In the small town of Carmel, Maine, Jennie Lynn Cyr Hicks was known as a devoted and loving 23-year-old mother to her two young children, Veronica and Seth. She worked in the kitchen at the Penobscot Nursing Home and was studying to become a certified nurses' aide, seen by her employer as a reliable and motivated worker. Her family described her as someone who would never have willingly left her children.
But on July 19, 1977, this young mother vanished, leaving her purse and glasses behind in the trailer she shared with her husband, James "Jimmy" Rodney Hicks. The disappearance marked the beginning of a decades-long nightmare for her family and the first known killing by one of Maine's few serial killers.
Jennie and James Hicks had met on a school bus and married in 1970. Their marriage was described as strained, marked by financial struggles and James's infidelity. They had even filed for divorce at one point but reconciled after discovering Jennie was pregnant with their second child. In the days leading up to her disappearance, the couple had argued after James was accused of making sexual advances toward their 15-year-old live-in babysitter, Susan Matley. Jennie had confided in her sister that she was planning to leave her husband. In the early hours of July 19, a neighbor heard arguing from the Hicks' home. Later that day, James Hicks reported his wife missing, telling her family she had left him for another man and moved to Florida.
For years, Jennie's case remained a painful mystery. James Hicks spun various stories for friends and family, claiming to have seen Jennie or that she was sending gifts to the children, none of which were true. The investigation into her disappearance was re-energized in 1982 after another woman, 34-year-old Jerilyn Towers, vanished after being seen leaving a Newport bar with Hicks. This prompted police to re-examine Jennie's case, leading them to interview the former babysitter, Susan Matley. Matley recounted the night of the disappearance, describing seeing Jennie's body in an awkward position on the couch, looking as if she were dead. Based on this testimony, James Hicks was arrested in October 1983.
In March 1984, in a rare case for Maine, Hicks was tried for murder without a body. He was ultimately convicted of the lesser charge of manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison. He was released in 1990 after serving only six years. Free once again, Hicks continued his violent path. In May 1996, his 40-year-old girlfriend, Lynn Ann Willette, disappeared from Brewer. Her family, particularly her brother, relentlessly pushed police to keep investigating Hicks. The final break in the cases came years later when Hicks was arrested in Lubbock, Texas, for the aggravated robbery of an elderly woman.
Facing a lengthy prison sentence in Texas, Hicks saw an opportunity. In September 2000, he confessed to murdering Lynn Willette and offered to lead Maine authorities to her remains, as well as those of Jennie Hicks and Jerilyn Towers, in exchange for serving his sentence in Maine. In October 2000, Hicks returned to Maine and, over two days, led investigators to the burial sites. Jennie's partial remains were found in a shallow grave in Etna, about 100 feet from where Jerilyn Towers was buried. Hicks admitted he had strangled Jennie with a belt, dismembered her body, and scattered her remains throughout the Carmel area.
On November 17, 2000, James Rodney Hicks pleaded guilty to the murders of Jerilyn Towers and Lynn Willette. Because he had already been convicted of manslaughter for Jennie's death, he could not be tried for her murder again. A judge sentenced him to two consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. During sentencing, the judge noted Hicks showed no remorse for his crimes. He is currently serving his sentence at the Maine State Prison. The resolution brought a painful end to a search that had lasted 23 years, finally confirming the devastating truth of what happened to the young mother from Carmel.
