Murder, She Told

1988 - Lawrence, Massachusetts. 

On the afternoon of September, 12, 1988, a rail yard worker for B&M Railroad in Lawrence, MA made a horrifying discovery on the tracks: the body of 11-year-old Melissa Ann Tremblay who was missing from Salem, NH.

Investigators quickly realized this was no train accident—that something more sinister happened to the young girl—and her killer tried to cover up his crime by staging the gruesome scene. 

For decades the case was cold… until April of 2022, when a former corrections officer was arrested at his home in Alabama. Marvin “Skip” McClendon, Jr went to trial in December 2023… But did investigators get the right man?

A lot has happened since the original Murder, She Told episode, but to get to the end, we have to start back at the beginning: This is a full story update on Melissa Tremblay featuring new interviews, exclusive court documents, and records.

This is part 1 of the story of Melissa Tremblay.

If you have any information at all on the murder of Melissa Tremblay, please contact the Lawrence Police Dept at 978-794-5900.

See sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/melissa-tremblay-1

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2000 - North Providence, Rhode Island.

In the early hours of January 19, 2000, somebody was in the apartment of 32-year-old Kimberly Sue Morse, waiting in the dark for her to return home from work—somebody who knew she worked late nights. The assailant brutally murdered Kim in her own kitchen. Her body wasn't discovered until 15 hours later when firefighters responded to a fire at the apartment, unaware of the horror waiting inside.

But as the mystery unravels, the potential suspect list continues to grow, and one thing remains clear to police: Kimberly Morse likely knew the man who killed her.

Kimberly Morse was the life of the party. She loved to entertain and make people laugh and smile, and she had a wide circle of friends and family who adored her. A true extrovert, Kim could make friends with just about anyone. This makes it so much harder to accept what happened to her.

Kim had so many people who loved her. People who are still waiting for the day the man who stole Kim's life is in handcuffs. Four of them can be heard in this episode.

2025 marks 25 years unsolved. If you have any information about the murder of Kimberly Morse, please contact the North Providence Police Department at (401) 231-4533.

See sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/kimberly-morse

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1990 - Springfield, Massachusetts.

On the morning after Christmas in 1990, a parks employee at Blunt Park in Springfield, MA, made a grim discovery: the body of 17-year-old Shana Renee Price. Initially, police suspected she had been shot, but an autopsy later revealed the brutal truth behind her death.

Shana was a young mother to a baby boy, living a vibrant life surrounded by her friends and family.

Her case received little public attention until 2022, when Springfield Police and the Hampden County DA released a phenotype composite sketch developed by Parabon Nanolabs. The sketch, created using DNA evidence found on Shana’s body, reignited hope that her tragic murder might finally be solved.

However, police still need the public’s help to bring her killer to justice.

If you are a current or former Hampden County resident, get a free DNA ancestry kit to help solve cold cases: https://hampdenda.com/news/forensic-genetic-genealogy/

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/shana-price

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

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Special bonus episode! Kristen is joined by fellow true crime podcasters Charlie Worroll from Crimelines, and Lucy Fitzgerald from Wine & Crime.

Their conversation covers case updates, festival recaps, the perks and pitfalls of podcasting, entomology, Forensic Files, eye drop poisoning, and a whole lot more.

Tune in for a special "Podcasters on Podcasters" style crossover episode we’re calling Murder, She Wine & Crimelines!

Find more info about Crimelines and Wine and Crime here:

https://wineandcrimepodcast.com/

https://www.basementfortproductions.com/

https://www.murdershetold.com/connect

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1946 - Brockton, Massachusetts.

On the morning of December 28, 1946, the Brockton, Massachusetts police arrived at a crime scene that would soon captivate the region. The press called it the Christmas Tree Murder-the brutal killing of 35-year-old Rene Cote.

Rene had no shortage of enemies. Among them was a so-called friend now sitting in jail, charged with his murder. Yet, investigators felt they were missing key pieces of the story. Rene's wife, Bertha Surprise Cote, whose beauty had captured the attention of the public, kept changing her account of what happened that night.

Was she protecting a man she secretly loved from the death penalty? Or was she hiding something far more sinister?

This is part two of the “Christmas Tree” murder of Rene Cote, a case that led to one of the most sensational trials in Massachusetts history.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bertha-cote-2

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

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1946 - Brockton, Massachusetts.

In the early morning hours of December 28, 1946, Brockton Police were called to a grisly scene at the Cote family apartment:

Beside an overturned Christmas tree, amid shattered ornaments and tinsel, lay the bloodied body of 35-year-old Rene Cote. His wife, Bertha Surprise Cote, claimed that two men had broken in and brutally beaten her husband to death.

The police couldn’t overlook the couple’s turbulent history—marked by infidelity, crime, and violent disputes—but Rene’s reputation had earned him no shortage of enemies. The list of potential suspects seemed endless.

Just when investigators believed they’d identified the perpetrator, a cold-blooded killer surfaced—hidden in plain sight.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/bertha-cote-1

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

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1987 - Saline County, Arkansas.

This is a preview of The Trail Went Cold’s coverage of the murders of Don Henry and Kevin Ives, also known as The Boys on the Tracks.

The Trail Went Cold, created and hosted by Robin Warder, released a two-part episode about this convoluted case (that was featured on the original Unsolved Mysteries) for their five-year anniversary show in 2021. You can find the rest of the story at episode 213 and 214.

Subscribe to The Trail Went Cold wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting their website at https://www.trailwentcold.com.

August 23, 1987. Saline County Arkansas. 16-year old Don Henry and 17-year old Kevin Ives head into the woods to do some late-night hunting, but never return. Hours later, the two boys are seen lying on some railroad tracks before they are run over by a cargo train and the medical examiner concludes they had fallen asleep after smoking marijuana and their deaths were accidental. However, Don and Kevin’s families push for a new investigation, which uncovers evidence that they were violently attacked before their bodies were placed on the tracks.

Throughout the years, a number of conspiracy theories emerge to suggest the boys were murdered as part of a cover-up involving drug trafficking, but no one is ever charged with the crime.

The Boys on the Tracks, Part 1: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-213-the-boys-on-the-track-part-1/

The Boys on the Tracks, Part 2: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-214-the-boys-on-the-track-part-2/

Kim Benoit and Cynthia 'Rocky' Krizack: https://www.trailwentcold.com/e/the-trail-went-cold-episode-401-kim-benoit-and-cynthia-rocky-krizack/

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1975 - Washington, Maine.

On a chilly November morning, just two days before Thanksgiving in 1975, 25-year-old Ludger Belanger kissed his wife, Linda, goodbye, and ventured into the snowy woods of rural Maine in search of a buck. He never returned. A devoted father of three young children, Ludger wasn’t the kind of man to abandon his family—Linda knew that much for certain.

Though on the surface it seemed like he vanished without a trace, tracks in the snow led investigators to a crucial piece of evidence and into a high-stakes game of cat and mouse with two men who might know exactly where to find him.

This holiday season marks 49 years since Ludger’s disappearance, yet his family has never stopped searching. This is the story of the disappearance of Ludger Belanger.

If you have information on the disappearance of Ludger Belanger, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central at (207) 624-7143 or toll free at 1800-452-4664. You can also leave a tip here.

Read the book Open Season: https://amzn.to/4ftL8EO

Episode sources and photos: https://www.murdershetold.com/episodes/ludger-belanger

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

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For the past few years, Cairenn Binder and her team of students at Ramapo College of New Jersey’s IGG Center have been using investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) to identify human remains, solve violent crimes, and help exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

In this exclusive episode of Murder, She Told, Cairenn gives a behind-the-scenes look at the process of cracking the toughest of unsolved cases with IGG, shares what her students are currently working on, what it takes to become a genetic genealogist, and so much more.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/investigative-genetic-genealogy

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

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1982 - Florida, Massachusetts.

On a rainy Saturday evening in April 1982, 18-year-old Lynn Burdick was working alone at the Barefoot Peddlar, a small country store in the Berkshires. By the end of her shift, she had vanished—along with the cash in the register. Known for her reliability, Lynn’s disappearance immediately raised alarms.

Less than an hour before she went missing, just over 10 miles away at Williams College, a man attempted to kidnap a student in his car. Investigators couldn't help but question whether the two events were connected. 

Though decades have passed without answers, there is renewed hope that someone will finally come forward with the key to bringing Lynn home.

If you have information on the disappearance of Lynn Burdick, please contact the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit at 413-499-1112 or submit a tip to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.

Episode sources and photos: https://murdershetold.com/episodes/lynn-burdick

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

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