True Crime

Case #7: Murdered, Joyce Mclain

East Millinocket, Maine, used to be a peaceful happy town. Everywhere you would go there would be kids playing in the park unsupervised, and most residents kept their doors unlocked at all times. The peaceful image of this town was shattered on August 8, 1980. On this day the spirited and promising 16-year-old Joyce Mclain would be brutally murdered in the woods behind the high school soccer field. Joyce was the kind of teenager that would make any parent and town proud. Exhibiting great musical talent from a young age later joining the school's orchestra and composing music on her own. According to Joyce's mother "Joyce's mind was filled with thoughts of what kind of a future she was going to have. She was heading into a new step in life. She was getting her driver's license. She was going to turn 17-years-old. She had a big party planned at the beach with a big band and lots of friends and family was going to be there. I believe that it was a growing up time." The last time Joyce was seen alive was Friday, August 8th, 1980 when she left her home around 7:30 pm for her nightly jog. Two days after she went missing Peter Larlee, one of the volunteers searching for Joyce, found her body in the woods behind the high school. No one knows what happened that night that lead to Joyce's murder. The only thing known for sure is that Joyce was last seen heading toward the soccer field. This field was a popular hangout and some theorize a group of drunk locals harassed Joyce forcing her into the woods. It is widely believed that their intent was to rape Joyce and instead murdered her for reasons unknown. Another popular theory is that Joyce was attacked by one or more workers from the local papermill nearby. Even after intense investigation police would not get a lead until 36 years later. On March 4th, 2016, Phillip Scott Fournier would be arrested and charged with Joyce's murder. At the time Fournier was 19 and had reportedly stolen an oil truck crashing it on the night of the murder. In 2008 Joyce's body was exhumed with detectives finding new evidence leading to Fournier's arrest. Fournier's trial lasted a little over two weeks ending on February 22, 2018, with Fournier being found guilty and would serve 45 years in prison