Dark Downeast

The Murder of James Cassidy, Part 1 (Maine)

In April of 1976, an anonymous call to a sheriff’s department in Maine alerted investigators to something almost impossible to imagine: a burning station wagon hidden off a remote road, and what looked like a body inside. What they found would open a case filled with contradictions. The victim was James Cassidy, a Massachusetts bank vice president, father of three, churchgoing family man, and by all accounts someone living a quiet, ordinary life. But in the days before his death, Jim had vanished across state lines, federal authorities were preparing to arrest him on embezzlement charges, and whispers of missing money, valuable stamps, and possible organized crime connections began to surface. Nearly fifty years later, his death remains unsolved. * If you have any information about this case, please contact the Maine State Police, Major Crimes Unit – North at (207) 973-3750, or use their toll-free line at 1-800-432-7381. You can also submit information anonymously by using the tip form [https://www.maine.gov/dps/msp/about/report-crime/major-crimes-unit-north]. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/jamescassidy-part1 [https://darkdowneast.com/jamescassidy-part1]   Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low. * Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkdowneast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darkdowneast], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@darkdowneast] * To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case [http://darkdowneast.com/submit-case] Did you know you can listen to Dark Downeast ad-free? Join the Crime Junkie Fan Club! Visit https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/fanclub/ [https://crimejunkiepodcast.com/fanclub/] to view the current membership options and policies. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Murder of Brenda Warner & Charlene Ranstrom (New Hampshire)

On a fall morning in 1988, police in Nashua, New Hampshire walked into an apartment and found two women murdered in their bed. What followed seemed, at first, like a case that would never truly reach an ending.  There were suspects, confessions, trials, and years of legal battles but no final resolution. For decades, the killings of Charlene Ranstrom and Brenda Warner lingered in the background, a file sitting quietly among other unsolved cases. But some investigations refuse to stay buried. Years later, new detectives took another look. With fresh eyes, new witnesses, and forensic technology that hadn’t existed when the crime was first investigated, the story began to change. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/brendawarner-charleneranstrom [https://darkdowneast.com/brendawarner-charleneranstrom]   Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low. * Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkdowneast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darkdowneast], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@darkdowneast] * To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case [http://darkdowneast.com/submit-case] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Murder of Joan Wertkin (Connecticut)

On a rainy night in late May 1989, a fire was spotted in a Westport, Connecticut parking lot. Within minutes, first responders realized the impossible: a body was burning in the open. Not long after and just a few miles away, a husband called police to report his wife missing. Her name was Joan Wertkin. From the outside, she was living an enviable life in one of Connecticut’s most idyllic towns. But as investigators traced her final hours, the case turned into something far more complicated – a tight timeline, a fraying relationship, a car left where it shouldn’t have been, and questions that still echo for her family. * If you have information about Joan Wertkin’s case, please contact the Westport Police Department Cold Case Unit at (203) 520-3831. You can also email tips to coldcasetips@westportct.gov [coldcasetips@westportct.gov]. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/joanwertkin [https://darkdowneast.com/joanwertkin] Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low. * Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkdowneast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darkdowneast], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@darkdowneast] * To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case [http://darkdowneast.com/submit-case] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Murder of Lucia Kai Roberts (Massachusetts)

On an August evening in 1982, children playing in Boston’s Franklin Park stumbled onto a scene that would quietly become one of the city’s most troubling unsolved cases.  The victim was a 16-year-old girl who had already endured instability, displacement, and independence far beyond her years. Her murder received little attention at the time, but within months, rumors began to swirl: allegations of sexual assault inside a private police club, whispers of a cover-up, and a detective who refused to back down. * If you have any information that could help bring answers in Lucia Kai Roberts’ case, please contact the Boston Police Department at (617) 343-4470 or submit a tip through the online form [https://police.boston.gov/about/homicide-unit/homicide-tips//%22]. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/luciakairoberts [https://darkdowneast.com/luciakairoberts]   Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low. * Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkdowneast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darkdowneast], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@darkdowneast] * To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case [http://darkdowneast.com/submit-case] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Murder of Abraham Levine and Trial of Eleanor Johnson (Maine)

On a quiet Saturday night in 1931, a 19-year-old cattle dealer sat at his desk to write a check that he never got the chance to finish signing.  Investigators were left with more questions than answers – a missing revolver, a name on a check no one could trace, and a household already tangled in rumor and tension. What followed was a shifting investigation, a contested admission, and a trial that forced a small New England city to confront issues of race, reputation, and reasonable doubt. View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/abrahamlevine-eleanorjohnson [https://darkdowneast.com/abrahamlevine-eleanorjohnson]   Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low. * Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/darkdowneast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/darkdowneast], and TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@darkdowneast] * To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case [http://darkdowneast.com/submit-case] Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com [https://pcm.adswizz.com] for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.