Murder, She Told

1996 - Milo, Maine.

On a cool April day in 1996, 32-year-old Michael Madore disappeared without a trace. He left behind everything—his possessions, his beloved dogs, and a letter claiming he was bound for Alaska to live out a childhood dream of becoming a “mountain man” like Grizzly Adams.

But that dream was only ever a fantasy. The circumstances Mike left behind painted a confusing picture, and the details didn’t seem to line up.

Nearly 30 years have passed, and Mike has never been  heard from again. For his family and friends, the silence has only deepened the mystery—and they are left with a single haunting wish: to finally bring him home.

If you have information on the disappearance of Michael Madore, please contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North at (207) 973-3750, toll-free 1-800-432-7381, or ⁠leave a tip here.⁠

Episode sources and photos: ⁠⁠⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/michael-madore⁠

Support the show: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠⁠⁠

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1990 - Johnston, Rhode Island.

In July of 1999, 50-year-old Stephen Marfeo took action on a violent plan: he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Laura Vincent, and attempted to kill her boyfriend, Sal Puleo, before ultimately taking his own life. 

For police, this was an open and shut case fulled by jealousy and domestic violence. However, they held out hope that this tragedy would help them unravel the mystery of what happened to Stephen’s wife, 34-year-old Doreen Ann Marfeo, who vanished without a trace from their Johnston, RI home in March of 1990.

Stephen told police that Doreen’s behavior in the months leading up to her disappearance had taken a bizarre uncharacteristic turn. She abruptly quit her job, and was having late night panic attacks over something she couldn’t bring herself to tell her husband.

Several months later, police began receiving anonymous letters in the mail... letters that claimed to have intimate knowledge about Doreen, and detailed what allegedly happened to her the day she disappeared…

This episode was originally published in September 2023.

Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/doreen-marfeo⁠

Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠

If you have any information on the disappearance of Doreen Marfeo, please contact the Johnston Police Dept at (401) 231-4210 or leave a tip at [email protected].

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2002 - Bridgeport, Ohio

In July 2002, 45-year-old John Cornelius “JC” McGhee was gunned down in the doorway of his home in Bridgeport, Ohio, just across the river from West Virginia. The case drew little attention at the time—and quickly slipped from the headlines.

Now, decades later, his daughter, Madison McGhee, is demanding answers. Through her investigative podcast, Ice Cold Case, she’s shining a spotlight on her father’s unsolved murder, exposing the skeletons in her own family’s closet, and challenging a community that may hold long-buried secrets—and the name of a killer—to finally come forward.

If you have any information on the murder of JC MCGhee, please contact the Belmont County Sheriff’s Office at (740) 695-5124.

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/madison-mcghee

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2015 - Manchester, New Hampshire.

On a warm summer night in August 2015, 62-year-old Denise Robert followed her familiar routine—ending the day with a quiet walk through neighborhood streets she knew by heart. But just before 9 pm, the stillness of the evening broke. Denise was shot in the head by an unknown assailant and killed instantly.

Ten years later, there have been no arrests. No answers. Denise lived a full but quiet life, with no known enemies. But somebody out there knows who pulled the trigger—and it’s time they spoke up.

If you have any information on the murder of Denise Robert, please contact the Manchester Police Department Crimeline at (603) 624-4040 or submit an ⁠anonymous tip online⁠. A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of Denise's killer.

Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/denise-robert⁠

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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.

Read The Murder of Dorothy Milliken: Cold Case in Maine by Sharon Kitchens: 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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