Mercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic | America’s Last “Vampire” Was a 19-Year-Old Girl

Mercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic | America’s Last “Vampire” Was a 19-Year-Old Girl

Mercy Brown and the New England Vampire Panic tells the true story behind one of New England’s most haunting legends: the nineteen-year-old girl from Exeter, Rhode Island, remembered by history as America’s last “vampire.” But before she became folklore, Mercy Lena Brown was Lena. A daughter. A sister. A young woman in a farming family being slowly emptied by tuberculosis, then called consumption. Her mother died. Her sister died. Lena died. And while her brother Eddie was still wasting away from the same disease, fear brought neighbors back to the family graves. This episode of Under the Pines looks past the vampire label and into the human story underneath it: a family surrounded by death, a father under pressure, a community caught between folk belief and emerging medical science, and a young woman whose body became the place where grief, fear, and superstition collided. This is not a monster story. It is a story about tuberculosis, New England folklore, 19th-century medicine, Rhode Island history, and the cost of trying to explain the unexplainable before science could save the people families loved. Sources: Have Mercy… – The Rhode Island Historical Society [https://www.rihs.org/have-mercy/] – https://www.rihs.org/have-mercy/ The Great New England Vampire Panic – Smithsonian Magazine [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/] – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/ Vampires and Death in New England, 1784 to 1892 – Michael E. Bell [https://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/%2B%2B%2B2150%202007-8/BellVampiresandDeath.pdf] – https://www.yorku.ca/kdenning/%2B%2B%2B2150%202007-8/BellVampiresandDeath.pdf Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires – Michael E. Bell [https://www.weslpress.org/9780819571700/food-for-the-dead/] – https://www.weslpress.org/9780819571700/food-for-the-dead/ The “Vampire” Quilt: A Material Culture Study – Rhode Island History Navigator [https://navigator.rihs.org/rhode-island-a-bibliography-of-its-history/the-vampire-quilt-a-material-culture-study/] – https://navigator.rihs.org/rhode-island-a-bibliography-of-its-history/the-vampire-quilt-a-material-culture-study/ The “Vampire” Quilt: A Material Culture Study – Quilt Index PDF [https://kora.quiltindex.org/files/35-90-236/Uncoverings1999-A7.pdf] – https://kora.quiltindex.org/files/35-90-236/Uncoverings1999-A7.pdf When Tuberculosis Helped Put Colorado on the Map – History.com [https://www.history.com/articles/the-disease-that-helped-put-colorado-on-the-map] – https://www.history.com/articles/the-disease-that-helped-put-colorado-on-the-map Mercy Lena Brown Memorial – Find a Grave [https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6628164/mercy_lena-brown] – https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/6628164/mercy_lena-brown Additional source material includes Providence Journal reporting from 1883, 1884, January 1892, March 1892, and May 1892; Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner references; Rhode Island death records; the 1880 United States Census; cemetery records; and public folklore material used only where clearly framed as legend or cultural afterlife. #MercyBrown #NewEnglandVampirePanic #RhodeIslandHistory #TrueCrimeHistory #UnderThePines

Linda Carman Vanished at Sea: Nathan Carman, John Chakalos, and the Trial That Never Happened

Linda Carman left Point Judith, Rhode Island, on what was supposed to be an overnight fishing trip with her only son, Nathan Carman. Eight days later, Nathan was found alive in a life raft more than 100 nautical miles south of Martha’s Vineyard. Linda and the boat were never recovered. But this was never only a missing-at-sea case. Linda’s disappearance reached back into the unsolved 2013 murder of her father, John Chakalos, a wealthy Connecticut and New Hampshire real estate developer. Federal prosecutors later accused Nathan of killing both his mother and grandfather as part of an alleged inheritance and insurance fraud scheme. Nathan pleaded not guilty. He died in custody before trial. He was never convicted. The federal case was dismissed after his death, leaving behind a story with no jury verdict, no recovered boat, no recovered body, and no clean ending. This episode of Under the Pines tells the Carman family story as a human tragedy first: Linda as a mother, daughter, friend, and careful person who checked in before she left; John and Rita Chakalos as a married couple whose long life together ended just before the family fractured; and Nathan as a son who became the center of accusations that were never tested before a jury. Sources used for this episode: Vermont Man Arrested for Murder on the High Seas and Related Inheritance Fraud Scheme [https://www.justice.gov/usao-vt/pr/vermont-man-arrested-murder-high-seas-and-related-inheritance-fraud-scheme] Coast Guard Audio with Nathan Carman [https://www.dvidshub.net/audio/45072/coast-guard-audio-with-nathan-carman] National Liability & Fire Insurance Company v. Nathan Carman, Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law [https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/USCOURTS-rid-1_17-cv-00038/USCOURTS-rid-1_17-cv-00038-2] Nathan Carman “omitted” from CT mom’s will years before disappearance [https://www.ctpost.com/news/article/nathan-carman-linda-carman-will-middletown-ct-18419521.php] Nathan Carman’s Death Was Not Suspicious, Autopsy Shows [https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/death-of-vermont-man-charged-with-killing-mom-at-sea-was-not-suspicious-autopsy-shows/3078223/] Funeral Held for Nathan Carman, Man Accused of Killing Mother in Inheritance Scheme [https://www.wfsb.com/2023/06/23/funeral-held-nathan-carman-man-accused-killing-mother-inheritance-scheme/] Man Charged with Killing Mom at Sea Seeks Grand Jury Minutes [https://apnews.com/article/844517d8cb554f04189bb95adb2b4030] Additional research included archived newspaper reporting from the Hartford Courant, Boston Globe, Burlington Free Press, The Day, Middletown Press, Valley News, Greenwich Time, The Free Lance-Star, Concord Monitor, Daily Press, and Associated Press coverage. #LindaCarman #NathanCarman #JohnChakalos #MissingAtSea #UnderThePines

Ayla Reynolds: Missing Maine Toddler, Blood Evidence, and the Pink Light Still Shining

Ayla Bell Reynolds was twenty months old when she was reported missing from Waterville, Maine, eight days before Christmas in 2011. Her case became the largest criminal investigation in Maine State Police history. More than a decade later, no one has been criminally charged. This Under the Pines episode follows Ayla as a child first: a little girl who loved pink, music, dancing, Dora the Explorer, books, stuffed puppies, and pictures of puppies. Then it follows the night she was reported missing, the search, the blood evidence found in the basement, the rejection of an abduction theory, the civil wrongful death lawsuit, and the pink light her mother still keeps shining. Investigators say Ayla did not leave the house on her own, was not abducted, and that adults who were in the home are withholding information. Justin DiPietro has denied harming Ayla or having anything to do with her disappearance. Civil allegations are discussed as allegations only. The criminal investigation remains open. If you know anything about Ayla Reynolds, contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit Central at 207-624-7143 or 1-800-452-4664, Augusta communications at 207-624-7076, or submit a tip through the Maine State Police website. Sources: Reynolds, Ayla | Maine State Police [https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/investigation-traffic/major-crime-units/unsolved/missing-persons/reynolds-ayla] Maine State Police History [https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/about/history] Mother of Ayla Reynolds still seeking answers 9 years later [https://www.centralmaine.com/2020/12/16/mother-of-ayla-reynolds-still-seeking-answers-9-years-after-childs-disappearance-from-waterville-home/] Emotions 'running really high' 8 years later [https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/12/16/investigation-court-case-continue-eight-years-after-waterville-toddlers-death/] Wrongful death suit, police probe linger 12 years later [https://www.pressherald.com/2023/12/16/wrongful-death-suit-police-probe-linger-in-disappearance-of-ayla-reynolds-12-years-later/] Ayla Reynolds’ grandmother, aunt added to wrongful death lawsuit [https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/local/ayla-reynolds-maine-grandmother-aunt-added-to-wrongful-death-lawsuit-dipietro-court-case-disappearance/97-11c67144-8eac-4f24-851b-8cd840cd3d0d] Settlement reached in civil case involving Ayla Reynolds [https://www.centralmaine.com/2024/09/05/settlement-reportedly-reached-in-civil-case-involving-ayla-reynolds-disappearance-in-waterville/] Wrongful death settlement doesn’t end investigation [https://www.bangordailynews.com/2024/09/12/central-maine/central-maine-police-courts/waterville-maine-ayla-reynolds-wrongful-death-settlement-criminal-investigation/] Have you seen this child? Ayla Reynolds [https://www.missingkids.org/poster/NCMC/1185956/1] Ayla Bell Reynolds | The Charley Project [https://charleyproject.org/case/ayla-bell-reynolds] Missing Toddler Ayla Reynolds Had Unstable Home Life [https://abcnews.com/US/missing-maine-toddler-ayla-reynolds-unstable-home/story?id=15198125] Report: Ayla Reynolds’ father took out life insurance [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/report-ayla-reynolds-father-took-out-life-insurance-on-toddler-before-she-disappeared/] Ayla Bell Reynolds Web Site [https://aylareynolds.com/] Ayla Reynolds Ayla’s Angels [https://www.facebook.com/AylaReynoldsLaurieBingham/] Justice for Ayla Reynolds petition [https://www.change.org/p/maine-attorney-general-janet-mills-charge-justin-dipietro-and-conspirators-with-murder] Music: Special thanks to Yoza for “Broken Wings.” #AylaReynolds #MaineTrueCrime #MissingChildren #TrueCrimePodcast #UnsolvedMysteries

Marlon Devine Santos: The Missing Worcester Foster Baby Who Vanished in 1998

Five-month-old Marlon Devine Santos vanished from a Worcester foster home in 1998 and was not reported missing for two days. What began as a missing-child investigation became a suspected homicide case, a grand-jury review, and a lasting question about how a baby placed under state protection could disappear without a trace. This episode of Under the Pines follows Marlon’s short life, his parents’ struggle over custody, the foster home on Eastern Avenue, the lost forty-eight hours, the Wachusett Reservoir searches, the unconfirmed suffocation theory, and the separate criminal cases that later changed how the home was understood. The evidence never produced an indictment, no remains were found, and no one has ever been charged in Marlon’s disappearance. Marlon was five months old. He was more than a missing-person file, more than a foster-care failure, and more than the questions adults left behind. He was a child who should have had birthdays, school pictures, friendships, and a life beyond one photograph. If you have information: Send an anonymous text to 274637 beginning with TIPWPD, use the Worcester Police anonymous online tip system, or call the Unresolved Homicide Unit at 508-799-8688. Sources Santos, Marlon | City of Worcester [https://www.worcesterma.gov/police/investigations/unresolved-cases/santos-marlon] https://www.worcesterma.gov/police/investigations/unresolved-cases/santos-marlon Marlon Devine Santos | The Charley Project [https://charleyproject.org/case/marlon-devine-santos] https://charleyproject.org/case/marlon-devine-santos Missing: Marlon Santos | Worcester, Massachusetts [https://uncovered.com/cases/marlon-santos-worcester-ma] https://uncovered.com/cases/marlon-santos-worcester-ma 48 Hours After Baby Marlon Went Missing | Unsolved: Worcester [https://thisweekinworcester.com/episode-9-of-unsolved-worcester-season-3/] https://thisweekinworcester.com/episode-9-of-unsolved-worcester-season-3/ Bay State Woman Enriching Lives of Foster Kids [https://www.fiftyplusadvocate.com/2013/02/25/bay-state-woman-enriching-lives-of-foster-kids/] https://www.fiftyplusadvocate.com/2013/02/25/bay-state-woman-enriching-lives-of-foster-kids/ Marlon Devine Santos, 5 Months, Worcester, 5 Nov 1998 | Websleuths [https://websleuths.com/threads/ma-marlon-devine-santos-5-months-worcester-5-nov-1998.59354/] https://websleuths.com/threads/ma-marlon-devine-santos-5-months-worcester-5-nov-1998.59354/ The Boston Globe [https://www.bostonglobe.com/] https://www.bostonglobe.com/ Telegram & Gazette [https://www.telegram.com/] https://www.telegram.com/ The Republican [https://www.masslive.com/republican/] https://www.masslive.com/republican/ Daily Hampshire Gazette [https://www.gazettenet.com/] https://www.gazettenet.com/ The Recorder [https://www.recorder.com/] https://www.recorder.com/ The Daily Item [https://www.itemlive.com/] https://www.itemlive.com/ #MarlonDevineSantos #WorcesterTrueCrime #MassachusettsTrueCrime #MissingChildren #UnsolvedMysteries

Paul J. Costanza: Room 54 at the Tudor Motor Inn | Unsolved Shrewsbury MA Homicide | 032

In 1982, 22-year-old Paul J. Costanza was found dead inside Room 54 at the Tudor Motor Inn on Route 9 in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. At first, his death was viewed through the shadow of addiction. But his mother, Lana McKinney, believed something was wrong from the beginning. This episode of Under the Pines follows the unresolved homicide of Paul Costanza, a young man whose life had become tangled in drugs, fear, cash, and dangerous people, but whose humanity never disappeared. He was a son. He was a brother. And he was someone his mother never stopped fighting for. Paul had been spending time around Green Hill Park in Worcester before his death. He was known to carry cash, a wallet attached by a metal chain, and a red toolbox. When he was found in the motel room, the room was trashed, his wallet was gone, heroin was missing, and yet more than $1,000 in cash remained behind in the toolbox. A judicial inquest later ruled that Paul had been robbed and murdered. This story is not about pretending Paul lived a clean or simple life. He did not. It is about refusing to let addiction become the only thing people remember. Lana knew the hard parts of her son’s life. She knew the fear. She knew the trouble. But she also knew Paul wanted to live. More than forty years later, no one has been charged in his death. If you know anything about the August 5, 1982 homicide of Paul J. Costanza at the Tudor Motor Inn in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts, contact Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office at 508-453-7589, or email WorcesterDAunresolved@mass.gov. Sources: Paul Costanza - Shrewsbury - 8/5/1982, Worcester County District Attorney’s Office https://worcesterda.com/cases/paul-costanza-shrewsbury-8-5-1982/ Drug addict’s slaying unsolved, Kevin Keenan, Telegram & Gazette, updated August 27, 2006 https://www.telegram.com/ Music credit: Mahalo to Yoza for the use of her song “Broken Wings.” #PaulCostanza #UnderThePines #UnsolvedHomicide #MassachusettsTrueCrime #ShrewsburyMA