The Murder of Michael T. Connolly (Maine)

The front page of the August 16, 1930 edition of the Lewiston Evening Journal was covered with eye-catching headlines. The maiden voyage of a British airship, the sinking of a Norwegian ocean liner in the Cook Islands. But for Mainers, a local headline caught their attention: “Drowning of Portland Policeman Remains Mystery”. 

The front page story gave few answers, but instead highlighted the question that was on everyone’s mind that night, “What happened to Michael T. Connolly?”

Like the waters of Casco Bay, the mystery, and the uncertainty surrounding the death of patrolman Michael T. Connolly in the early morning hours of August 15th, 1930, is just as deep and open ended today as when it was a fresh case over ninety years ago. The list of questions posed has grown over time, and those who know of the incident now are still asking the same questions that family members and investigators have asked for years. 

December marks one year since I officially announced Dark Downeast. The families I’ve met, the conversations I’ve had, and the people I’ve connected with — you, my listeners — have made this a challenging yet rewarding experience. Speaking of listeners, the support of this show from you all is something I did not anticipate at this scale, so to celebrate and honor that, I’ve welcomed Dark Downeast listeners to submit their own cases to be featured on the show. This episode is the first of those listener-written stories. This episode was co-written by Noah Bonnell. Noah, thank you for sharing a case with us that is important to you.