In the quiet town of Waterville, Maine, a dark tragedy unfolded on March 8, 1954, forever marking the community. On that chilly afternoon, six-year-old Richard Fisher, a young male, returned home from school, eager to see his mother. His day would end in an unimaginable horror that also claimed the lives of his younger siblings.
Earlier that day, Richard's mother, Constance Fisher, a 24-year-old housewife who had been battling severe postpartum depression, drowned his two younger
siblings, four-year-old Daniel and 11-month-old Deborah, in the family's bathtub. She then wrapped their small bodies in blankets and placed them in their beds, making them appear as if they were merely sleeping. When young Richard arrived home, his mother offered to draw him a warm bath. After playing with him for a few moments in the water, she overpowered him and held him under until he too drowned. The struggle was so intense that she had to get into the tub with him to force him under the water.
The horrific scene was discovered later that day when Richard's father, Carl Fisher, returned home from work to find the apartment door locked. Worried, he sought help from his wife's doctor, and together they forced the door open. Inside, they found the two younger children in their beds and Richard in the bathtub. Constance was found under a bed, having ingested a poisonous shampoo in a suicide attempt.
Constance Fisher was arrested the same day. During police questioning, she gave clear and cohesive answers. Authorities also found a gun and a knife in the house that they believed she had intended to use on herself. She was ultimately found not guilty by reason of insanity and was committed to the Augusta State Hospital. After five years, she was declared "cured" and released. Tragically, in 1966, she would go on to drown three more of her children. Following this second incident, she was recommitted to the state hospital. In 1973, Constance Fisher escaped from the hospital and her body was later found in the Kennebec River, her death ruled an accidental drowning.
