Crime Stories with Nancy Grace

Episode: TWIST IN MAIN LINE MOM MYSTERY: NEW WASHRAGS, GOOGLE TRANSLATE, WHERE'S ANNA?

Release Date: January 5, 2026 | Host: Nancy Grace
Main Case Focus: The Disappearance of Anna Macijewska

Overview

In this episode, Nancy Grace and an expert panel unravel the mysterious disappearance of Anna Macijewska, a brilliant young mother, wife, and actuary living in an exclusive Pennsylvania Main Line suburb. Key elements of the case include family and marital tensions, suspicious digital evidence, the odd use of Google Translate, new household cleaning items, and a missing blue tarp. The central question: Where is Anna?

Key Topics and Discussion Points

1. Anna Macijewska – Her Background and Character

• [00:35] Anna, originally from Poland, moved to the U.S. for education (University of Louisville) and held degrees in mathematics and computer science with a specialty in actuarial mathematics.
• She later worked at Voya Financial, married Alan Gould after a whirlwind romance, and designed their European-style farmhouse in the Main Line, Pennsylvania.
• Anna is described as extremely bright, driven, and deeply committed to her son’s future and her Polish heritage.

Nancy Grace [01:26]:

"Good gravy. You know, I'm never going to complain about my morning chores again before I go to work... Actuarial science, a field using statistical and mathematical methods to assess financial risks in insurance and finance. That's what's going on in her brain. She's brilliant."

2. Family and Marital Tensions

• [07:24] Anna’s desire to immerse her son in Polish culture led her to enroll him in Polish school, which became a source of tension with Alan, who resisted getting their son a Polish passport.
• As marital issues grew, Anna attended a "Divorce 101" class and documented her frustrations regarding parenting roles and cultural differences.

Panel Insight [12:18] Mark Tate:

"She had very different ideas. She actually made a list of things that she wanted to happen with the child... and she accused him of not letting her have a parental experience with the child. She was clearly very unhappy."

• Nancy and Dr. Angela Arnold discuss how parenting small choices reflect deeper relational divides (e.g. Polish sausage vs. pastry for breakfast).

  Nancy Grace [12:18]:

  "It sounds like a small thing, right? Polish sausage versus a pastry. But there's also a principle behind it, right. That you want input in your child's life and you don't want to be usurped when you're trying your best to do the right thing."

3. Timeline of Disappearance

• [16:50] Anna planned to visit Poland for her father’s birthday, booking a flight (March 28–April 2). She took leave from work but failed to show.
• On April 3rd, Anna’s boss received a text (allegedly from Anna) saying she was sick and extending her leave; further messages claimed she had a stomach virus and would be back April 10th.
• Anna’s coworkers (not husband) reported her missing when she did not show up to work on April 10th.

Nancy Grace [19:54]:

"Co workers are the ones that call 911 to report her missing, not the husband."

4. Red Flags and Suspicious Behavior

• [24:15] Alan Gould reported Anna missing only after coworkers initiated contact with authorities.
• Police found Anna’s phone left on the kitchen table "in update mode." Alan claimed she left it because the update was taking too long — a detail doubted by both Nancy and panelists.
• Divorce paperwork and evidence of Anna’s intent to leave Alan found in the home.
• Alan soon hired a high-profile criminal defense attorney, noted by a $75,000 check labeled “trial defense if needed.”

Joe Holden [25:30]:

"They found a man who was really not in a state of where's my wife?... In fact, his first interaction... was when he called 911 to report her missing. And Alan Gould, in a conversation with the dispatcher, presses them. How long is this going to take?... It goes on for a page and a half of Alan Gould pressing state police."

5. The Google Translate Birthday Text

• [27:41] Anna’s father in Poland received a Polish birthday text from Anna’s phone, but the grammar was incorrect. Investigators determined the exact message was generated via Google Translate — and found a printed copy in Alan's home.

Panel, re: Google Translate [28:17]:

"Anna had no reason to use Google Translate."

• Mark Tate attempts to raise the alternate theory of suicide, citing alleged texts and search history, but Nancy Grace is thoroughly skeptical.

Nancy Grace [30:33]:

"Gee, I wonder who wrote those."

6. Alan Gould’s Actions Post-Disappearance

• [32:41] Police discover Alan researched defense attorneys and missing persons cases before reporting Anna missing.
• He appears unconcerned, declines to participate in search efforts (including a Facebook page created by friends), and was noted to discourage others from searching.

Nancy Grace [33:13]:

"She makes all the money. She designs the house, she raises the baby, she works every day. What is he doing?"

7. Physical and Digital Evidence

• [36:23] Anna's blue Audi was found nearly a month after her disappearance, backed into an overflow lot — not typical for her. Her purse and receipts (last dated March 28) were still inside.
• Neighbors report Alan was the one driving her Audi after her disappearance.
• The car’s navigation system showed it was not moved on the day Alan claims Anna left for work; its final movement aligns exactly with the drop-off spot.
• Police used cadaver dogs on the property: the dog alerted to remains at a disturbed patch of soil, where a piece of blue tarp and burnt debris were found. Records showed Alan had bought three blue tarps, with one missing.

Nancy Grace [38:09]:

"They not only see it on the ground penetrating radar, they see it with the naked eye that some of the soil is disturbed on top of the ground... that's where the cadaver dog hits. And not only that, they find bits of charred something and part of a blue tarp."

• Cleaning crew noticed that, while the house was unusually messy, the master bathroom sinks were spotless and all old wash rags had been replaced with new ones.

Panel, Glenn K. Bard [40:09]:

"That's obviously going to be an indicator that there is something being cleaned up and certain items disposed of... the absence of evidence is the evidence we're looking for."

8. Legal and Panel Debate

• Defense attorney Mark Tate is adamant that all evidence is circumstantial and stresses the high legal burden to convict Alan.
• Nancy challenges the “susceptibility” of cadaver dogs and the notion that all evidence could be coincidental.

Memorable Moment [41:21]:

Nancy Grace (sarcastically): "Now, to hear veteran defense attorney Mark Tate tell it, the cadaver dogs were tricked and all of the wash rags in the home were thrown away and new ones were bought because the old ones left behind lint. Now, I wonder who would have noticed the lint issue since Anna is gone."

9. Concluding Thoughts

• Nancy emphasizes the tragedy: a brilliant professional woman, loving mother, and the heartbreak for her young son.
• Case remains open, with mounting evidence but no definitive resolution — yet.

Notable Quotes

• Nancy Grace [27:41]:
  "Someone had researched how to make that exact [birthday] message via Google Translate."

• Mark Tate [28:47]:
  "The state's going to have to prove somehow that that is evidence of murder, and they've got to prove this beyond a reasonable doubt."

• Joe Holden [39:10]:
  "There is. There were three [blue tarps]. Now there’s just two... and to add to the search of that property with the cadaver dog, there's a piece of a tarp, a blue tarp found in that area where there's also burnt debris."

• Glenn K. Bard [40:09]:
  "A lot of times the absence of evidence is the evidence we're looking for."

Key Timestamps for Major Segments

• 00:35 – Introduction to Anna’s background
• 07:24 – Marital strife over childraising/culture
• 16:50 – Anna’s trip to Poland and sudden disappearance
• 19:54 – Discovery Anna is missing; husband’s odd response
• 24:15 – Husband’s delayed missing persons report and mounting suspicion
• 27:41 – The Google Translate text and its significance
• 32:41 – Alan Gould’s defense preparations and online searches
• 36:23 – Discovery of Anna’s car and analysis of evidence
• 37:47 – Cadaver dog search, disturbed soil, burned tarp bits
• 40:09 – House cleaning clues: new wash rags, spotless sinks
• 43:10 – Audi nav evidence, post-disappearance car movements
• 45:34 – Alan’s suspicious Google searches: crime scene, strangulation, etc.

Tone and Style

The episode is an energetic, fast-paced true crime discussion marked by Nancy Grace’s biting southern wit and relentless pursuit of inconsistencies, with panelists providing both prosecution and defense perspectives. Nancy questions excuses, scrutinizes suspect behavior, and constantly returns to the heartbreak for Anna’s child.

Final Takeaway

This episode paints a vivid, layered portrait of Anna Macijewska’s disappearance. The combination of digital footprints, physical evidence (car, tarp, wash rags), suspicious texts, and behavioral red flags increasingly point suspicion at Alan Gould, but the debate remains fierce as to whether the circumstantial evidence is enough for a conviction. Anna’s fate — and the truth — remain unresolved, with the case still open and evolving.