VERMONT, 1971: Rita Curran and her family waited over 50 years for closure in her unsolved homicide, but with a renewed investigation beginning in 2019, detectives turned to advanced DNA analysis to find the answers that had been waiting in evidence storage for half a century.

In part 2, you’ll hear what DNA analysis and genealogical research revealed, but it was only the beginning of finally closing Rita Curran’s cold case, once and for all.

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View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/ritacurran

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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VERMONT, 1971: After more than 50 years, 24-year Rita Curran's murder finally has closure. In this two part series, you'll hear the details of an investigation spanning over half a century and the DNA evidence that finally revealed a suspect in Vermont's oldest cold case.

Part 2 is out now. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.

• Donate & Share: Give Back for Rita
   

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/ritacurran

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

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MAINE, 2021: On Mother’s Day weekend in 2021, skeletal remains were discovered in a shed on private property belonging to a man who had passed away months earlier. Though it would take months for the identity of the body to be confirmed, Danielle McNaughton knew in the pit of her stomach that it was her mother, Denise Scott Ramsey.

The circumstances of Denise’s death are suspicious, but will Danielle ever have answers about what happened to her mom? The story took over the headlines that spring, but since then, little has been discussed and little is known about this case. That's why Danielle is on Dark Downeast.

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/denisescottramsey

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

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VERMONT, 1981: During the earliest moments of the investigation, the death of 35-year old Angela Belisle was presumed to be the result of dangerous temperatures and extreme winter weather. Instead, the autopsy revealed that Angela was the victim of a homicide. What happened to Angela? Who is responsible? What will it take for her killer to be brought to justice all these years later?

• If you have any information about this case, please the Vermont State Police. Tips may be submitted anonymously online or by texting keyword: VTIPS to 274637 (CRIMES).
   

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/angelabelisle

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

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VERMONT, 1971: In a homicide investigation, determining the identity of the victim is an obvious and crucial step in the pursuit of justice. Without knowing whose murder they’re investigating, authorities can’t really bring anyone to trial or even fully investigate.

In the case of 34-year Vermont Veteran Ronald Rodgers, a family member positively ID’d his body, found shot and on fire on July night on Killington Mountain… But the accused killer’s defense team aimed to convince the jury that the identity of the deceased wasn’t an indisputable fact.

• If you haven’t yet, listen to part 1 of Ronald Rodgers story on Dark Downeast. In the conclusion of his story, you’ll hear the wild court proceedings, the shocking evidence, and the alternate theory about what happened as the defense attempted to convince the jury, and the public, that maybe Ronald Rodgers was actually the killer himself.
   

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/ronaldrodgers2

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

VERMONT, 1971: It was 10:30 p.m. the night before the 4th of July in 1971 when a family returning to their cottage near Killington Ski Resort in Vermont discovered a fire down over an embankment. When the father and son got close enough to douse the fire with water they made a grim discovery. It was the badly burned body of a man.

A family member would identify the man as 34-year old Veteran Ronald Rodgers, but as the case developed over the course of an entire decade, that basic fact would be challenged.

This case begins two years before his body was discovered, with an armed robbery in Rutland, Vermont. This is a story of possible mistaken identity, of investigative missteps, and maybe, the story of a so-called perfect crime.

 

• View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/ronaldrodgers1
• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. View source material, photos, and learn more darkdowneast.comFollow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case, email [email protected] Dark Downeast on Buy Me a CoffeeShop Dark Downeast merch at darkdowneast.com/shop

NEW YORK CITY, 1836: In the early morning hours of April 10, 1836, the madam of a New York City brothel awoke to find 22-year old Helen Jewett's bedroom filled with smoke and flames.

Helen Jewett, born Dorcas Doyen in Augusta, Maine, was considered a well-known sex worker in New York City. As her case became sensationalized and publicized around the world, it brought the taboo subject of sex into the prudish public sphere of the 1800s, inviting commentary, opinion and bias, even among those tasked with the pursuit of justice on Helen's behalf.

• Helen Jewett's Known Aliases: Maria Benson, Maria Stanley, Helen Mar, and Ellen Jewett
• Richard R. Robinson's Known Aliases: Frank Rivers, Richard Parmalee
• To learn more about sex work issues and advocacy, visit decriminalizesex.work.

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/helenjewett

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

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Hosted by Ash Kelley and Alaina Urquhart from the hit show Morbid.When 90-year-old Laurence Pilgeram drops dead on the sidewalk outside his condo, you might think that’s the end of his story. But, really, it’s just the beginning. Because Laurence and others like him have signed up to be frozen and brought back to life in the future. And that belief will pull multiple generations of the Pilgeram family into a cryonics soap opera filled with dead pets, gold coins, grenades, fist fights, mysterious packages, family feuds, Hall of Fame baseball legends, and frozen heads — lots of frozen heads. From Wondery, comes a story about life, death, and what comes next.Follow Frozen Head on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. Binge early and ad-free by subscribing to Wondery+ in Apple Podcasts or the Wondery App.  Listen to Frozen Head: Wondery.fm/FH_Downeast

MAINE, 2010: In January of 2023, yet another year passed without justice for Darien Richardson and her family.

You first heard Darien Richardson’s story on Dark Downeast in August of 2021. Since then, I’ve stayed in touch with Darien’s mother, Judi, and this case is one I keep coming back to, especially now that I’ve become a mother to a daughter.

I’ve decided to re-release Darien’s story as an extended episode in hopes of furthering the Richardson family’s fight for answers, to support their advocacy for responsible gun laws, as well as bring awareness to their mission of helping those impacted by violent crime.

• To support Darien and her family, download the reward poster and share it on social media. You can also make a donation to Remembering Darien, the organization founded by Darien’s parents in her honor to help innocent victims of violent crimes heal and rebuild their lives in the aftermath of incomprehensible violence.
• The $15,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and indictment of the person responsible for Darien Richardson’s death still stands. As the ethical true crime content consumer that I know you are, share her story, say her name, and support this family’s fight for justice.
   

View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/darienrichardson  & darkdowneast.com/darienrichardson2

 

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

• Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok
• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.