A woman goes missing on a trip from PA to ME; her decomposing body is found 2 years later In the early summer of 1975, a promising new chapter awaited 23-year-old Ellen Choate, a White female with a bright future. Having just secured a teaching position in Bangor, Maine, she embarked on a journey from Philadelphia, full of anticipation. Her travels took her by train to Boston, from where she intended to hitchhike the remaining distance to her new home. However, she never arrived.
Her absence was noted when she failed to appear for her first day of work on June 2, 1975, prompting a missing person report.
For two years, her whereabouts remained a painful mystery. Then, on June 26, 1977, the search for Ellen Choate came to a tragic end. Her skeletal remains were discovered in a wooded area off the Old County Road in the town of Newport, Maine. An investigation into her death determined that she had been the victim of a homicide, having died from a gunshot wound to the head. It was estimated that she had been killed approximately two years prior to the discovery of her body, placing her death around the time of her disappearance.
In the decades that have followed, Ellen Choate's murder has remained an unsolved case. Law enforcement has revisited the investigation over the years, including conducting new searches of the area where her body was found, in the hope of uncovering fresh evidence. Despite these efforts, no suspects have ever been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made in connection with her death. The case continues to be an active and open investigation by the Maine State Police, who still seek any information that might lead to a resolution and bring closure to the long-unanswered questions surrounding her death.
