On October 1, 1999, 62-year-old Gene Gogan was shot three times in the head while sleeping in his Hartland, Maine home. The killing was carried out by his wife of 37 years, Vella Gogan, who then dismembered his body into 17 pieces. She transported remains to a wooded area near the couple’s hunting camp in Mayfield and buried them in multiple locations. A sister convinced Vella to confess to police, prompting a six-day search that recovered 15 of the 17 body parts; the victim’s thighs were never found.

Vella, who had worked as a butcher’s assistant, was initially charged with murder. During court proceedings her defense presented a history of decades of domestic abuse, which they said escalated in the years before the killing. She later pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Did anyone in Hartland or Mayfield have contact with the Gogans in 1999 who can shed light on what happened in the months before Gene’s death?