International Probe Still Underway EDITORS NOTE: This is --the first of two articles in . which the NEWS examines a strange series of deaths in , volving young people. Police have been baffled in their efforts to solve the cases, which have occurred in south era Maine and neighboring New Hampshire. By KEN BUCKLEY NEWS State Desk Within a period of less than six months, police from three other states and Canada, were focusing their attention on the southern part of Maine and its borders where three strange deaths occurred. The Aug. 9, 1970 murder of , Mary Olenchuk, 13, of Ogunquit, drew attention from. New Hampshire and Massachusetts police and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police at Edmundston, N.B. All departments had slayings in their areas that were similar. Five months later Jan. 9 , Wells police were suddenly confronted with finding out what happened to Constance Corcione, 20, of Lynn, Mass., whose body was found nude beneath a tree alongside the Bragdon Road in the popular resort town. And while they probed with Massachusetts authorities into the girls identity for more than a month,' Allentown, Pa., police were mate than just curious be- . cause they had found a girls mangled body much like Miss Corciones near one of their highways. , Sex Crimes? If people thought there was a sex maniac working the Atlantic states, they would have been supported in their theories by many a police officer at the time. For scarcely had the Corcione girl been discovered, than police in Somersworth, N.H., less than J8 miles away, found a senators sister Denise Marcotte, 17, dead alongside a snowmobile trail. - Theories Galore Theories ran rampant as armchair detectives and professionals looked for similarities and found them; and looked for motives and a killer and failed. Now, six months after the Olenchuk murder, police and people in' the Southern Maine area and in New Hampshire took an objective look at what has happened, examined the circumstances, tried to separate fact from fiction, and came up with the following conclusions: The Facts Mary Olenchuk was murdered by an unknown assailant, who quite possibly could be connect- -ed with the slaying of Debra Horn, 13, at Allenstown, N.H., and the Boxford, Mass, slaying of Michelle Wilson, 13, both in 1969. - Police chiefs in Wells, Ogun-quit and Kennebunk, and even the man at the bar, are ready to recognize some similarities between the Olenchuk case and , the Corcione case, but they will quickly dismiss the relationship in favor of the Allenstown, N.H. and Boxford, Mass, connection. Although it took more than a month to establish the identity of the battered remains of the Corcione girl, Suffolk County police in Massachusetts were as- sisted by the girls mother and grandmother. And there are reputable reports in the coastal region that police have a good suspect. Suspicions . But even before Miss Corciones identity was established, there was enough suspicion about the finding of Denise Mar-cottes body for people in Maine and New Hampshire to start looking closely at Maines two other murders. And even while people waited and watched the papers for news that would show Denise as the victim of another murder, they were much surprised when a month after finding the body, the , New Hampshire Attorney Generals department issued a toxicological report ex- Triangle Of Mystery - The murder of two girls In Southern Maine, the strange death of a New Hampshire girl, and two other murders within the small triangular area brought more theories than leads over the past two years.' Now it appears two of the deaths are in the process of being cleared up. The Somersworth, N. H., Police Capt. Ronald Perrone obligingly takes up the position in which his men found the body of Denise Marcotte, 17, last Jan. 13. Det. Lt. Andre Bolduc and New Hamp eluding drugs or alcohol from Uie girls body. The report admitted there was an unidentifiable chemical in the girls body, but the attorney generals office was content to proclaim that Denise Marcotte, 17, sister of a New Hampshire senator, had actually died from exposure. Drags Possible The Somersworth police department is more apt to agree, at least to some extent. But detectives in that Berwick border town havent excluded the possibility that Denise had partaken of LSD just prior to her death, was not able to continue her walk home, thrashed around in the bushes at the side of the trail and succumbed to the elements. : ' In fact,. even if someone is arrested in connection with the , death, the only possibility of a criminal charge would be, according to Det. Lt. Andre Bolduc, manslaughter, for having given the girl an overdose of drugs that contributed to her death. . No Cooperation Capt. Ronald Perrone and State Police Det. Sgt. Kenneth MacDonald, along with Bolduc, ran into trouble when they attempted to question witnesses , about the case. Denise, it appears, had friends among the crowd that presumably uses dope. So naturally when questions were being asked, police received calls back asking them to continue the questioning in an attorneys office. Theres nothing here to show she was murdered, Lt. Bolduc told a reporter this week, as he stood beside the site where Denise was found, a mere three tenths of a mile from her home at the end of the snowmobile trail. It wasnt common for the girl to go into the woods and spend two or three hours there at a time, Sgt. MacDonald said. On the evening of Jan, 11, Denise left home, Det. Bolduc says, and went to visit friends. On the way back, he theorized that she tas offered and ac- i ; - Neiv Hampshire Death shire State Police Det. Sgt. Kenneth MacDonald are near the branches which they feel were broken by the girl as she thrashed around in the snow. (NEWS Photo) cepted a ride. The girl then crossed a field, reached the snowmobile trail, started to walk home, paused, passed out, and was unable to regain consciousness. No Sign Of Beating - With the exception of some abrasions on her buttocks, her body was clear of any bruises or marks that would indicate she had been beaten like the Corcione . girl. In fact, . looking , at the morgue shot, Denise died with a strangely warm smile across her pretty face. With Denise Marcottes death ' James Wright Is Selected Dirigo State Director Husson Colleges placement director has been named director of die American Legions Boys State 1971 to be held at the . University of Maine, Orono June 20-25. James L. Wright of Bangor, an 11-year veteran of Boys State of which he served five years as associate director, succeeds Dr. Kenneth Hayes of the University of Maine as the leader of Dirigo Boys State. Wright, 43, holds a B.S. degree in education from Boston University and an M. Ed. from Bridgewater, (Mass.) State College. He is also an associate professor on the Husson faculty. APPLICATIONS MAILED Applications for Boys State have been mailed to sponsors and high school principals asking for recommendations on qualified juniors. According to James L. Boyle, who has been coordinator of the mock-legislative event for 24 years, there will be a planning meeting of key staff members next week in Waterville to discuss detailed plans for the session. Deadline on the applications filing date is April 1. Boyle noted that the cost to sponsor, a delegate is $50. He said no more than 500 boys can be accepted at Boys State and when that number of applications has been received no more can be accepted. MAY FACE PROBLEM Boyle said the fact that the Union Requests Uniform Week For Employes AUGUSTA (AP) A union representing state employes Thursday asked the legislature to make an eight-hour day, 40-hour work week uniform in all state' departments. And it proposed that -all classified employes receive time and one-half for anything over 40 hours, while unclassified employes shall be given similar and equitable treatment. Robert Montminv, of Pine Tree Council 74, State County and Municinal Employes, urged the State Government Committee to approve the bill, which calls for an appropriation of $1.7 million to either pay overtime to the present employes or hire almost 300 new workers. He said 250 of the new employes would be in the State Highway Commissions maintenance division, while another 40 would be institutional workers for Mental Health and Corrections. Edward L. Albling, director of the SHCs accounting division, differed with Montminy. ' V ' expected to be termed not much more than an accident, Maine and Massachusetts police are free to pursue the killers of Mary Olenchuk of Ogunquit and Constance Corcione of Lynn, Mass.. " While it would be hard to match the Corcione girls death with Mary Olenchuks the latters body was so badly decomposed two states and a Canadian city are still interested in the circumstances surrounding the death of the Ogunquit summer resident. (Tomorrow A Closer Look) legislature is in session may present a problem for Boys State. Normally senators and representatives serve as teachers and consultants to the teenage legislators. However, Boyle did not see any curtailment of the program. He said there was a possibility that the handling of legislative bills might be different. In the past, he said, it has not been possible to work on the large number of bills submitted in the short period of time available. UNIQUE RESUMES One practice, which Boyle, thought whs unique ' to Maine, will continue in 1971. As each boy arrives at the Orono campus he is given a folder outlining the function of each governmental department and division in the stale. These resumes are written by each agency in . Augusta. The delegates are asked to read this literature' during their senior year. Boyle said he knew of no other state that compiles such a comprehensive rundown of its apparatus. LISTS CRITERIA The 'American Legion lists various criteria for selection of 4 Boys Staters: They place emphasis on the development of the qualities of honor, courage, JAMES L. WRIGHT scholarship, leadership and service; develop those ideals of Americanism among young men which will make them citizens of a high type, give recognition through the award of a graduation certificate from Boys State to the boys who are deemed most worth of high qualities of citizenship and true Americanism. .The Legion suggested placing a higher and broader test on applicants than being popular students or outstanding athletes. i - a told unilateral July faster of $5 to it , 18 . is vifel-T -
