1912 - Carmel, Maine.

When 14-year-old Naomi Etta Mitchell vanished on her walk to the general store, the tiny town of Carmel, ME mobilized overnight. Neighbors scoured the woods, lanterns in hand, until their worst fear was confirmed—Naomi’s body had been found.

Suspicion fell almost immediately on J. Sherman Gray, the man witnesses had seen trailing her that night. But before authorities could close in, Sherman disappeared.

Now, with each passing day, frustration in Carmel was boiling over. If the law didn’t catch Sherman soon, the townspeople were prepared to deliver their own brand of justice, no matter the outcome.

Episode sources and photos:

https://murdershetold.com/episodes/naomi-mitchell

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2005. Orland, Maine.

On the morning of July 15, 2005, 46-year-old Brian Allen was found shot to death in a bed at a home where he had been staying in Orland—a small blueberry town on the coast of Maine, where he worked. His death was ruled a homicide.

Brian’s murder received little media coverage and quietly slipped onto Maine’s list of unsolved homicides.

Now, two decades later, Brian’s sister Trista is breaking her silence. For the first time, she shares memories of her brother, why she had to step away from the fight for justice, and the deep determination that’s pushing her to seek out the truth—no matter the cost.

If you have information that could help solve Brian’s case, please contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North at (207) 973-3750 or toll free 1-800-432-7381. You can also leave a tip here: https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/about/report-crime/major-crimes-unit-north

Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/brian-allen⁠

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2000 - Seabrook, New Hampshire.

In the early morning hours of July 5, 2000, while working the Fourth of July graveyard shift as a security guard at Venture Corp in Seabrook, New Hampshire, Curtis Pishon vanished without a trace.

Just after midnight, his car had mysteriously gone up in flames. Though the fire was later ruled arson, no one knows who set it—or why. That same night, Curtis disappeared.

Both the Pishon family and investigators suspect foul play, and despite naming a person of interest, Curtis Pishon’s disappearance remains a mystery 25 years later. 

This episode is dedicated to the memory of Curtis’s father, Nicholas E. Pishon, who passed away since our original interview was recorded.

If you have any information on the disappearance of Curtis Pishon, please call the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit tip line at (603) 271-2663 or toll free at 800-525-5555 or via email at [email protected].

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/curtis-pishon

Support Murder, She Told: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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1976 - Lewiston, Maine.

In the early hours of a November morning in 1976, Dorothy “Dotty” Milliken left her home  to do some late-night laundry in Lewiston, Maine. She never made it back. A local paperboy found her body just before dawn, outside Beal’s Laundromat. She had been beaten to death in what police called a frenzied attack.

Tonia was just seven when her mother was killed—a traumatic loss that reshaped the course of her family’s future. In the years since, she’s worked to understand what happened.

Now, a new book revisits the case, pulling together decades of theories, suspects, new interviews, and questions to form a possible picture of that night. But police are still missing a critical piece of the puzzle: the person that knows who killed Dorothy Milliken.

If you have any information on the murder of Dorothy Milliken, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South at ⁠(207)624-7076⁠ x9. The family is offering a $10k reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this crime.

Links to order the book, The Murder of Dorothy Milliken: Cold Case in Maine by Sharon Kitchens:

⁠Green Hand Bookshop⁠

Amazon: ⁠https://amzn.to/4mKQL5q⁠

Part of the book proceeds will be donated to the F.A.I.R Lab, a forensic anthropology lab at UNH led by Dr. Amy Michael, a friend of the show.

Episode sources and photos: ⁠⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/dorothy-milliken⁠

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1976 - Lewiston, Maine.

On a cold November morning in 1976, 27-year-old Dorothy Milliken—Dotty to those who loved her—was found bludgeoned to death outside Beal’s Laundromat in Lewiston, ME. A paperboy made the grim discovery around 4:30 a.m. She’d gone out to do some late-night laundry, and while the city still slept, someone ended her life. Her killer has never been caught.

As the years passed, Dorothy’s case went cold. But long before her name joined Maine’s growing list of unsolved murders, Dorothy Rancourt Milliken was living a quiet, honest life. She was a veteran. A survivor. A mother. This is her story. 

If you have any information on the murder of Dorothy Milliken, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South at (207)624-7076 x9. The family is offering a $10k reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this crime.

Links to order the book, The Murder of Dorothy Milliken: Cold Case in Maine by Sharon Kitchens:

Green Hand Bookshop

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mKQL5q

Part of the book proceeds will be donated to the F.A.I.R Lab, a forensic anthropology lab at UNH led by Dr. Amy Michael, a friend of the show.

Join me Thursday June 5th at Mechanics Hall in Portland for the book launch event with the author and Dorothy’s daughter, Tonia. 

Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/dorothy-milliken

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1988 - Cranston, Rhode Island.

Around 11 p.m. on July 19, 1988, a Cranston police officer came across an abandoned car in the breakdown lane of Route 10. The vehicle belonged to the mother of 18-year-old Lauren Morris, a recent graduate of Bristol High, who had been reported missing after borrowing it to run errands. Blood found inside the car suggested something was terribly wrong.

Just beyond the guardrail, a short distance down the embankment, the officer discovered Lauren’s body floating in Spectacle Pond, a tire wrapped around her torso.

Investigators pursued numerous leads, but none led to a definitive suspect. Despite early momentum, the investigation eventually went cold, leaving behind a trail of questions—and a family still searching for justice.

If you have any information about the murder of Lauren Morris from 1988, please call Detective Robert Santagata of the Cranston Police Department at (401) 477-5169 or submit a tip to the Rhode Island AG’s Office Cold Case Unit at (401) 468-2233.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/lauren-morris

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1980 - Methuen, Massachusetts.

With Christmas fast approaching, 30-year-old William “Bill” Durney was picking up extra shifts at his job delivering gas. In the early hours of October 10, 1980, during a stop at Joe’s Shell in Methuen, MA, Bill was shot twice by an unknown assailant while setting up for the delivery. He died on the scene, leaving behind a wife and three young children. The motive remains unknown.

After early leads dried up, the case sat dormant until the mid-1990s before going cold again. For the past 25 years, the name William Durney has lingered in the hearts of those who loved him—and in the minds of those still determined to solve his case.

Today, that changes. This is the story of Bill Durney: a hardworking family man whose name and case you may not know, but whose life still demands justice.

Bill’s name is hitting the internet for the first time. Help us reinvigorate this unsolved case by sharing this episode with a friend. 

If you have any information on the murder of William ‘Bill’ Durney from Methuen, MA in 1980, please contact the Detective DeJesus at the Methuen Police Dept at (978) 983-8778 or leave a tip with the Massachusetts State Police Unresolved Case Unit at 1-855-MA-SOLVE. There is a $25k reward available.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bill-durney

Join the Justice for Bill Durney Facebook group

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1986 - Rochester, New Hampshire.

In October 1986, Charles Martin Vosseler abducted his two sons, Billy and CJ, leaving their mother, Ruth, desperate to follow their trail—all while picking up the pieces of a life she now realized had been built on lies.

Charlie had taken everything: her possessions, her savings, and now, her sons. But he underestimated Ruth. He’d chosen an indefatigable adversary—one who would stop at nothing to bring her children home.

Decades later, Ruth is still fighting. Still hoping. Still believing that somewhere, her boys are out there—having lived full lives, unaware of who they truly are and everything their father stole from them.

If you have any information on the location of Charles Martin Vosseler or the abduction of his children, Charles Jason “CJ” Vosseler and William Martin “Billy” Vosseler, please contact your local FBI office or the Boston field office at (857) 386-2000.

Submit an anonymous tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/home

The FBI is offering a $25k reward for information that leads to locating either Charles Martin Vosseler or his two sons.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/billy-cj-vosseler-2

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1986 - Rochester, New Hampshire.

When Ruth Gotliebson met Charles Martin Vosseler, he seemed like everything she’d been looking for—charming, grounded, and ready to build a simple, honest life. They married just six months later, and before long, they welcomed two sons they named CJ and Billy.

But just a few years in, Ruth's world imploded when Charlie took their two sons and disappeared without warning, shattering the truth of their entire life together and revealing years of orchestrated lies she never saw coming.

If you have any information on the location of Charles Martin Vosseler or the abduction of his children, Charles Jason “CJ” Vosseler and William Martin “Billy” Vosseler, please contact your local FBI office or the Boston field office at (857) 386-2000.

Submit an anonymous tip online: https://tips.fbi.gov/home

The FBI is offering a $25k reward for information that leads to locating either Charles Martin Vosseler or his two sons.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/billy-cj-vosseler

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1977 - Monroe, Connecticut

In June of 1977, on the eve of her last day of third grade, 8-year-old Renee Freer went outside to play and never came home. Hours later, her body was discovered in the woods near her house, shaking the tight-knit community of Monroe.

Investigators exhausted every lead in their pursuit of justice for Renee, yet decades later, the case remains unsolved. But today’s detectives have one advantage their predecessors never did—21st-century technology. Armed with cutting-edge forensics and a renewed determination, they are closer than ever to unmasking her killer. 

If you have any information on the murder of Renee Freer, please contact the Monroe Police Dept Detective Division at 203-452-2831 ext. 1332. There is a $50k reward for information that leads to a resolution. 

Episode sources and photos:

https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/renee-freer

Read Dead End Road: https://amzn.to/4iURJtH

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