The Disappearance of Michael Madore (Maine)

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.

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:01Kylie Low?

  Every case starts somewhere. A small town, a missing persons report, a family asking the same questions over and over. But sometimes, a story reaches beyond its own community. Its impact extends further, calling for more attention, more conversation, and a wider audience. That's what Crime Junkie does every Monday. Ashley Flowers and Brett Prewat cover the cases you can't stop thinking about, from unsolved murders to missing people to investigations that still need answers. Because every new person who hears the story is another chance to uncover the truth. Listen to Crime Junkie every Monday, wherever you get your podcasts.

• 0:45Kylie Low?

  When Michael Mador 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. I'm Kylie Low, and this is the case of Michael Mador, on Dark Down East.

• 1:40Kylie Low?

  The first call raising concern about the well-being and whereabouts of 32-year-old Michael Mador came into the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife on April 8, 1996. A handwritten report later faxed to the Piscataquis County Sheriff's Office by the Fish and Wildlife Warden Service details the call made by a friend of Michael's, named Matt. According to Matt, Mike was last seen that previous Saturday morning, April 6, when he left his home in the village of Derby in Milo, Maine, without a coat, but wearing hip waders and possibly carrying a .357 firearm as he took off on his 10-speed bike. Matt said that Mike apparently left a note behind, signing everything over to his girlfriend. Matt wasn't sure of the girlfriend's name.

• 2:26Kylie Low?

  Two words are underlined in the middle of the page: possible suicide. Matt requested a warden to escort him to a camp located two miles back into the woods in Lakeview Plantation. It was an abandoned cabin that Matt's family had fixed up and claimed as their own. Many people used it for hunting, or fishing, or just hanging out. Mike knew it well. Matt said he found one set of bike tracks leading down the camp trail. Two days after Matt's initial call, the Warden Service faxed the report to the Piscataquis County Sheriff's Office. An incident report completed by Chief Todd Lyford contains further summary of Matt's concerns. Mike reportedly left a note giving all of his belongings to friends, saying that he was leaving for Alaska.

• 3:11Kylie Low?

  However, according to Matt, there was a handgun missing from Mike's house and at the time, Mike was believed to be experiencing, quote, "personal problems," end quote. By then, the Warden Service had identified the name of the person Matt referred to as Mike's girlfriend. Other documents, however, do not use that same label to describe her relationship to Mike. For privacy purposes, we'll use only her first name, Peggy. It turns out that the same day Matt contacted the Warden Service about Mike, Peggy and her husband David had contacted the Milo Police Department, also concerned for Mike's well-being.

• 3:52Kylie Low?

  The incident report was filed at 11:05 PM on April 8, 1996 by Officer Paul McManus of the Milo Police Department. According to the report, Peggy and David told Officer McManus that they last talked to Mike around 12:30 PM on the previous Saturday, April 6, and Mike said he wanted to see them at his house at 2:30 PM that same day. David reportedly thought it was an odd request because Mike never wanted to see him, only his wife Peggy, quote, "as they have a very close relationship," end quote.

• 4:25Kylie Low?

  Peggy and David explained to the officer that when they arrived at Mike's house at 9 Railroad Avenue in Milo, they were surprised to find that Mike wasn't there, but there were some handwritten letters along with a little bit of cash and a hatchet. The letters all appeared to be written by Mike himself. According to the Milo Police Incident Report, the shorter of the letters asked Peggy and David to give the hatchet to Mike's brother. A second handwritten letter was longer. There are a few grammatical errors and missing words in the original. Here's a voice actor reading the contents of that letter as written.

• 5:01Speaker 01

  "Hi babe. I'll be in Bangor/Brewer till next Saturday, April 13, 96. To get a feel of how it's going, to be away from everyone and everything. That's why I don't want to be contacted. To see if I can do it and more so to prepare myself for going away. Everything I'm leaving behind is your Davids and your kids after Saturday, April 13, 96. Including the money I left you. A portion of what I had saved in the drooling box on desk by TV. To use as you like and to feed dogs, etc. I need you to be strong for me and at peace with this, like I saw this morning.

• 5:42Speaker 01

  You know how I feel about you and I'm happy knowing you're in good hands. P.S. I will have a good life in Alaska. I know you will have a good life here. I left you most of the CDs. Make good use of them. We have the same taste in music. Love always, Michael Joseph Mador."

• 6:03Kylie Low?

  Another handwritten letter gave Peggy and David instructions for his two dogs.

• 6:08Speaker 01

  "Dear David and Peggy. Everything is yours. I'll be making enough money to replace it all. I only want my family, Cupcake and Thunder, to be cared for. That's all I ask. They're the only family I've ever had of my own. Please don't separate them. Love always, Mike."

• 6:31Speaker 01

  As of April 13th, 96, I, Mike Mador, leave my red Ford truck, black Toyota, 1987 Formula Plus snowmobile, my Honda 350X three-wheeler, my LG blue boat and trailer, my kayak, and all miscellaneous items to David and Peggy. Signed, Michael J. Mador.

• 6:55Kylie Low?

  Peggy told the officer that she realized several items were missing from Mike's house: a pair of waders, a 357 handgun, some CDs, a small portable radio, and a 10-speed bicycle. In Peggy's opinion, and as is noted in the incident report, the fact that these items were missing meant Mike wasn't really heading for Bangor, but instead was more likely on his way to a camp in the woods that she knew well. As far as I can tell, the report by Peggy and David, and the earlier call to the Warden Service by Mike's friend Matt, all refer to the same camp. The report continues, quote, "Contact was made with Mike's brother Dick, and he checked the camp,

• 7:36Kylie Low?

  and sure enough, bike prints/footprints one way led out to the camp," end quote. Dick reported that the camp was locked up from the outside, and there was no indication that Mike was there. The incident report states that "multiple people had been to that camp over the weekend looking for Mike, but hadn't found him out there at any point." Though it doesn't mention exactly when in the report, Peggy and David said they'd already brought Mike's photo around to hotels, motels, other businesses, and even showed it to an officer in the Bangor Brewer area to see if anyone there had seen Mike, but the effort turned up nothing. As investigators checked Mike's house for themselves, they noticed something in the trash. It was another handwritten letter, but this one was incomplete.

• 8:22Kylie Low?

  Here's the voice actor again.

• 8:24Speaker 01

  Dear Peg. Hi babe. I'll be in Bangor till next Wednesday, April 10, 1996, to get a feel of how it's going, to be away from everyone and everything. That's why I don't want to be contacted, to see if I can do it. Everything I'm leaving behind is yours. David's and the kids after next Wednesday, April 10, 1996. I'll be making enough money to replace it all. I left you a portion of what I had saved, in jewelry box on desk by TV, to use as you like and to cover feeding the dogs, et cetera. After Wednesday, April 10, 1996, the money's all yours. Keep the phone and electric going as long as you like.

• 9:09Speaker 01

  Then, when you're done, just cancel them and don't pay any bills, except...

• 9:15Kylie Low?

  It trails off mid-sentence like that, and there are a few words scribbled out before "pay any bills" that can't be deciphered. Officer McManus wrote in the report that Peggy was concerned about taking possession of Mike's belongings on April 13, as the completed letter instructed them to do. The officer finally told Peggy, after several mentions of the items, that she could take care of Mike's dogs, but she and David were not to take or dispose of anything inside or outside of Mike's house until further notice. According to the report, Peggy had a key to the residence. Peggy and David explained to Officer McManus that they believed Mike wanted to, quote, "get away from it all", and that he didn't want to deal with the possible death of his elderly parents.

• 9:59Kylie Low?

  The report also states, quote, "and especially did not want to come between David and Peggy anymore", end quote. Before Officer McManus cleared the scene and left Mike's house, David pulled the officer aside to speak with him outside of the presence of his wife. According to the report, he was concerned that Mike, quote, "might have drowned in a bog that must be crossed to reach the remote camp by one of the two main trails to the area", end quote. After getting directions to the camp in question, Officer McManus contacted the sheriff's department. A plan was already in the works for an aerial search of the area around the camp to begin at first daylight on April 9.

• 10:41Kylie Low?

  In one of the only media mentions of Mike's disappearance from 1996 that I was able to obtain, Beverly Wright reports for the Piscataquis Observer that investigators conducted a thorough air and ground search of the camp and surrounding woods, which was located between the Devil's Slutters Snowmobile Club on Outer Pleasant Street in Milo and Lakeview Plantation. A scent dog from the Charleston Correctional Facility sniffed the ground while aircraft circled overhead. Neither human nor dog found any sign of Mike that day. At the time, the case was classified as an attempt to locate and a well-being check. But in the 29 years since that search, Mike has never been found.

• 11:23Kylie Low?

  It took years, but now his name and case has landed on the Maine State Police Unsolved Missing Persons list, thanks to his younger sister, Terry Kraus.

• 11:40Kylie Low?

  I've been trying to get a head start on holiday shopping this year, and I've realized that some of the best gifts are just really nice versions of things people already use every day, which is why I always turn to my BFF, Quince. I got my daughter the cutest lightweight puffer jacket, which is perfect for layering during these colder months, and don't worry, she doesn't know how to find the podcast app yet, so she won't hear this and spoil her gift. As a New Englander, high-quality outerwear is key, but I can't justify paying triple digits for a jacket that'll fit her for, like, two snowstorms. Quince is high-quality, everyday essentials, not high prices, because they work directly with factories and cut out the middleman.

• 12:22Kylie Low?

  I know you can find what you're looking for from Quince: cashmere sweaters, organic cotton basics, bedding, luggage, a gift for everyone, and hey, pal, you deserve to treat yourself too. Gold hoop earrings, add to cart. Give the gift of quality this holiday season. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada and the UK, too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Dark Down East. It's the best way to support the show.

• 12:54Speaker 02

  You know that thing where you're scrolling the internet and suddenly you're three hours deep into a celebrity lawsuit?

• 12:59Speaker 03

  Where you hear a courtroom term and think, wait, what does that actually mean?

• 13:03Speaker 02

  I'm Eliza Orland, career public defender.

• 13:06Speaker 03

  And I'm Taya Johnson, law professor and legal analyst.

• 13:09Speaker 02

  And on our brand new podcast, Criminally Online, we break down the law behind the stories you can't stop talking about.

• 13:15Speaker 03

  No legal degree required, just curiosity. Find Criminally Online wherever you get your podcasts.

• 13:31Kylie Low?

  Mike's sister, Teri, and her husband, John, have become Mike's voice and fiercest advocates in recent years. It was Teri and John who reached out to me earlier this year and asked for help bringing awareness to Mike's case. Teri remembers Mike as a typical big brother. He picked on her in all the ways big brothers are programmed to do, but he was there when she needed him, too.

• 13:53Speaker 04

  He was always there. He was always...he cared. He's the one that...he was just my big brother. We grew up together. The others were grown. He was the only one allowed to torture me. And I just remember him just...I remember him tying me to a chair. It was a game. He tied my arms behind my back and then would go eat the cake that mom had just made or eat the brownies. Or stick his hand up from under the bed and grab my leg. Things like that. He was good natured. He had a good personality, good sense of humor. But we lived in the kind of small town, the kind of neighborhood where you went out until the streetlights came on.

• 14:35Speaker 04

  You gathered at somebody's house and played epic games of hide and seek and things like that. We kickballed. That was our childhood. It's what I remember.

• 14:46Kylie Low?

  They grew up in Brownsville Junction. The small town exists in part because of the railroad and the paper mills. Like so many of Maine's rural towns, the rail yards and mills were a hub of employment and kept the local economy thriving. One of the joys, and maybe downsides, of living in a small town like Brownsville Junction, there was always somebody keeping an eye on you.

• 15:08Speaker 04

  Everybody knew you. You couldn't get away with anything. Somebody would call your parents. But everybody knew you. Everybody looked out for you.

• 15:17Kylie Low?

  Like other members of his family, Mike entered military service after graduating high school. But that abruptly ended.

• 15:24Speaker 04

  And he joined the Navy out of high school. So I probably, he was 17, I would have been 14. He was discharged, and I don't know the details. When we FOIA'd the Navy, the Department of the Navy, we got some medical records, but we didn't get reasons. We don't know what kind of a discharge he received or why. I know he did get hurt while he was there, but I don't know why he was discharged.

• 15:50Kylie Low?

  I spoke to Mike's former wife as part of my reporting for this story. As far as she remembers, Mike's discharge may have been related to his mental health. Mike returned to Maine after that and decided to pursue a trade.

• 16:03Speaker 04

  He went into, at the time, it was called EMVTI, Eastern Maine Vocational Technical Institute in Bangor. He became a welder. And he went down to Rhode Island.

• 16:17Kylie Low?

  He worked at a company that made submarines, but like Mike's military career, that job didn't last very long either.

• 16:24Speaker 04

  And he came home, I don't know if he was there two, two years, maybe a year or two. And then he came home, and I don't know why he gave that up. And there was always a lot of secrecy. So I don't think he would have told me if there was a reason.

• 16:38Kylie Low?

  Mike struggled to hold down stable employment. After Rhode Island, he was a security guard at a hospital for a little while. But other than that, he scrounged for money and borrowed from family and did what he could to get by.

• 16:50Speaker 05

  Just kind of went from job to job, a little bit listless.

• 16:54Kylie Low?

  Though it seemed he hadn't yet found the right career path, as far as his personal interests go, Mike was passionate about his physical fitness and being out in the wilderness. His former wife told me that she remembered Mike and his friend Matt and Matt's brother talking about being mountain men and living off the grid, things like that. Mike had a very active lifestyle, but that lifestyle also appeared to morph into what Terri and John described as an obsession.

• 17:22Speaker 04

  I think Mike had, he was trying to self-medicate through exercise and vitamins. He was a bodybuilder. He didn't drink. He didn't use drugs that I've ever heard of. And I think that was a form of self-medicating. Again, those weren't, I don't think he had anybody to talk to about it.

• 17:41Speaker 05

  Yeah. So he overused vitamins and exercise.

• 17:45Speaker 04

  Yeah. To try to right himself.

• 17:48Speaker 05

  Yeah, obsessively.

• 17:49Speaker 04

  I would beg him, beg him to ask for help at this time, to go see a counselor or somebody. And I begged him to go see a doctor and he just, he never would. But yeah, I was concerned, very concerned.

• 18:03Kylie Low?

  The root cause of Mike's internal battles might never be fully understood. He rarely spoke about his struggles with his sister.

• 18:10Speaker 04

  I think he was masking. And I think once you put up that defense or that wall of denial, it's hard to take it down, maybe.

• 18:19Kylie Low?

  As I mentioned, Mike was married for a short time. He and his former wife dated for about four years and then got engaged while she was still in high school. She told me stories about their tumultuous relationship and the different side of him she saw once they got married. Mike's moods were volatile and he could be violent around her. She was honest about her feelings towards him at the end of their relationship. She did not like him, but she was not unkind to his memory. She has since reconnected with Terri and John to help their cause. She wants to know what happened to Mike, too. After Mike's divorce in 1990, Terri believes that Mike dated several people here and there.

• 19:03Kylie Low?

  She did not approve of his dating choices. As is mentioned in some of the case file documents, Terri believes that Mike and Peggy were in a romantic relationship at the time of his disappearance, while Peggy was married to David. As of this episode's release, I haven't heard back from Peggy or David to ask them about this or anything else. In the years before his disappearance, Mike had some run-ins with the law. In 1991, he was found guilty of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. In June of 1993, he was arrested for violating a protective order, but that charge was dismissed when he pled to a different charge. About a week after that arrest, Mike was arrested again, this time for another theft by unauthorized taking or transfer charge, and he was convicted.

• 19:48Kylie Low?

  Mike was convicted of assault in 1994. Records show that he was fined, but not sentenced to any jail time for these convictions. Now, the details of her brother's criminal history surprised Terri. She only recently became aware of his charges and convictions. Despite the secrecy and the private topics that didn't get discussed at family get togethers, it's not like Mike ever totally dropped out of contact with his siblings or parents before.

• 20:16Speaker 04

  Mike was always, there was never a loss of contact. It wasn't necessarily weekly or daily, but there was never a loss of contact. There was no social media. There were no cell phones, but people were around. So he was always around. He might show up on Sunday. He might show up in two weeks. He might call. At the very least, he would ask for money.

• 20:38Kylie Low?

  When Terri was getting ready to move to California in January of 1996, her big brother was there to help.

• 20:44Speaker 04

  So it was January of 96. He came and helped Dad move us.

• 20:48Speaker 05

  He was right there. You just call him up and he showed up and helped her pack up her stuff to move to California. So he was always around. There was never a point where it's like, well, has anyone seen Mike lately? That was never a thing.

• 21:01Kylie Low?

  So when Terri heard that Mike had supposedly left on his bike to test out living on his own in preparation for a potential move to Alaska, and then he dropped out of contact completely, that didn't align with what she knew to be true about her brother. But there were a few things about the details from the notes that were kind of, sort of believable. For example, Mike did like to bike places and often chose that method of transportation over the two vehicles parked in his driveway.

• 21:31Speaker 04

  He rode his bicycle everywhere, even though he had, in the police report, it said there were two trucks that he owned. First, he would ride his bike to visit my parents, which involved two towns over, a huge hill. So I know he was still, or I, my belief, he was still health conscious.

• 21:50Kylie Low?

  Mike was also fairly savvy in the woods.

• 21:53Speaker 05

  Yeah, he was very knowledgeable in the woods and very comfortable in the wilderness.

• 21:58Speaker 04

  To a point. In that area, there were a lot of camp, hunting camps that anybody went to. So I think he was comfortable in the wilderness in that context. Could he go out in the middle of nowhere and survive? No, I don't think so. I don't know about that, but there were camps and stuff he would go to and hunting camps with friends.

• 22:21Speaker 05

  He knew his way around, though.

• 22:22Speaker 04

  Yeah, yeah, he did.

• 22:25Kylie Low?

  The details of her brother's reported departure from his home to start a new life in Alaska doesn't make any sense to Terry now. But back in 1996, she was living out of state and not fully up to speed on what was happening to track Mike down after that initial search of the area surrounding the camp. According to the article from the Piscataquis Observer, Mike's brother Dick was pretty confident Mike did go to Alaska at the time. It was Mike's dream to live there, and he talked about job opportunities being plentiful in America's last frontier. Dick believed that Mike would turn up somewhere in the near future. He was just breaking away for a bit to live on his own terms and would probably make contact with his family soon. Nine years later, when Mike and Terry's father passed away and his estate was moving through probate,

• 23:11Kylie Low?

  Mike was listed as an heir in the will with a specific instruction. Should four months pass and Mike's whereabouts could not be established, he would not receive any portion of his father's estate. On June 1st and June 8th, 2005, probate notices were published in the Piscataquis Observer. Four months passed, and Mike's whereabouts could not be established. Mike hasn't contacted Terry or any of his other family members in the last 29-plus years. As Terry learned in 2014, when she requested Milo Police review his case, there's been absolutely no other activity to serve as a sign of life since that April in 1996.

• 23:52Speaker 04

  Not one.

• 23:53Speaker 05

  No.

• 23:53Speaker 04

  Nothing, nothing. No fingerprints, no ID, no social security, no criminal activity, nothing.

• 24:03Kylie Low?

  On July 18th, 2014, Terri contacted Milo Police Officer Michael Larson and asked him if he could look into Mike's disappearance. According to the 2014 incident report, Terri told Officer Larson she'd previously spoken with then-Chief of Police Todd Lyford, who told her that Mike walked off and he'd probably turn up. Mike had been missing for more than 18 years at that point. On August 8th of that year, Officer Larson ran a triple-I search, which checks a national fingerprint-based index maintained by the FBI and facilitates the exchange of criminal history records between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

• 24:42Kylie Low?

  Officer Larson also checked NCIC and surfaced a brief criminal history prior to his disappearance, but Mike had no criminal history after August 22nd, 1994. Mike's fingerprints didn't show up in the system any time after that. In all the years since he disappeared, Mike hasn't opened a bank account or touched any assets, and he apparently abandoned the home that he owned in Milo. Debt records show that liens were placed on the home for unpaid property tax and utility bills throughout the years, both before and after Mike was last seen alive. A claim for foreclosure was filed in Maine District Court in October of 1997. Sometime in the last 29 years, an unrelated individual started paying the property taxes

• 25:27Kylie Low?

  on Mike's house, and correspondence from the town of Milo regarding the property was sent to Michael Mador, care of this individual. As far as Terri understands it, after the house sat vacant for a certain period of time, ownership was transferred to the person paying the bills. From what I've been able to suss out, this is unrelated to Mike's disappearance. The man's name was on other properties around the state of Maine, and he was a landlord. He may have acquired the property through a process known as a tax lien sale, but I don't know for sure. The individual died in 2022, so I can't ask.

• 26:04Kylie Low?

  Since she reached out to Milo PD in 2014 for an update, both Terry and her husband John have shouldered the heavy burden of reinvigorating Mike's case. They've had recent meetings with Maine State Police Detective Sergeant Greg Mitchell and Detective Jacob Ferland, who is currently assigned to his case, but have also chosen to pursue answers on their own. They reach out to possible witnesses, they comb through records, and turn over every stone they can find, trying to answer their biggest questions. What really happened to Mike? And where is he now?

• 26:43Kylie Low?

  I've been trying to get a head start on holiday shopping this year, and I've realized that some of the best gifts are just really nice versions of things people already use every day, which is why I always turn to my BFF, Quince. I got my daughter the cutest lightweight puffer jacket, which is perfect for layering during these colder months. And don't worry, she doesn't know how to find the podcast app yet, so she won't hear this and spoil her gift. As a New Englander, high-quality outerwear is key, but I can't justify paying triple digits for a jacket that'll fit her for, like, two snowstorms. Quince is high-quality, everyday essentials, not high prices, because they work directly with factories and cut out the middleman. I know you can find what you're looking for from Quince:

• 27:27Kylie Low?

  cashmere sweaters, organic cotton basics, bedding, luggage, a gift for everyone, and hey, pal, you deserve to treat yourself too. Gold hoop earrings? Add to cart. Give the gift of quality this holiday season. Download the Quince app for app-exclusive offers, or go to quince.com. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns, now available in Canada and the UK, too. And when Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Dark Down East. It's the best way to support the show.

• 27:58Kylie Low?

  I'm going all out with holiday decorations this year because when our family comes over for our Christmas party, I want all the kids to walk into lights and sparkle absolutely everywhere. They're at that age where the magic feels so real, and I want those memories to stay with them. I'm especially excited to get a train to go around the base of our tree, just like I had as a kid. I found the most perfect one, plus ornaments, garland, other tree essentials, all of it at Wayfair. Wayfair makes it easy to find high-quality holiday decorations for every style and budget. Their Wayfair Verified Selection helps you find pieces that stand up to real life, and millions of verified customer ratings and photos to help you choose what works for your home. For all things hosting, Wayfair

• 28:39Kylie Low?

  delivers high-quality, customer-trusted products for your home, so you can host and celebrate without the stress. When refreshing your home this holiday season, Wayfair delivers exactly what you need. Head to wayfair.com to shop all things home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Wayfair, every style, every home.

• 29:08Kylie Low?

  Is it possible that Mike left home on his bike that day and began a journey to Alaska by way of Bangor, Maine? Well, anything is possible, but based on the circumstances, Terry and John feel it is highly improbable.

• 29:22Speaker 04

  He had no money. He wasn't prepared. He hadn't packed. He hadn't sold his things. He hadn't, you know, he didn't have money. How were you gonna do that?

• 29:32Speaker 05

  Yeah, how are you gonna get to Bangor, let alone Alaska?

• 29:35Speaker 04

  Yeah, on a 10-speed.

• 29:38Kylie Low?

  Mike may have been known to bike to any destination, but Alaska, or even Bangor, seems like a stretch if you ask Terry and John. Not to mention, historic weather data indicates that the temperature was between 0 and 37 degrees Fahrenheit before noon on April 6, 1996, with 12 to 14 mile-per-hour winds. Translation: it was kind of cold for a bike ride.

• 30:00Speaker 04

  We all daydream. We all, "Oh, what if this, what if that?" Especially when you're young and you think you have choices.

• 30:06Speaker 05

  Yeah, and I'm sure it would have been a cool thing to do, to go to Alaska. And so just because he voiced it doesn't mean he's gonna jump on his 10-speed on April 6 and start heading that way.

• 30:15Speaker 04

  Not even a mountain bike with decent tires on a 10-speed. You know, yeah.

• 30:21Kylie Low?

  Terry takes issue with the letters that were turned over to police reportedly written by Mike. Particularly the fact that two of the letters start out similarly, but one is unfinished, almost like a draft. Some of the language changes between the two notes, too.

• 30:35Speaker 04

  I find it odd there was a draft.

• 30:38Speaker 05

  If you're gonna scribble a note to a girlfriend, why just to say, hey, you know, here's a couple of things for you? Why do you need to make a practice note? That doesn't make sense.

• 30:46Kylie Low?

  Let's dissect the letters a little more. Both the unfinished version found in the trash and the completed letter appear to be written by the same person, and they communicate the same basic message. But when you really compare them, there's a noticeable tone shift and some details change, too. The unfinished note feels like a rough draft. We've said that. It's focused on logistics. It's kind of abrupt and emotionally distant. The completed note, on the other hand, is more thoughtful and reads like a goodbye. In the unfinished note, the author says he'll be gone until

• 31:23Speaker 01

  Next Wednesday, April 10, 1996.

• 31:27Kylie Low?

  But in the completed note, he extends that to

• 31:30Speaker 01

  Next Saturday, April 13, 96.

• 31:33Kylie Low?

  From a few days later to a full week. They both say he doesn't want to be contacted during this time. In the unfinished note, it's simply

• 31:42Speaker 01

  To see if I can do it.

• 31:44Kylie Low?

  But in the completed note, he expands on that.

• 31:46Speaker 01

  To see if I can do it and more so to prepare myself for going away.

• 31:51Kylie Low?

  In terms of what he's leaving behind, both notes mention that everything will be Pegs, Davids, and the kids after he's gone. And they both reference some money he left. The unfinished note focuses a lot on instructions.

• 32:03Speaker 01

  Keep the phone and electric going as long as you like. Then, when you're done, just cancel them and don't pay any bills, except

• 32:12Kylie Low?

  It kind of reads like a to-do list. The completed note doesn't include any of that. Instead, he shifts towards more emotional and personal content. He writes

• 32:23Speaker 01

  I need you to be strong for me and at peace with this, like I saw this morning.

• 32:29Kylie Low?

  Referencing some kind of moment they shared before he left? He even reassures the recipient, saying

• 32:36Speaker 01

  You know how I feel about you, and I'm happy knowing you're in good hands.

• 32:41Kylie Low?

  The completed note goes a step further and talks about the future.

• 32:45Speaker 01

  "I will have a good life in Alaska. I know you will have a good life here."

• 32:49Kylie Low?

  He even throws in a personal touch about music, saying he left her most of the CDs because they have the same taste. Then he signs it.

• 32:57Speaker 01

  "Love always. Michael Joseph Mador."

• 33:02Kylie Low?

  So to summarize, the unfinished note looks like a first attempt. It's focused on logistics, kind of emotionally detached. The completed note is much more intentional. It adds emotional weight, it offers reassurance, and it reads like someone saying goodbye on their own terms.

• 33:21Kylie Low?

  Terry has scrutinized the handwriting on all the letters found at his house and the signature on the completed letter, and it does look like Mike's. Somewhere along the way, a handwriting expert reviewed these notes, and Terry told me the expert also believed it was Mike's handwriting. If that's true, were the notes written by his own free will, under duress? Add those to the list of questions. If Mike did write those letters, it remains a possibility that he was planning to go away, but perhaps not to Alaska. The initial request for assistance by his friend Matt raised the concern that Mike might intend to harm himself. Or maybe he was going to

• 34:03Kylie Low?

  give life in the wilderness a chance, but some sort of accident happened on Mike's journey out there. David initially suggested to police that maybe Mike drowned in a bog on his way to the camp. I reached out to Peggy and David as part of my reporting for this episode. As the last people to see Mike back in 1996, whom Mike apparently left all his worldly belongings and beloved dogs to, and who contacted Milo Police with their concern for his well-being, I really hope to have a conversation with each of them. They did not respond to me, but social media accounts that appear to belong to them have left public comments online in recent months.

• 34:45Kylie Low?

  A Facebook account appearing to belong to David has posted public comments on threads about Mike's case on that social media platform. One of those comments reads, quote, "He wanted nothing to do with his family and probably changed his identity," end quote. The account appearing to belong to David also referred to himself as "only an acquaintance of Mike."

• 35:09Kylie Low?

  Terry and John participated in an interview about Mike's case livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook earlier this year. A user appearing to be Peggy commented during the stream, saying that Mike's older sister read the letters he reportedly left behind and helped clean out his house after he disappeared. Terry's not sure if that happened. I also contacted the first person that, according to reports, sounded the alarm about Mike, his friend Matt. Matt was transparent with me that he struggles with his memory and he had a hard time remembering specifics about that time in April of 1996. He was surprised when I asked about calling the Warden Service out of concern for Mike, because he doesn't remember doing that.

• 35:51Kylie Low?

  However, Terry spoke with Matt's brother, who said he remembers calling the Warden Service. So, maybe he and Matt were together when he made the report, but only Matt's name made it into the multiple documents? Maybe everyone is misremembering? Not sure. Matt told me a secondhand story that he heard about two people getting stuck in the woods with Mike's truck around the time Mike disappeared. Someone saw the two people, asked if they needed help, and they said no. Matt doesn't know who told him the story, or who the two people might have been, but they were seen in the woods off Alderbrook Road in Lakeview Plantation. Without being able to trace the origins of that story, it's hard to make anything of it.

• 36:36Kylie Low?

  But let's say Mike's truck was out in the woods after he disappeared. Was his truck later searched or processed for evidence? He signed both of his trucks over to Peggy and David in those letters he supposedly wrote before he disappeared, but what actually happened to the trucks? Because Mike's case was treated as an attempt to locate and well-being check at the beginning, that means it wasn't treated as a criminal investigation, and so I'm inclined to believe that no evidence was collected. There was no sign of foul play. The letters made it seem like Mike left on his own accord, and no one has proven that true or false with any degree of certainty since. One more thing about Matt. Interestingly, he actually moved to Alaska sometime after Mike disappeared,

• 37:21Kylie Low?

  possibly the very next year, 1997. I asked Matt if he ever saw Mike in Alaska, or if Mike ever called him, or caught up with him there, since that's where he was supposedly heading when he vanished. But Matt never saw Mike in Alaska, and hasn't heard from him since, 1996. With no sign of life from Mike in almost 30 years, the only possible explanation that makes sense to Terry and John is that Mike is deceased, and not living in Alaska or elsewhere. If he took his own life, or died in an accident on his way to a camp in the woods, where is his bike? He reportedly rode that day. Where are his remains? Would he have been found already if either scenario was true?

• 38:06Kylie Low?

  Would his body have been recovered during the initial aerial and ground search around the camp back in April of 1996? There's a lot that we don't know about the initial investigation or contemporary efforts by local authorities and Maine State Police. I contacted Maine State Police Detective Sergeant Greg Mitchell of Major Crimes Unit North to ask about Mike's case. I received this in response: "Thank you for the message. It is the longstanding policy of the Maine State Police not to comment on active criminal investigations beyond formal press releases, so we are declining your current interview request." Mike's case is an "active, criminal investigation", according to Sergeant Mitchell's response.

• 38:51Kylie Low?

  That said, no one has been charged with any crimes as it relates to Mike Mador's disappearance. Police have not publicly identified any suspects. Terry and John are of the opinion that someone, or multiple someones, caused Mike's death, and disposed of, or concealed his remains in some yet-to-be-uncovered location. Their priority now is to find him, and they'll continue to work independently to make that happen. Based in part on a rumor they've heard about Mike's whereabouts in recent years, they arranged for a search of private property by an out-of-state cadaver dog and the dog's handler. In mid-July of 2025, after receiving consent from the current property owners to conduct the search,

• 39:36Kylie Low?

  the dog was on site. According to information I received from a source close to the family's search effort, the dog showed interest in a specific area of the property. Plans are in the works to return to the location with ground penetrating radar. At minimum, the search effort could eliminate a location and refine the effort to find Mike. But it is Terri's greatest hope that it leads them to her brother, once and for all.

• 40:04Speaker 04

  I want his remains. I want to get a plot and I want to have a headstone. I'm not asking anybody else to pay for that. We're going to pay for that. I want to have him buried because when I die, who's going to remember him?

• 40:16Kylie Low?

  Mike was not a perfect person. His sister and brother-in-law never tried to present him as such. However imperfect he may have been, he had a right to his own life.

• 40:27Speaker 05

  He was full of life.

• 40:28Speaker 04

  He was full of life. He had a right to try to turn things around. Somebody else's life is not yours to take away. And...

• 40:39Speaker 05

  Yeah, just because he was having issues as an early adult.

• 40:42Speaker 04

  He still had a family that loved him and cared about him.

• 40:44Speaker 05

  He had a family that loved him and cared about him. And he was a fun-loving guy. And he was full of life, full of potential.

• 40:50Speaker 04

  I would like to think he was going to turn his life around. But he will never know. He never had the chance. And they didn't have the right to take it away.

• 40:59Speaker 05

  He's still a brother. He's someone's brother. He's someone's uncle.

• 41:02Speaker 04

  He's someone's uncle. He's someone's son. My parents died. My poor little old parents didn't deserve that. They were nice people. They were good people. They didn't deserve that.

• 41:12Speaker 05

  Yeah, they died not knowing.

• 41:15Kylie Low?

  Until Mike is found, his disappearance lingers like a question mark on the family tree. It is a missing limb that reshapes the entire structure. Where there should be stories, roots, connections, there is only silence and speculation. Mike's name hangs in the branches, not with the certainty of dates and descendants, but with ellipses. His is a life paused mid-sentence. And that uncertainty can echo for generations, leaving future family members to wonder not just where he went, but who they might have been if he had stayed.

• 41:49Speaker 04

  We have, you know, kids that never got to know their uncle. Now, he would have been the uncle, the pull-my-finger uncle. I mean, he would have been the fun one. And I've talked to my kids about carrying on. I hope it doesn't go that long. It's something we've got to put in our will if it's not resolved. Because I want to have, he has a right to be remembered. He was loved. He was loved, and he's remembered, and he's missed. And he deserves peace, and the family deserves peace.

• 42:20Kylie Low?

  If you have information relating to the disappearance of Michael Mador, please contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North at 207-973-3750, or toll-free, 1-800-432-7381. You can also leave a tip using the form linked in the description of this episode.

• 42:47Kylie Low?

  Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this case at darkdowneast.com. Be sure to follow the show on Instagram, @darkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones, and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Low, and this is Dark Down East.

• 43:18Kylie Low?

  Dark Down East is a production of Kylie Media and AudioChuck. I think Chuck would approve.

• 43:29Kylie Low?

  In New England, investigations can shift with the tide. And my friend Delia Diambra, host of Park Predators, knows just how the landscape can shape a case. From beaches to national parks around the world, Delia investigates true crime cases as compelling as the places where they occurred. Through her signature boots-on-the-ground reporting, she goes beyond the headlines and speaks directly with those closest to the case. If you're ready to follow the evidence beyond the trail, listen to Park Predators every Tuesday, wherever you get your podcasts.