Dark Downeast

26 years is a long time to wait for answers in an unsolved homicide, but in 2019 the family of 20-year old Sophie Sergie finally had a glimmer of hope that closure was possible. Familial DNA evidence led cold case investigators from Alaska all the way to Auburn, Maine and to the doorstep of the man now charged with the murder of Sophie Sergie. The trial of Steven H. Downs began in January 2022 and...

FAIRBANKS, ALASKA 1993: Sophie Sergie was a first generation college student from a small village in rural Alaska who set her eyes on building a better future for herself and her family. In April of 1993, someone cut that future short. This case played out on the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks over 4000 miles from New England and nearly three decades in the past, but the long arm of...

WALDOBORO, MAINE 1983: Who killed well-known Waldoboro figure Douglas J. Parent? And why? His case has been on the Maine Unsolved Homicide list for decades, and one rumor about what happened the night of October 2, 1983 has circulated nearly as long. In this special episode of Dark Downeast, you’ll get to know Doug Parent through his own words and voice and we’ll dig into the whispered theory that...

CORNISH, MAINE 1991: Sean Conway's family has been waiting 31 years to learn what happened to their brother and son on January 16, 1991. This long-standing case is still considered an open and active homicide investigation, though it’s been years since any new developments have come to light. Nim is on Dark Downeast to share her brother’s story in hopes that it will reach the person or persons who...

RHODE ISLAND, 1990: They were sitting in their car eating clam chowder when another vehicle smashed into their rear bumper and took off. Adam Emery pursued the apparent hit and run driver. The ensuing confrontation escalated to homicide -- Adam stabbed and killed 20-year old Jason Bass. Though Adam Emery was found guilty of murder and awaited sentencing, he and his wife Elena Emery had other plans...

WATERVILLE, MAINE 1971: Katherine Murphy was a freshman at Colby College, continuing her family legacy at Maine's mini-Ivy liberal arts school, when someone stole her life. This is the still unsolved homicide of Katherine Murphy. This episode was co-written by Natalie Jones.   View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/katherinemurphy Follow @darkdowneast on  Instagram , ...

PORTLAND, 1930: The early morning had been foggy and dark, and the high tide came in at 3:17 a.m. It was the perfect storm for a successful offloading of alcohol—if nobody noticed or got in the way. Had Officer Connolly found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or did he know something was going to happen on the waterfront that morning? Had he tried to stop it? Like the waters of Casco B...

ORONO, MAINE 2018: A young woman in a college town was found dead in the snow. From the first minutes of the investigation, police assumed she must’ve had too much to drink, fell down, and didn’t get back up in the sub-zero temperatures. Her death was an accident. A terrible, tragic accident. But the family of Alexie Adams and the private investigator they’ve hired aren’t convinced they have the e...

OGUNQUIT, 1990: When York Police Detectives found the body of John “Jack” Bevins on his bathroom floor surrounded by blood and shell casings, it was obvious they were dealing with a homicide. But what unfolded from that April afternoon was a complex criminal case and a defense never-before seen at trial in the State of Maine. Are there exceptions to murder? That’s what the defense was prepared to...

OGUNQUIT, 1990: This case will challenge you. It will raise questions in your mind about consequence and justice, and what happens when an individual decides, or maybe, is forced to take those things into their own hands. The Jack and Jackie Bevins Case, Part 1.   View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/bevins1 Follow @darkdowneast on  Instagram ,  Facebook , and  TikT...

SACO, 1993: Thomas Napier did not have an easy life. His childhood years were plagued with pain and trauma, and then as a teenager his choices landed him in trouble with the law. But by the time he turned 22-years old, Thomas was on a better path. He had a job, a stable home life, and a new car he loved. Things were looking up. Sadly, the progress Thomas was making in his life would never reach it...

MASSACHUSETTS, 1933: When Captain William Costello was found unresponsive on his bathroom floor, the responding doctor assumed he suffered a heart attack. No sooner was the last flower laid at his tomb did the rumors begin to swirl. It seemed no one believed the Fire Captain died of anything natural. All eyes were on his wife, Mrs. Jessie Costello, who seemed to love the attention. This is the sto...

On July 4, 1949, the villages of Flagstaff and Dead River came together, with current residents and past, for a celebration that they called Old Home Days. They knew a celebration like this would never happen again, because the little villages of Flagstaff and Dead River were about to die. Years of methodical planning and legislative action, of deconstruction and relocation and clear cutting, of d...

QUESTIONABLE, 1953: Sally Maynard Moran left for a walk to the far side of Monhegan Island on the evening of July 9, 1953. That side of the island is known for the tallest oceanside cliffs on the Maine coastline. It’s among those cliffs this story unfolds. Was it a truly tragic accident? Was it a choice? Or could it have possibly been murder?   View source material and photos for this episode at d...

UNDETERMINED, 1980: She was one day shy of her 15th birthday when Wanda Mitchell ran away from home. Less than a year later, her remains were recovered from the woods in Poland, Maine. To this day, her death is considered undetermined -- not a homicide, not an accident, not a single clear answer as to what happened to the teenage girl or who, if anyone, is responsible. The search for answers has g...

FROM AWAY, 1979: It took over 10 years for remains found in the woods of Stacyville, Maine to finally be identified. Thanks to a true crime podcast, a listener who trusted her gut, and DNA testing, Mr. Christopher Roof had his identity back. With a name and a face to a man previously known as the Stacyville John Doe, one Maine reporter was tasked with learning more about Christopher Roof. It start...

MAINE JOHN DOE, 2010: For years, he was known only by the name stitched into the blue and white striped knit hat he was wearing. Chris, the Stacyville John Doe. Now, nearly 11 years later, the man known only by his first name has his identity back, thanks to a woman who heard his description on a podcast and trusted her gut. This is the story of Christopher Roof, told with the help of Sydney Copp...

Imagine your son, imagine any person you love, just disappears. No viable leads, no physical evidence, nothing to direct your search beyond unreliable or uncooperative witnesses with ever changing stories. That ambiguous loss is like a cloud over the lives of Ramona and Narciso Torres. Until they have closure and can bring their son, Angel Antonio Torres, home, that cloud follows them around. In P...

MAINE MISSING PERSON, 1999: It's been 22 years, and Ramona and Narciso Torres are still waiting for the answers that will bring their son Angel Antonio "Tony" Torres home. Through their memories and stories, we get to know Angel and who he was before he disappeared, and the earliest circumstances of the days after he called his parents for the last time. This is the story of Angel Torres, Part 1,...

DISAPPEARANCE/HOMICIDE, 1978: Grace Reapp was a devoted mother of three children, but one June afternoon, she left a note for her husband, Michael Reapp. She and their daughter, Gracie Noel, were gone. It took Michael five days to report his wife and daughter missing, and that's just the start of the suspicion against him. This is the case of Grace and Little Gracie Reapp. If you have any informat...

BRIDGTON, MAINE: 12-year old Sarah Perry was asleep in bed when an attacker took her mother's life. It took over a decade for DNA evidence to bring Crystal Perry's killer to justice. Sarah Perry is now the author of “ After the Eclipse ”, a memoir that documents her early life in Bridgton, Maine with her mother, as well as the details and aftermath of her murder in 1994. From her own memories and...

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 abou...

CAPE COD, 1969: It was supposed to be a fun and relaxing girl's weekend in Provincetown for Patricia Walsh and Mary Anne Wysocki. They couldn't have known that helping a friendly stranger in their boarding house would put them into the orbit of a killer. These are the stories of Pat Walsh, Mary Anne Wysocki, Sydney Monzon, and Susan Perry. The Babysitter by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan   View s...

His fresh start was cut short. Robert Joyal’s life ended in the middle of a chaotic scene. Though dozens of witnesses stood watching, some even participating in the violence that April night in 1998, Rob’s case remains unsolved. His family is still waiting. In part 2, Marc Joyal-Myers describes the frustrations of the narrowly focused investigation and what he’s doing to support not only his own f...

UNSOLVED MAINE HOMICIDE, 1998: Marc Joyal-Myers was 11-years old when he lost his big brother, 18-year old Robert Joyal. More than two decades have passed since that night in April 1998 when someone ended Rob’s life in a Portland, Maine parking lot. Now, Marc is a voice for the brother he lost who can no longer speak for himself. Marc is also a voice for the hundreds of other victims and families...