A 15 year old disappears; is later found dead in the middle of a road
In the pre-dawn hours of February 10, 1999, the body of 15-year-old Ashley Ouellette, a White female, was discovered in the middle of Pine Point Road in Scarborough, Maine. A motorist spotted her lying facedown on the centerline and initially thought she had been struck by a car, but her body was positioned neatly, with her hands by her sides. Though her body was still warm despite the cold February air, she was pronounced dead at the scene. An autopsy later determined that Ashley had been manually strangled. The medical examiner also noted signs of sexual contact before her death, but no other significant injuries were found. She had no identification on her, and her personal belongings were missing.
The evening before her death, Ashley had told her parents she was attending a sleepover at a friend's house in Saco. That gathering turned into a party where teenagers were drinking. Later that night, Ashley, who had a crush on an older classmate named Steven Sanborn, decided she wanted to see him. A friend gave her a ride to the Sanborn residence, where Steven lived with his younger brother, Daniel. After initially getting no answer, she eventually made her way into the home around 12:30 a.m. She told the boys' mother she had argued with her parents and needed a place to stay. The mother allowed her to sleep on a couch in the basement. This was the last place Ashley was reportedly seen alive.
The investigation quickly focused on the Sanborn brothers, Daniel and Steven. Police questioned both, and Daniel's story reportedly changed multiple times. He initially claimed to have gone to school the next day, but school records showed he was absent. Investigators found blood spots in Daniel's car, but since Ashley was strangled, this was not a definitive link to her murder. Steven Sanborn told police that he and Ashley had a brief sexual relationship a couple of years prior. Despite extensive interviews and searches of the Sanborn home, no arrests have ever been made in connection with Ashley's murder. Maine State Police have stated they believe they know what happened to Ashley but lack the evidence required to secure a conviction.
A few months after Ashley's death, the case took another strange turn with the disappearance of a 21-year-old college student named Angel "Tony" Torres on May 21, 1999. Torres had allegedly told his parents that he knew who was involved in Ashley's murder. He was last seen at a party with a friend of the Sanborn brothers, Jay Carney. Carney later returned to the party alone, appearing upset, and Torres was never seen again. Police have never officially confirmed a link between the two cases, but the timing and connections have led to speculation. Jay Carney died of a drug overdose in 2015. Ashley Ouellette's murder remains unsolved, a lingering mystery that has haunted her family and the community for decades.
