Maine : Mary Catherine Olenchuk

Written By Navigating Advocacy Podcast

Ogunquit, Maine, is a vacationing destination; however, only about 1500 people live in this town regularly. The town's name came from the indigenous people, meaning a beautiful place by the sea. The population has fluctuated quite a bit throughout the decades. It would seem like a slight difference, but if this town loses just 500 people, that is a significant decrease. In the 1970s there was 944, then in the 80s it got up to 1500s, then by the 1990s back down to around 900. I wonder why so many people were either coming or going so frequently. 


Mary Catherine Olenchuk was born on November 18th, 1956, to parents Ruth and Brigadier (brig-a-deer) General Peter Olenchuk. She had two older sisters named Nancy and Jane. Mary Catherine had long red hair and a face full of freckles. She was a shy girl growing up; her parents described her as a stable girl. Just to throw this out there I believe I am a stable person but if I ever go missing can we think of some different adjectives to describe me besides stable? In her parent's defense, they did not say much to the media at all, and honestly, this was one of the only things I could find that they said directly about their daughter Mary Catherine. 


On August 9th, 1970, in this sweet, sleepy resort town the unthinkable happened. As I stated before, this area was where people would spend their summers, so tourists galore were around. Less than one thousand people live here in the 70s, but they would see around upwards of 50,000 people visiting daily throughout the summer. Let’s just say the roads are congested during these peak times, and so many people are coming and going that it is not as noticeable. No one would notice a stranger hanging around during this time because pretty much everyone is a stranger. Mary Catherine’s family was not from here either, but her parents did have a vacation house in which they spent every summer. This was a place they could sunbathe, relax, and enjoy the quiet, serene town and essentially spend some quality time together. Mary Catherine’s father was a very powerful man, he was a Brigadier (brig-a-deer) General for those that don't know military levels, this is pretty high up there. They are a one-star officer, they hold the rank of O-7, which is the lowest of the General levels however, it can still take 20-30 years to get to be a Brigadier General. There can be only 302 general officers in the U.S. Army at one time. This includes generals, lieutenant generals, major generals, and brigadier generals. It is said to be extremely difficult to get to this level in an officer's military career, less than 1% of all officers in the Army will make it to the top general ranks. 



Mary Catherine’s father would end his military career as a Major General so he became a two-star general. He studied bacteriology and business and had a master's degree in both. Bear with me while I talk about his military career because many believe his career is what put his family in danger, to begin with. I am going to read this next paragraph straight from Wikipedia because it has some military terms and operation names and honestly this is the easiest way to explain what her father was involved in. In 1963 Peter Olenchuk headed a team to observe and evaluate "Operation Ranch Hand" This was the name given to the defoliation and crop destruction programs in Vietnam. The resulting report pronounced these early programs to be both militarily and technologically effective and was instrumental in obtaining approval for the continuation and expansion of what has come to be known as The Agent Orange Program.” Just from this statement alone, and what most of us know about Agent Orange, I would say he already had enemies but that is not the reason for the threats in 1970.


Back to a quote from Wikipedia “From 1966 - 1968 Peter Olenchuk assumed command of Fort Detrick, at that time the U.S. center for biological warfare, in Frederick, Maryland. In the late 1960s, he oversaw the controversial Operation CHASE program”  This was an acronym for “Cut Holes and Sink em” now Operation chase was a United States Department of Defense program for the disposal of unwanted munitions at sea and this went on from May 1964 until the early 1970s.” Munitions were loaded up on ships and sent about 250 miles offshore between Florida and the Bahamas, and the kicker, not that we need a kicker, but some of these munitions dropped in the middle of the ocean were chemical weapons. Honestly, considering Peter was in charge of biological warfare, I would say most things dumped were very dangerous. This is what people around the county in the late 60s and early 70s were very upset about, including students from the college, who will talk more about later. I know that was a lot but I wanted to give some information about Mary Catherine’s father, who did not have a boring 9-5 job. 



On to the timeline for the day Mary Catherine was taken. She was 13 years old, living honestly her best life, vacationing in the summer with her mother and sisters. Soaking up that sun because if you know anything about Maine, you know the sun will not last forever. By August 9th of, 1970, Mary Catherine’s hair was sun-bleached and had a shine to it that no salon could recreate. Her freckles were more prominent, and she had a glow to her skin that only fresh air and salt water can give you. A lazy Sunday on the beach was what this family had in store for the day. 



Around 4 pm and after hanging out for part of the day, Mary Catherine decided to go to the local store to grab a pack of gum and a newspaper. She left her sister and mother down by the water, went up to the summer house, changed out of her swimsuit, hung it up to dry, and put on a white t-shirt that had the words Yokomiko and Andrews Afb.  She also put on a pair of pink shorts before she grabbed a bike from the neighbor. Now this bike she borrowed was one that she was allowed to use whenever she wanted, it was an agreement she had with the neighbors, and considering how responsible or maybe thoughtful she is by hanging up her swimsuit, I would assume she is that type of person all the way around so the neighbors didn't mind her borrowing it whenever she wanted. She borrows this bike to make the short trip down to the store,  the bike has a saddle bag style holder so she would be able to carry stuff she bought or carry her belongings as she was riding this black bike. Mary Katherine made it to the store to get her gum and the New York Times newspaper that was kept specifically for her family to pick up and headed back to her vacation home. She would make it almost all the way home when she was seen for the last time. A tourist staying in a local hotel three floors up would come forward and tell authorities she saw a young teenager with shiny red hair speaking with a man driving a maroon vehicle. She didn't think much of it and continued looking out into the ocean, watching the waves when she looked back and saw the girl get into the car with this man. There was no struggle or anything out of the ordinary when it came to this girl getting into a vehicle, so authorities at first stated this was not an abduction and we all know how that usually turns out. By 7 pm that night, with zero sign of Mary Catherine, her mother Ruth reports her missing, and the search for this teenager begins. 

I'm not saying the search was extensive right away because she was a beautiful white female with a very connected and well-to-do father the search was extensive right away, but I am not not saying that either. I mean it is what it is, I am happy that Mary Catherne’s disappearance was taken seriously right away I just hope in the future all races, ages, and genders will be given the same parameters when it comes to the resources authorities will provide. The bike Mary Catherine was riding was found around 11 pm that night. It was leaning up against an arch at the Lookout Motel, which is where the woman who witnessed a red-haired girl get into the vehicle. In the saddlebag on the bike was the pack of gum Catherine had just purchased from the store. This seemed like a great start to the investigation, and local police had, at the very least, a lead.

Two days pass without a word to the press or media. The family and authorities kept Mary Catherine’s disappearance under wraps primarily because they assumed a ransom call or note would follow. Considering who her father was, and the fact that there was a particular group of students that stated they would kidnap the families of those leading the Operation Chase program. This threat came just before Mary Catherine was taken. Like literally the day before this girl was taken. Authorities told the family to not say a word to anyone but keep by the phone for that call to come through but after two days of silence, a new tactic had to be formed. Now, did this cause issues because the public was not made aware that a red-haired teenager was missing, and she was last seen getting into a maroon vehicle, so pretty much no one was looking for or keeping an eye out for her? I know we haven't talked about what happened to Mary Catherine yet, but if you listen to us on the regular, you know we only cover unsolved cases, so would letting the public know right away make a difference? I am sure that her family, all of the officers that ever worked this case, and us as the public have asked this question,


I said the search was extensive; this included air and ground searches, they drained a water-filled quarry, and a military helicopter scoured the area looking for anything suspicious. The FBI and military came on board to assist in the search. Thousands of fliers were given out. The Green Berets even joined in at one point in the search. Mary Catherine’s parents kept very quiet on the instructions of authorities. They did not reach out to the media, they did not do interviews, and they did exactly what the police said for 13 straight days. This was when they received word that their worst fears had come true. On August 22nd, just under two weeks after Mary Catherine was seen getting in that maroon car, her body was found. She should have been wrapping up her summer vacation and getting ready for the upcoming school year, possibly fighting off a sunburn, catching the last few weeks of warm weather, or anything besides what happened in reality. A policeman found Mary Catherine while searching for her near Parson’s farm in Kennebunk, Maine. This was about nine miles from where she was taken. Mary's Catherine was found covered in hay inside the barn. It was reported that this area and this particular barn had been searched when the groundkeepers noticed the barn door open, and they called the police to make sure they didn't have trespassers or any fire hazards. This was a typical spot people would regularly trespass on for camping, fishing, and even a place to hang out by a bonfire.   Police came, and they stated they smelled an odor but saw a bunch of feathers and a carcass of a bird, so they assumed that was the smell. 


Mary Catherine had been strangled with what they called a lobster wrap. This is apparently a quarter-inch thick rope. The rope was wrapped around her neck five times and tied twice in the back. The clothing she wore the day she went missing was found with the remains.  Her father was spotted driving through the barricade with an officer just after the remains were found, and he was able to identify her based on her distinctive clothing. They would end up confirming her identity by fingerprints later on. It was also reported Mary Catherine was not sexually assaulted, so that eliminates that as a motive unless something went wrong before the killer was able to harm her that way. The autopsy report stated she did not have any other injuries.


 Before we get into one of the only people the town's gossip mill talked about, I want to talk about a psychic who I think did a great job in assisting the police and family in finding Mary Catherine. The psychic's name is Shirley Harrison, and a family member hired this lady to help locate Mary Catherine. A week before the remains were found, Shirley told authorities the body would be found in an unpainted building on an old estate in the Kennebunk area. This same lady helped authorities with the Boston Strangler case as well. It just so happens that she was found in the Kennebunk area and in an old unpainted barn and a large estate. At this point, the police ramped up the search for the maroon car, but honestly, not much was ever said besides possible connections to other unsolved abductions and murders. What was strange is about a year after Mary Catherine’s remains were found, the barn was burned down. The cause was never identified, but police did say it looked suspicious. I wonder if the groundskeepers started to tighten up security on this property after the remains were found. 


I am not going to name the person these rumors were about, but if you want to know, you can find this guy's name. I am not saying it because he was never convicted or even charged with the crimes against Mary Katherine. Police say he was cleared, but the stigma never left him, and he was pretty young at the time this all went down. This 16-year-old boy was local to the Kennebunk area and had been with a friend at that barn the night of Mary Catherine’s disappearance. He told police that while he was at the barn, he heard rustling in the woods around 130am, and then he heard a vehicle idling and driving off near his family's motel, which was only a few hundred yards away from the barn. He even assisted in the initial searches for Mary Catherine.


Part of the reason why this kid was cleared was the fact he passed a polygraph test, I am sure they spoke with the friend that was with him, and he never had a car or a driver's license, so it would be impossible for him to be the guy that picked up Mary Catherine. Prior to these events, this kid was class president, but when school returned that fall, he became an outcast. Even though he was never named a suspect, the locals treated him like he was the sole person responsible for Mary Catherine’s death. In 2000, 30 years after the murder, this same kid told a local paper that. I quote, “if they ever catch this person, I am going to have the biggest party this town has ever seen, and I am going to invite all the morons that ever said anything to me, and that's a sizeable group” end quote. 

There were quite a few other unsolved murders of girls within a year or two before Mary Catherine’s murder and the years after in the New England area. These could be connected or might have nothing to do with this red-headed beauty. In three cases, girls went missing in broad daylight and high traffic roads and then ended up being murdered in the area. If only we had surveillance as we do now, they would have been able to link the vehicle to each one if that were the case. At this point, the murder is still unsolved. Both of Mary Catherine’s parents have passed away as well as one sister, not knowing who took their loved one's life. 

If you have any information about Mary Olenchuk’s murder, please call Maine State Police at 1-800-228-0857



THIS EPISODE CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY BE DISTURBING OR SENSITIVE TO LISTENERS. DISCRETION IS ADVISED.


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Navigating Advocacy Podcast

Whitney and Melissa, hosts of Navigating Advocacy, blend their true crime interests with a mission to spark justice through storytelling, inspiring action, and building a community of advocates.

https://www.navigatingadvocacy.com
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