In the spring of 2002, several urgent 9-1-1 calls came into the Stonington, Connecticut, police department from the same caller just two days apart. First, there was a report of a violent kidnapping, and then, the untimely death of the very same victim.

When investigators arrived at the scene of Leslie Buck’s suspicious death fresh off the arrest of the person who kidnapped her, the circumstances didn’t quite add up. In the days ahead, questions about what happened to Leslie would grow more complex and far more unsettling. What began as a shocking crime would soon spiral into a mystery with far more questions than answers.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/lesliebuck

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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When Michael Madore vanished almost 30 years ago, the first theories of his disappearance were pulled from letters found at his house: he was supposedly leaving behind his home and belongings and dogs to start a new life in Alaska. That’s the story police in Milo, Maine, first heard when Mike was reported missing.

But now, without any sign of life for nearly three decades and no indication that Mike made it to the Last Frontier for a fresh start, his sister and brother-in-law want answers. They want the truth. More than anything, they want to bring Mike home where he can finally rest.

• If you have information relating to 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.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/michaelmadore.

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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She was out on her usual Sunday night walk when an unknown killer pulled up and shot her, leaving her mortally wounded in the street of what locals considered a safe neighborhood. Why someone would target Denise Robert and take her life still doesn’t make any sense to her family and those who knew her best, even 10 years later.

This case is not short on theories. Police have fielded questions about everything from a possible gang initiation to serial killers, but we still don’t know what really happened.

• Anyone with information regarding the murder of Denise Robert is urged to contact the Manchester Police Department Crimeline at (603) 624-4040. You can also submit a tip at manchestercrimeline.org.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/deniserobert

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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When Christine Grega and her husband, John Grega, set off for a family vacation to Vermont with their young son, it was a trip meant to mend their relationship. Instead, the weekend ended in devastation when Christine was found in their borrowed ski condo, the victim of a violent attack.

After two decades filled with investigations, prosecutions, an exoneration, and lawsuits, it still isn’t clear what really happened on the night of September 12, 1994.

• Vermont State Police keeps an online database of all the state’s unsolved homicide cases. Christine Grega does not appear on the list. If you know anything about the murder of Christine Grega, you can submit a tip anonymously by texting the keyword VTIPS to 274637 (CRIMES) or via the tip form.
  

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/christinegrega

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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Almost 38 years later, the truth about what happened to Kara Laczynski and who is responsible for her death still has yet to be revealed. Two suspects were arrested and charged in the case, but after three trials with three separate juries and weeks upon weeks of testimony, no one has ever been convicted.

Here’s what investigators thought—and tried to convince the jury—really happened, based on highly disputed evidence that stirred controversy even before it hit a courtroom. But with the case unsolved, what could be done today with contemporary forensics to figure out once and for all what happened on that October night in 1987?

• If you have any information relating to the 1987 homicide of Kara Laczynski, please contact the Hartford Police Department at (860) 757-4000.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/karalaczynski

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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Starlette Vining disappeared in 1998 and has never been found, yet 15 years after she was last seen in the small town of Presque Isle, Maine, a suspect was convicted of her murder.

This is a wide-open look at how a cold missing persons case was successfully investigated and solved despite the fact that the victim’s remains were never recovered prior to trial, or ever. It’s a story about what it takes—and that it is fully possible—to bring a suspicious disappearance investigation to a close and get a violent, diabolical killer out of our communities, even when the only proof a murder occurred is the testimony of questionable witnesses, second-hand stories, and inconclusive physical evidence.

• Starlette Vining’s information is listed with the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Her remains have never been recovered. Please report any discoveries that may be connected to this case to Maine State Police Troop F in Houlton, Maine, at (207) 532-5400.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/starlettevining

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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For almost three years, the case of Katharina Reitz Brow languished without information or evidence that could bring a true ending to the search for answers. And then when someone was finally arrested, charged, and convicted of her murder, a hard-fought battle by the suspect’s own sister unearthed evidence in a dusty courthouse basement that changed everything about the case nearly two decades later.

Now, just this year, 2025, investigative genetic genealogy has identified the person that investigators believe is actually culpable for Katharina’s death.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/katharinareitzbrow

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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For years, the murders of Rhonda Travers and Kathy Perry sat stagnant without any promise of justice, but when an informant surfaced with a story about a suspect who had never before been investigated, it changed everything.

“There's always names that come up in every case,” Sgt. Pierce explained. “You know, look at this one, look at that one, whatever. There's always something, though, that just doesn't fit, you know? And these people get ruled out for whatever reason. They had alibis; they had this or what have you. In these two cases, once his name surfaced, everything fit, everything.”

This is Part Two of a two-part series. Find Part One of the series here.

• If you have any information relating to the 1986 murder of Kathy Perry or the 1987 murder of Rhonda Travers in Warwick, Rhode Island, please contact the Warwick Police Department Detective Division at (401) 468-4233. You can also share information with retired Warwick PD Sgt. Fred Pierce via the Kathy Perry Facebook page. Any information shared with Sgt. Pierce will be forwarded to the appropriate law enforcement agency.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/kathyperry-rhondatravers-part-two

Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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• To suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case