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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