Anne Carol Pacen Holt,

Payson Holt, better known as Nancy, was almost 80 years old, but not quite yet.

Her milestone birthday in the Fancy Gala planned in her honor was still a few days away in early

October of 1976.

It would have been everything Nancy loved, an entire celebration in her name attended by people

she loved most, with the beam of a metaphorical spotlight warm on her face.

But Nancy never saw a day past 79. The safety of her secluded Falmouth

foresight estate was violated by intruders seeking electronics. Before they

fled the dirt drive of Thornhurst Road though, they Before they stole more than a

stole more than a television.

They stole Nancy's life.

Nancy's granddaughter Anne Fowler is on Dark Down East

to tell her grandmother's story.

Anne gives a glimpse into the life of a woman from one of Portland, Maine's most well-known families.

She shares how her family navigated a very public investigation and trial and offers her unique

reflections on what she believes Nancy would have thought about her manner of

death. I'm Kylie Lowe with Anne Fowler and this is the case of Anne Nancy Payson Holt on Dark Down East. It was dark on Thornhurst Road, the damp air of a seaside October night quiet,

except for the distant crashing of waves against a stone beach on Bartlett Point.

The stretch of family land curved around one of Casco Bay's many coves, and the secluded

Falmouth foreside acreage had long been a sanctuary for many apace in past and present.

The rhythmic beating of water on rock was interrupted that night by the sound of tires on dirt.

A sedan was making its way down the private drive with six people crammed into the cab,

...