206 Cases Solved. Advancing justice for missing persons, unsolved homicides, unidentified and unclaimed remains.
Description
See any errors? Let us know!Mary A. Cowan: The Borgia of Maine
Early Life
Mary A. Cowan, born Mary A. Knight on March 8, 1863, in Plymouth, Maine, was one of several children to Jonathan F. Knights, a Civil War veteran, and Apphia B. Knights (née Sidelinger). She lived on a rural family home in Plymouth until the age of 20, when she married Willis W. Bean, a young farmer from nearby Dixmont.Crimes
Mary Cowan's criminal activities spanned a decade, from 1884 to 1894. She poisoned two husbands and four children, earning her the moniker "The Borgia of Maine." Her crimes were characterized by their cold-blooded nature and the use of poison.Victims
- Gracie Bean (1884) - Smothered to death at the family home in Dixmont.
- Alice Bean (1886) - Died from peculiar stomach aches.
- Mabel Bean (1886) - Died from peculiar stomach aches.
- Willis W. Bean (1888) - Died from stomach pain while in Ohio.
- Unnamed step-son (1894) - Poisoned to death.
- Unnamed step-son (1894) - Poisoned to death.
Victims
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Confirmed Victims: (6)
Gracie Bean , Date of Death: 1884 ...View 5 additional victims
Links to Additional Sources (19)
See any mistakes? Let us know!Killer's Details
Mary
Cowan
March 8, 1863 Plymouth, Maine, United States
September 17, 1898 (aged 35) Thomaston, Maine, United States
Undefined illness
Female
White
The Borgia of Maine
Murder (x1)
Life imprisonment
6 (1 conviction)
1884 - 1894
Maine, Ohio
September 1894
Maine State Prison
07/03/2025
