The Disappearance of Doreen Marfeo Revisited

Murder, She Told

Kristen Seavey

True Crime, Society & Culture, Documentary

4.9 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 9 September 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

1990 - Johnston, Rhode Island. In July of 1999, 50-year-old Stephen Marfeo took action on a violent plan: he shot and killed his ex-girlfriend, Laura Vincent, and attempted to kill her boyfriend, Sal Puleo, before ultimately taking his own life. For police, this was an open and shut case fulled by jealousy and domestic violence. However, they held out hope that this tragedy would help them unravel the mystery of what happened to Stephen’s wife, 34-year-old Doreen Ann Marfeo, who vanished without a trace from their Johnston, RI home in March of 1990. Stephen told police that Doreen’s behavior in the months leading up to her disappearance had taken a bizarre uncharacteristic turn. She abruptly quit her job, and was having late night panic attacks over something she couldn’t bring herself to tell her husband. Several months later, police began receiving anonymous letters in the mail... letters that claimed to have intimate knowledge about Doreen, and detailed what allegedly happened to her the day she disappeared… This episode was originally published in September 2023. Episode sources and photos: ⁠https://murdershetold.com/episodes/doreen-marfeo⁠ Support the show: ⁠https://www.murdershetold.com/support⁠ Instagram: ⁠@murdershetoldpodcast⁠ TikTok: ⁠@murdershetold⁠ Facebook: ⁠/mstpodcast⁠ Website: ⁠murdershetold.com⁠ If you have any information on the disappearance of Doreen Marfeo, please contact the Johnston Police Dept at (401) 231-4210 or leave a tip at [email protected]. ----- Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi there, it's Kristen. If you are hearing this right after it releases, I am in Ireland. This is actually
0:07.8	my first time going out of the country, with the exception of Canada. And at the point in which you're
0:13.1	hearing this, my trip's almost done. But at the point in which I'm recording, I'm leaving in less than
0:19.2	48 hours. So I'm very excited. This week, I wanted to
0:23.3	re-release a case that I think needs a little bit more attention. In March of 1990, Doreen
0:29.4	Marfio disappeared from her home in Johnston, Rhode Island. Her husband, Stephen, told police
0:34.8	that Doreen's behavior in the months leading up to her disappearance had taken a bizarre and uncharacteristic turn. She'd abruptly quit her job,
0:42.6	and she was having late-night panic attacks over something she couldn't bring herself to tell her
0:46.9	husband. Several months after her disappearance, police began receiving anonymous letters in the mail,
0:53.2	letters that claimed to have intimate knowledge
0:55.5	about Doreen and detailed what allegedly happened to her the day she disappeared.
1:01.3	So this week, I am bringing you Doreen's story again, and behind the scenes I've been doing
1:06.2	interviews and research that I cannot wait to share with you. So I'll be back next time with a brand new episode.
1:12.4	And if you haven't listened to last week's episode, that's also brand new.
1:16.3	My interview with Madison McGee, who is fighting tooth and nail to solve her dad's murder.
1:22.0	But for now, this is the story of Doreen Marfio on murder she told.
1:41.1	Thank you. This is the story of Doreen Marfio on Murder She Told. I'm Kristen Sivy. This is murder she told.
1:46.0	This episode includes topics of suicide. Please listen with care. If you or someone you know are struggling, help is available 24-7. Text or call 9-88 or visit your local crisis center today. Your life is important, and you matter.
2:07.3	It was still dark in the early morning hours of Saturday, July 31st, 1999.
2:13.5	It was the dead of night, around 3 or 4 a.m.
2:17.3	The state trooper had noticed a sports car that
2:19.7	was parked in an unusual spot in a remote area of the woods about 40 miles northwest of
	...

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