The Unsolved Murder of Dorothy Milliken, Part One

2025-06-03

1976 - Lewiston, Maine. On a cold November morning in 1976, 27-year-old Dorothy Milliken—Dotty to those who loved her—was found bludgeoned to death outside Beal’s Laundromat in Lewiston, ME. A paperboy made the grim discovery around 4:30 a.m. She’d gone out to do some late-night laundry, and while the city still slept, someone ended her life. Her killer has never been caught. As the years passed, Dorothy’s case went cold. But long before her name joined Maine’s growing list of unsolved murders, Dorothy Rancourt Milliken was living a quiet, honest life. She w...

1976 - Lewiston, Maine.

On a cold November morning in 1976, 27-year-old Dorothy Milliken—Dotty to those who loved her—was found bludgeoned to death outside Beal’s Laundromat in Lewiston, ME. A paperboy made the grim discovery around 4:30 a.m. She’d gone out to do some late-night laundry, and while the city still slept, someone ended her life. Her killer has never been caught.

As the years passed, Dorothy’s case went cold. But long before her name joined Maine’s growing list of unsolved murders, Dorothy Rancourt Milliken was living a quiet, honest life. She was a veteran. A survivor. A mother. This is her story.

If you have any information on the murder of Dorothy Milliken, please contact the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South at (207)624-7076 x9. The family is offering a $10k reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this crime.

Links to order the book, The Murder of Dorothy Milliken: Cold Case in Maine by Sharon Kitchens:

Green Hand Bookshop

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4mKQL5q

Part of the book proceeds will be donated to the F.A.I.R Lab, a forensic anthropology lab at UNH led by Dr. Amy Michael, a friend of the show.

Join me Thursday June 5th at Mechanics Hall in Portland for the book launch event with the author and Dorothy’s daughter, Tonia.

Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/dorothy-milliken