In the quiet town of Dixfield, Maine, a devastating event unfolded on November 3, 2004, ending the life of 47-year-old Nancy Smith. A resident of Rumford, she was discovered in a car on a dirt road in the village of East Dixfield. Her death was the result of a single gunshot wound.
For twenty-six years, Nancy had been in a relationship with Melvin "Rocky" Bishop, who was 57.
The couple had recently separated, with Nancy moving out of their shared home approximately three weeks prior to the incident. Despite the separation, they had been meeting weekly, and on that Wednesday night, they had plans to go for a swim at the University of Maine at Farmington and then out for drinks.
However, the evening took a tragic turn. A Dixfield reserve officer on a routine patrol discovered the car, still running with its lights on, just after midnight on Valley Road. Inside, he found Nancy and Bishop. Investigators from the Maine State Medical Examiner's Office later determined that Bishop had shot Nancy before turning the gun on himself in a murder-suicide.
The investigation, led by the Maine State Police, concluded that the deaths were a result of domestic violence. While there was no prior history of domestic violence reported to the police, evidence suggested Nancy was in the process of ending the long-term relationship. Her body was found in the driver's seat, partially out of the vehicle with the door ajar, while Bishop's body was inside the car where the weapon was also recovered.
