A woman's body is found in a well In the summer of 2006, Frances Moulton, a 27-year-old Caucasian woman, was last seen by her family in July getting on the back of a motorcycle. Known to live a transient lifestyle in the Sanford, Maine area, it was not initially out of character for her to be out of touch. However, after two months with no contact, her family officially reported her missing in September 2006.
For three years, her whereabouts remained a mystery, a painful unknown for those who knew her as a smart and funny person who would always put the needs of others before her own.
The painful questions surrounding her disappearance took a grim turn on June 23, 2009. Acting on a tip, investigators searched a property on Creamery Hill Road in Lebanon, Maine. Twenty-five feet down at the bottom of a well, they made a harrowing discovery: the human remains of Frances Moulton. Divers equipped with special gear were needed to recover her decomposing torso from the well. While authorities did not publicly release the specific cause of her death, they unequivocally stated that she was the victim of a homicide.
In December 2009, a significant development in the case emerged with the arrest of 22-year-old Robert Copley, who was charged with Moulton's murder. Copley had previously lived on Creamery Hill Road, at the same location where neighbors recalled bonfires, parties, and drug activity. A relative of the suspect even told reporters that Copley had confessed to the murder. He was held without bail at the York County Jail.
However, the path to justice took an unexpected turn. In August 2011, the murder charges against Robert Copley were dropped. Police stated that while they believed Copley was present and had witnessed her murder, he was not the one who had killed her. To this day, the murder of Frances Moulton remains unsolved. The Maine State Police continue to seek information from the public, hoping for new leads that might finally bring closure to the family and friends of the woman they remember as "Franny," a good girl who tragically fell in with the wrong crowd.
