous voicemail that the pieces finally came together in what would later be referred to as one of the most horrific homicide cases in the city’s history.

🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

06/06/2024

Listen to this week’s episode of Dark Downeast - https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

Park Predators, hosted by Delia D’Ambra, is also available wherever you find your podcasts! 🖤

05/30/2024

Sarah Hunter was only 15 minutes late for work when her coworker called police to report her missing. But despite his swift action, Sarah’s case would go cold and stay that way for years. Decades later, an individual known to the case from the earliest days of the investigation became a prime suspect, and advanced DNA testing even led to an arrest. Yet Sarah’s murder still awaits a conclusion to this day after almost 40 years.

If you have any information relating to the unsolved homicide of Sarah Hunter, please contact Captain Scott Dunlap of the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit. His email is [email protected]. You can also submit an anonymous tip at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit, or text VTIPS to 274637.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

05/23/2024

When a 15-year-old girl snuck out one night in 1996, it was like she vanished into thin air. Police had a theory & a suspect from the earliest days of the case, but it would take over a decade to build a case strong enough for an arrest.
🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

05/16/2024

In a 1 month span during the winter of 1969, the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts was set on edge after 2 violent attacks on women while they slept in their beds challenged the very sense of safety residents thought they had in their own homes. Nearly 50 years later, 1 of those cases was finally solved, but the 2nd, very similar homicide is still waiting for answers. After more than 5 decades, this story is long overdue for an ending.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

05/09/2024

When investigators in Alachua County, Florida discovered the remains of 2 people among the charred ruins of a burned down shack & a letter in a nearby car that seemed to explain the entire scene, police in 2 states thought they were on the brink of closing a multiple murder case that started all the way north in New Hampshire. But as experts attempted to identify the 2 people found in that shack, doubt started to poke glaring holes in the case.

This is part 2 of The Murders of Malcolm, Elizabeth, & Page Jennings. Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

04/25/2024

When an elderly couple was found murdered inside their Danby, Vermont home in the fall of 1989, it had residents of the small town looking over their shoulders & double-checking their door locks at night.

The double murder sat unsolved for over 30 years until 2020, when the case was reopened with the hope that new forensic DNA analysis could finally shine a light on long-concealed answers.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

This episode is released in collaboration with Season of Justice in recognition of National DNA Day. Text DARK to 53555 or visit https://givebutter.com/sojdarkdowneast to support Season of Justice today. Together, we can solve cold cases.

04/18/2024

When a 10-year-old girl didn’t come back from a quick trip to the store on a cold January night in 1988, her family and the Pawtucket, Rhode Island community searching for her feared the worst. Then weeks later when her body was found miles away, those fears were confirmed… and the questions just started stacking up.

If you have any information about the 1988 unsolved case of Christine Cole in Pawtucket, Rhode Island or the 1988 unsolved murder of Michelle Norris in Central Falls, Rhode Island, please call 1-877-RI-SOLVE.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

04/11/2024

On the night of July 4, 1980, an evening of celebrations in Anson, Maine ended in the murder investigation of a young local mother. Tire tracks at the scene raised suspicion, but despite this, years passed without any movement in the case. By the time it went to trial, Rita St. Peter’s case would be the longest standing unsolved homicide in the state of Maine.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

04/04/2024

16-year old Ashley Turniak died on the side of the highway in Massachusetts during a busy weekday morning commute. Was it a terrible accident or an intentional act? Despite the numerous drivers passing by who likely witnessed the final moments of her life, more than 25 years later investigators are still trying to determine what exactly happened to the teenage girl, and who, if anyone, is responsible

If you have information that could help investigators continue their work on Ashley’s case, please call the Massachusetts State Police Detective Unit at (413) 505-5993.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

04/01/2024

TONIGHT! More details below 💙

https://seasonofjustice.org/dna-deep-dive/

There is still time to join this evening for our first DNA Deep Dive! Help us officially kick off Jog for Justice 2024 - REGISTER NOW: https://seasonofjustice.org/dna-deep-dive/

03/28/2024

When a young mother & her 6-month-old son were found dead in their car in September 1996, no one could fathom the senselessness of ending 2 young lives. Despite the suspicion that continues to surround an individual connected to the little boy, police in Stamford, Connecticut are still struggling to build a case against anyone almost 30 years later.

If you have information about the homicides of Rhonda and Cor'an Johnson, please contact the Connecticut Cold Case tip line toll-free at 1-866-623-8058.

Listen to this week's episode of Dark Downeast: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

03/27/2024

Maine! Connecticut! Massachusetts! Vogue! Oh my!
Thanks Vogue for including Dark Downeast in your list of 30 Best True-Crime Podcasts to Listen to Now! 🌲🎧

03/26/2024

Long time listeners, or anyone (re)visiting past episodes, may remember a 2 parter episode of Dark Downeast from 2022, The Cons of Mair Smith. Well this story is developing like crazy!! Marianne Smyth was arrested in Maine in February & now awaits possible extradition to UK 👀

Full article here: https://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2024-03-26/scammer-claimed-to-be-a-psychic-witch-and-irish-h...

Need a refresher on this one? You can listen to both parts now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

03/22/2024

Maine ✈️ Texas for SXSW… We talked all things True Crime podcasting & more! Were any DDE listeners in the crowd? 🎤

Photos by Javier Gonzalez for Sounds Profitable’s Sound Summit at SXSW 2024

03/21/2024

When Ralph Robbins went missing in 1993, his disappearance seemed to be forgotten almost as soon as it was reported. Now over 30-years later, his daughter is searching for answers, but more than anything, she wants closure.

If you have any information about the 1993 disappearance of Ralph “Roby” Robbins, please contact Massachusetts State Police Lt. Ann Marie Robertson at (508) 961-1918.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

03/14/2024

In March of 1978, the small town of Warren, Rhode Island was sent into a tailspin after a well-known member of their community was shot to death just days after his business burned to the ground. Who would have it out for a man so beloved? The deeper you dig into this unsolved case, the murkier it gets.

If you have any information about the unsolved homicide of Amon Jamiel, please contact the Cold Case Rhode Island tip line at 1-877-RI-SOLVE.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

03/07/2024

No new episode this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t listen to Dark Downeast.

We encourage you to utilize today to revisit Bobbie Miller’s still unsolved case: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

Full interview with NewsNation: https://www.newsnationnow.com/video/podcast-dark-downeast-keeps-unsolved-halloween-murder-alive-banfield/9477496/

02/29/2024

Nearly 4 decades after a Connecticut flight attendant & mother disappeared without a trace, investigators don’t seem any closer to solving the mystery. But ask anyone who knows anything about Regina Brown’s life & they’ll tell you exactly what they believe happened & who they feel is responsible for her disappearance… If only they had the evidence to prove it.

If you have information relating to the 1987 disappearance of Regina Brown, contact the Newtown Police Department at (203) 270-4237 or the anonymous tip line at (203) 270-8888.

Listen now: https://link.chtbl.com/DarkDowneastSocial

02/23/2024

Throwback to when these 2 still had a huge secret to keep 🤫 Now Dark Downeast has been part of audiochuck for over a month!