Two of New England’s most perplexing cold cases, and the tangled web that binds them together. Everything starts with the mur*der of a 15-year-old high school student.
Ashley Ouellette’s life was tragically cut short in 1999, in a horrible murd*er case that remains unsolved.
However, the mysteries that began on a dark winter morning may now be revealed in the light of day.
Saco, Maine, is a naturally beautiful New England town just outside of Portland. Ashley Ouellette was a typical 15-year-old girl.
There was no cause for concern when Ashley asked her mother if she could spend the night at a friend’s house.
Lise received a goodnight call from Ashley shortly after 10 p.m. on February 9, 1999, the last messages she ever received from her daughter.
Six hours later, at nearly 4 a.m., a man driving home from work notices something in the road ahead of him. As he gets closer, he realizes, to his horror, that it’s a dead teenage girl. Ashley Ouellette has been choked to death and her neck has been broken.
How did Ashley get from the safety of a friend’s sleepover to the harsh cold asphalt of Pine Point Road in a nearby town nearly ten miles away?
It doesn’t take long to piece together Ashley’s final few hours of sleep. The timeline begins at 10 p.m., immediately following her goodnight call to her mother. A few fellows from school join Ashley and her sleepover friends. And Ashley’s mother explains that one of the boys was named Jay Carney.
“So the girls let them in, and the girls started chatting, and then they said they were going up to the Sanborn home,” Lise Ouellette explained. Earl and Muriel Sanborn’s home. Ashley has two sons, Steven and Danny.
“I think she liked to be with Steven,” Lise speculated. “I believe she had a crush on him, but I don’t believe she was ever involved with him, and that’s the point, according to the girls, she wished to see Steven that night.”
Ashley, according to a friend, waited at the Sanborns’ house while the other girls left.
What happens next is determined by who you ask.
Ashley was given a place to sleep on their couch, according to the Sanborn boys and their parents. However, they claim she left on her own after they had all moved to the bed. Ashley’s house is about ten miles away from the Sanborn house.
Police are skeptical and obtain a search warrant for the Sanborn home and Daniel’s car. They want to know what happened at the Sanborns’.
Authorities allegedly obtain what appear to be blood spots and evidence of se*xual activity from the Sanborn residence, according to published news documents.
They seize Danny Sanborn’s car as well. They find patches of dry brown grass similar to the grass found on Ashley’s body.
Danny’s inability to keep his story straight adds to the suspicion. In his statement, Danny first says he went to school that morning; later, he changes his story and tells police he spent the day at the beach.
That is the source of Ashley’s family’s skepticism. However, this is insufficient for authorities to file a charge. The authorities will not name a suspect.
Danny Sanborn, despite Ashley’s mother’s assumptions, denies any involvement and has never been arrested in connection with Ashley’s mu*rder. He and his brother Steven, as well as his parents, have been interviewed several times by police, but they have never been arrested for any crime.
Danny Sanborn has a lengthy criminal record, according to Crime Watch Daily. After being arrested for heroin possession with the intent to distribute, he was sentenced to an attack on a police officer and spent three years in prison.
The Maine State Police have stated that this is a clear, ongoing, and confidential investigation and will not comment at this time. But there is one person who claims to know who did it.
The man who could have solved the mur*der mystery vanished.
While cops continue to look for Ashley Ouellette’s m*urderer, another family begins their search for their missing son. And the two cases would collide.
Ashley was allegedly choked to death and had her neck smashed. Then, on a cold February morning before sunrise, her body was dumped on an empty road in Saco, Maine.
In the tangled web of fear and story. One young man claims to know who did it with certainty. But three months later, this horrifying secret would vanish with him.
Tony Torres was a popular, strong young man from the area who had gone to college in Massachusetts.
“He was a loving son who always made time for family,” shared Narciso Torres, Tony’s father. “His last visit home was unremarkable. He came to celebrate Mother’s Day with his mom, and it felt like any other holiday. He updated us on his school life, and things seemed to be going well for him.”
Tony also cherished spending time with his high school friends when he returned home.
During that spring break, the entire region was abuzz with talk of Ashley Ouellette’s mur*der. The small town was gripped by the conversation surrounding the case. One evening, while at home with his parents, Tony made a startling revelation about her mur*der.
“He didn’t reveal the identity, but he claimed to know who did it, and the way he said it left no doubt,” explained Narciso Torres.
“We were in the living room watching the news when the story of Ashley Ouellette came up, and he suddenly said, ‘I know who ki*lled her. I remember the people who ki*lled her,'” Narciso recounted.
“I told him, ‘You either need to take this information to the authorities or keep quiet about it, but be cautious about whom you share it with,'” said Narciso.
“At that time, I didn’t fully grasp the extent of what he knew, and a part of me worried for him. You see, witnesses can be silenced. If I could go back now, I would grab him by the collar and say, ‘We’re going to the authorities right now,'” Narciso lamented. “But I didn’t do that.”
Tony’s father’s concerns were well-founded. Three months after Ashley’s mur*der, Tony vanished without a trace.
Tony’s parents recounted the timeline of that fateful night, as relayed to them by the authorities.
At 2 a.m., Tony was at his ex-girlfriend’s apartment, sharing a drink. Jay Carney, a close friend of the Sanborns, was also present.
Tony and Carney left together to go to a nearby store. A short while later, Carney returned alone. Tony was never seen again.
Notably, Jay Carney was the same individual who had reportedly given Ashley a ride to the Sanborns’ home on the night of her m*urder.
Tony has been missing for seventeen long years. He was officially declared deceased in 2004, but his remains have never been located. Tony’s family believes there is a connection between Ashley’s mur*der and Tony’s disappearance.
Tragically, Jay Carney passed away from a drug overdose last year.
Both Ashley’s mu*rder and Tony’s disappearance remain open and active cases, with the Maine State Police refusing to provide any updates or details at this time.
The Maine State Police have ceased making public statements, and no new information has been released. Neither of these cases has led to any arrests, leaving both mysteries unresolved.
