Stephanie Dogme (4:09)

She was a very, very open young lady. She loved life, she loved her friends. One of her best qualities was her smile. She was always smiling. You always knew what she was feeling by her smile on her face.

Kylie Lo (4:27)

Stephanie spoke to me via Zoom from her home in Germany. She was transparent. It has been years since she had contact with her daughter and since their relationship was on solid ground, but she's seen Celeste through many different life transitions and challenges.

Stephanie Dogme (4:44)

She had a big heart and forgave everybody to a certain fault. She always saw the best in people and how she could improve them. But at the same time she had her only knicks and knacks here and there where she was still young. She wasn't mature enough, but she definitely left an impression on you when you met her.

Kylie Lo (5:12)

There's been limited coverage on Celeste's story since her disappearance came to light last year. Jo Charpentier wrote the most comprehensive story about Celeste for the Sun Journal in October of 2023. According to Jo Charpentier's piece, Celeste's childhood was challenging. She struggled at home and in school. She left home and stayed with friends on and off. And she started using drugs and drinking alcohol.

Stephanie Dogme (5:40)

I think it was around 15, 16. With meeting boys and finding a new freedom and the bond between friends really deepens for those who have known each other since elementary school or middle school. And that's when she kind of Took a turbulent turn somewhere and kind of struggled with life.

Kylie Lo (6:08)

Celeste had a few run ins with the law beginning in her teenage years, from smoking on school property as a juvenile to felony charges when she was 19 and 20 years old. But Celeste wanted to leave that life behind, and Stephanie hoped that a new environment would give her daughter the fresh start she needed.

Stephanie Dogme (6:28)

I moved from Florida to Louisiana in 2018, and that was right after the trouble she got with the law and everything. And I was like, I'm going to take you with me, kind of start a new, fresh life and get refocused on what you want to do in life and stuff like that. And from that point on, she knew I meant business.

Kylie Lo (6:55)

Stephanie explained that Celeste had a vision for her future. Finding a partner, starting a family, and raising children. And in Louisiana, Celeste met someone who she saw this future with. His name was John Alexander Benton. John worked in landscaping, and he had family in Maine. But Stephanie didn't know much else about John at the time. What she did see, she didn't like, and she did not approve of Celeste dating him. The mother and daughter were at odds over it, which made their already strained relationship even more tumultuous. Still, when Stephanie moved to a different state, Celeste went with her, and John came, too. That's when Stephanie began to see more of the dynamic between Celeste and her boyfriend.

Stephanie Dogme (7:43)

She left with me, and then we moved from Louisiana to Mississippi Bay, St. Louis, and he moved in with us for about three to four months. So we were all living under one roof. And this is where his other side started showing. He would be doing drugs and it would be getting loud, yelling, hitting, just wrestling with each other. I called the cops on a couple of occasions, but nothing really happened.

Kylie Lo (8:21)

Stephanie says she witnessed John physically abuse Celeste more than once.

Stephanie Dogme (8:27)

I got to the point where one day I stood up to him and I told him that he needs to stop putting his hands on my daughter. Otherwise this is really going to escalate beyond just calling the cops. And I was very serious about it. A couple of weeks later, he moved out and went back to Maine.

Kylie Lo (8:52)

With John out of the house, Stephanie hoped it was out of sight, out of mind for Celeste. She tried to prevent any contact between the two of them, but then decided she no longer wanted to be in the middle of it.

Stephanie Dogme (9:05)

I did not want to be dead inserted in my daughter's life to where I started dictating things. It just didn't sit well with me, and I backed away. And she started getting his emails. And within a month, a month and a half. She packed her bags and flew to Maine after him.

Kylie Lo (9:36)

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According to reporting by Jo Charpanier, she may have also been helping John grow and distribute weed from their apartment to supplement their income. I was unable to independently verify this information, though. In June of that same year, Stephanie made a stop in Maine to visit Celeste before she flew back to Germany. Celeste seemed settled in the new apartment with John. Soon after, though, Stephanie began to hear about more domestic violence in her daughter's relationship. She was unable to intervene or keep them apart. So Stephanie decided to cut off communication with Celeste to show that she did not support her relationship with John. So then Stephanie didn't learn that Celeste was pregnant or that she had a baby until her youngest daughter, Celeste sister Danielle, started sending pictures to Stephanie after the little boy was born in early 2021, Celeste had stayed in touch with Danielle and friends back in Florida, including her best friend Chris, who was more like a brother to her. Chris told Jo Charponier of the Sun Journal that he too knew about the abusive relationship Celeste was in and he checked in with her regularly. Early on in her pregnancy, Celeste reached out to Chris and another friend in Florida named Melissa and told them she was in an abusive relationship and wanted to get out. Celeste traveled south and stayed with Chris. She looked tired and unhealthy, he said. The plan was for Celeste to stay with Chris until she could move into Melissa's house. Melissa had been out of state during the COVID 19 pandemic and was making arrangements to travel back to Florida to help. But before Melissa made it there, Celeste decided to return to Maine. She'd been talking to John and wanted to make things work. Celeste's son was born in early 2021. He was instantly the center of her world. A few public Facebook posts make it clear just how excited Celeste was to be a mom. She reveled in the love of this new life she created. On June 10, 2021, Celeste posted, quote, My absolute everything. In five short months you've grown into such a sweet little guy and I've never loved you more than I do today. I know it sounds impossible but tomorrow I'll love you even more than today. My love for you is immeasurable I can't wait for what our future holds, and I'm excited to hold your little hand every step of the way. It seemed that becoming a mom brought a new sense of purpose and direction to Celeste's life. But soon, the birth of her son wasn't the only milestone she was celebrating. On July 14, 2021, Celeste posted on Facebook, quote, feeling proud. This hot mama is officially enrolled in college. Outside of giving birth to the sweetest little boy, this will be my second greatest accomplishment. And omg, I'm so excited. End quote.

Stephanie Dogme (15:37)

She was very excited about being enrolled at college. She wanted to pursue a degree in nursing, something that she spoke about a lot when she was a child. So that made me very happy that she tried to find an alternate way to improve her life and hopefully stepping away from the situation.

Kylie Lo (16:04)

On July 22, 2021, another Facebook post quote, oh, my freaking God, y'all. I swear the universe is finally looking upon ya, girl. With mad love and grace. My GED transcripts came through and I'll be signing up for classes tomorrow. Everything is paid and I've already gotten my medical terminology book and all the supplies I could ever hope to use this semester. I can't wait to be raking in all this knowledge. Mama about to be smart. I've literally spent the last half hour jumping up and down crying my eyes out. Cause I thought I was gonna miss it this semester. End quote. Judging by social media activity alone, Celeste's life looked happy. A beautiful baby. She loved the promise of a bright future, pursuing an education in a field she'd dreamed of since she was a little girl. But no one knows for sure what was happening behind those posts, except for Celeste herself. Friends got brief glimpses of her life through a phone screen. According to Joe Charponier's reporting for the Sun Journal, Celeste's best friend Chris talked to her in early July before those excited posts about enrolling in college. Chris said that during their video call, Celeste showed him a bald spot on the top of her head where hair was missing. Seeing that an injury he presumed was caused by Celeste's boyfriend, Chris insisted that Celeste take her son and leave. He'd buy her the plane tickets. He just wanted her out. Chris said that Celeste agreed. Midway through the call, Chris said Celeste started to destroy some cannabis plants that were in the apartment. And then John walked through the door. He started yelling at Celeste, and then the phone fell on the floor. And then the call ended. It was the last time Chris talked to Celeste. He was worried about her, but he says in the Sun Journal piece that other people tried to calm his concerns. Those Facebook posts about her son in college made everything seem fine to an unknowing eye. But after those Facebook posts, Celeste's contact with friends and family stopped altogether.

Stephanie Dogme (18:18)

She made a post about she can't contain her excitement. She was going to college for orientation. And after that, it was dead silence for everybody. There was nothing.

Kylie Lo (18:34)

It wasn't unusual for Celeste to fall out of contact. She and Stephanie weren't speaking. Her sister had since distanced herself, too, and friends in Florida stopped hearing from her. Everyone just assumed Celeste was just caught up in motherhood and school and life.

Stephanie Dogme (18:50)

By then I was receiving videos and pictures of the baby from my youngest daughter. So in the back of my head I'm thinking, she's talking to her sister. That's fine. You know, her sister usually would come and tell me if there is anything bad happening or something like that. So I was not very much worried or even giving it any thoughts that I haven't spoken to her in two years.

Kylie Lo (19:20)

Those two years without contact didn't seem significant until OCFS called Stephanie to see if she had any way to contact Celeste. As Stephanie began reaching out to Celeste's sister and friends, everyone realized how long it had been since they'd actually heard from Celeste. How many years had passed since she'd posted on social media, since anyone talked to her on the phone or video chat.

Stephanie Dogme (19:47)

And then the very next day, I was going to initiate a missing person and I found out it was already done just a few hours beforehand.

Kylie Lo (19:58)

Auburn police initiated a missing persons report around noon on May 3, 2023, classifying Celeste Dogme's disappearance under suspicious condition.

Stephanie Dogme (20:11)

She supposedly went for a walk and never came back.

Kylie Lo (20:15)

That was what John Benton told the police, yet he never reported her missing. What are you bringing to the Thanksgiving table this year? A new take on a classic dish? A fun game for the family? Or perhaps a new language? As the most trusted language learning program for over 30 years, Rosetta Stone immerses you with an enriching experience. Whether you're traveling to a new country or sitting down at the family table, learning a new language can help enhance connections. Fun fact about me is that I studied Japanese for almost six years between middle school and high school. I found some of my old vocabulary practice sheets that my mom had kept, and it reminded me how empowering it was to be able to speak and write in a second language. I'll be getting back into my Japanese language learning this season with Rosetta Stone. For a short time. Dark down east listeners can get Rosetta Stone's Lifetime Membership Holiday Special. Visit rosettastone.com downeast for unlimited access to 25 language courses for the rest of your life. Redeem your holiday offer today. Rosettastone.com downeast.

Truthfinder (21:30)

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Kylie Lo (22:05)

Stephanie never liked Celeste's boyfriend, John Benton. That much is clear. She says she witnessed domestic violence by John against her daughter and she had no interest in getting to know him further until Celeste disappeared.

Stephanie Dogme (22:21)

Until this case blew up open and we had to reevaluate what we knew and what we didn't know. And there was a lot of things that I didn't know about him that I now know.

Kylie Lo (22:37)

There are no documented incidents of domestic violence against Celeste by John Benton. There were no protection orders or charges filed as far as I could find. I tried tracking down any reports or calls Stephanie made when she witnessed the violence against her daughter in Mississippi Mississippi, but I was unable to find any record of calls at Stephanie's address that Bay St. Louis PD or the Hancock County Sheriff's Office may have responded to in 2017 or 2018. I'm not saying Stephanie didn't see it happen or that she didn't call the police, only that I can't verify it at the time of this episode's recording. The same goes for other incidents that Celeste told her friends and family about. No documentation exists that I've been able to find. However, John Alexander Benton does have a documented criminal history in Maine with charges of domestic violence against other people. After Celeste disappeared In August of 2022, John Benton was arrested and charged with domestic violence, assault, domestic violence, aggravated assault and unlawful sexual contact. He was found guilty of the DV assault and aggravated assault charges, but the unlawful sexual contact charge was dismissed when John pled to a different charge. He served less than a year in jail before he was released and was on probation. In April of 2023, just a month before anyone realized Celeste was missing and the arrest that eventually led to Celeste and John's son being taken into state custody, John was arrested again on charges of domestic violence, aggravated assault, domestic violence, criminal threatening with a firearm or dangerous weapon and violating conditions of release. He was found guilty of dv, aggravated assault and violating conditions of release charges. The criminal threatening charge was dismissed when he pled to a different charge. John was sentenced to three years, all but 12 months suspended plus four years of probation. According to Maine Department of Corrections records. John has since been released and is in the community. John's apparent inaction when Celeste supposedly left for that walk never to return, and his domestic violence convictions, paired with the alleged DV that Stephanie witnessed by John against Celeste, has left her and others wary of the man that Celeste once pictured a future with. To be clear, he is not charged with any crimes as it relates to Celeste Dogme's disappearance. As of this episode's recording, I've been unable to reach John for comment. Previously, the Maine Department of Corrections would not allow John to speak with journalists while he was incarcerated. June 1, 2021. That's the date given on Celeste's NAMUS listing. NAMUS details indicate that was the date of last contact with Celeste, according to her ex boyfriend, who is not named on the listing. However, Celeste's social media posts continued up until July 22, 2021. The posts about her son and school, those all came after June 1st. This is a strange discrepancy, especially given the media release from Auburn PD states that Celeste was less known to be in the Auburn area at the end of July 2021. It doesn't make sense to me and there's not a whole lot that makes sense to Stephanie and Celeste's friends about this case either.

Stephanie Dogme (26:19)

Her son was her most important accomplishment. That's how she labeled it. He stole her heart. She fell in love with that baby. She was head over heels. She took very good care of that baby. And it also seemed uncharacteristic of her to would have deliberately left him behind. She was too invested in his life and his happiness than to turn around and go for that walk and decide to never come back.

Kylie Lo (26:55)

But say it is true that she really did walk out one day and leave her son and her college aspirations and everything behind. Why didn't someone, why didn't John report Celeste missing?

Stephanie Dogme (27:08)

I mean, my question here is she went out for a walk. So who was watching the baby? Were you watching the baby, expecting her to come back to the baby? Or were you expecting her? Okay, well that's the end of it. She's gone out of my life now. I need to make arrangement. Who's going to watch him when I Go to work and stuff like that. I mean, out of a sudden, from going from a walk, he becomes a single F. There is a lot of blank space in between to try to understand how did that happen? What were the circumstances of her going for a walk? Was he expecting her back or not?

Kylie Lo (27:55)

In short, the story that Celeste left her life and baby behind and has gone three years now without contacting anyone, and her boyfriend didn't see a reason to report her missing just doesn't pass the sniff test for her friends and family. But it remains to be seen what's happening in the investigation to suss out this story and get to the bottom of Celeste's disappearance. There have been few public updates about the case in the last year. I reached out to my source within Maine State Police, who happens to be the primary investigator on Celeste's case, Detective Mike Chavez. He told me that the case remains under diligent investigation. He and his team have been working hard, and it's one of his primary investigative focuses at this time. After Celeste was reported missing, the once frayed relationship between mother and daughter did not stop Stephanie from seeking answers. She has done what she can from afar to stay updated on the investigation into Celeste's case. Stephanie was informed that police issued subpoenas for Celeste's phone records and bank accounts and were following up with the community college where Celeste was supposedly enrolled. Police learned and told Stephanie that Celeste never actually completed her enrollment, despite the social media posts that seemed to indicate she was ready to start classes.

Stephanie Dogme (29:22)

It's hard to imagine a person going from 100 with excitement, going to college, starting a new accomplishment to completely dropping everything and walking out. What would need to happen for something like that to occur? I guess that would be my question.

Kylie Lo (29:45)

While staying on top of those case updates, Stephanie is also trying to work with the Office of Family and Children's Services to obtain visitation rights with her grandson, Celeste's little boy. But she is running up against some challenges. She has a meeting with them soon and hopes to make headway. Stephanie has never met Celeste's son. She knows him only through photos and videos. In the midst of her frustrations with many aspects of this case, Stephanie is trying to place her trust in investigators to get answers for her daughter. But more importantly, she hopes to find Celeste wherever she may be.

Stephanie Dogme (30:24)

Because in my heart, I know she's not alive. She's not here anymore. There is no way. She's a lot of things, but she just wouldn't just get up and disappear. No, she wouldn't leave that little boy behind.

Kylie Lo (30:42)

The first media release of Celeste's disappearance was issued in June of 2023, a little over a month after Auburn police initiated a missing persons report and nearly two years after the last sign of her Online the Auburn, Maine Police Department Facebook post of that media alert has nearly 750 shares. Numerous comments on those shared posts echo the same words of disbelief. How is it possible that Celeste was missing for two years and they were only just hearing about it? It's a question that's been raised over and over again since last year, when the case first came to light. And it's valid. You think of your own loved ones and assume you'd know if something was wrong or that they disappeared one day. But the circumstances of Celeste's life at the time, the deteriorated relationships with family and friends, her isolation in Maine, where she had few connections, made it all too easy for Celeste to vanish without detection by those who always loved her most, regardless of where their relationship stood at the time. More than once since learning of her daughter's disappearance, Stephanie has said that everyone in Celeste's life let her down.

Stephanie Dogme (32:02)

Yes, we dropped the ball on her, maybe even including me. I'll put myself in the middle of the mix.

Kylie Lo (32:11)

If Stephanie had known that Celeste tried to leave, if Celeste came to Stephanie and asked for help, she would have been there.

Stephanie Dogme (32:20)

What I guess we mothers are willing to do for our children compared to everybody else really comes into contrast in situations like this. Regardless of how we feel toward one another or what you think my point of view is or whatever, I'm still a mother, just like millions of other mothers. That's my baby, that's my daughter. I am going to be there to make sure that everything works out.

Kylie Lo (32:54)

According to the 2010 National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, Intimate partner violence alone affects more than 12 million people every year. One in four women and one in seven men aged 18 and older in the United States have been the victim of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. It can be difficult to know what to do and how to support someone in your life who is experiencing domestic violence. I spoke with Regina Rooney, the programming director for the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, about what you can do if you're worried about someone you know. It can feel easy from the outside to think we know what the victim should do, but the reality on the inside isn't simple, and it's often scary. There are so many considerations that keep people trapped joint finances, children, shared housing, feelings of hope for change, feelings of fear for safety. It's complicated. The person who is living it knows better than those on the outside what the abusive person is likely to do and what has worked to keep them and their kids safe thus far. We cannot swoop in and rescue someone from domestic abuse, but we can be helpful in ways that are real and tangible and help lessen the burden that victim is carrying. We should not underestimate the power of offering to listen, to watch the kids, to let the victim use our phone to make calls. For a person who's likely being told they are worthless and unlovable by their abusive partner, having others in their life tell them they are loved and cared for is critical. Many of us can think of someone we know who has endured domestic abuse. We need to realize that we also know the people who are using abuse and violence and figure out how we can say to them that we expect them to make better choices. Because really, the person who is acting badly is the person who needs to change their behavior and we should not lose sight of that fact. End quote. If you want to help someone you love, there is free confidential Support available. Visit thehotline.org or call 1-800-799-SAFE it has now been three years since Celeste posted in excitement about her college enrollment and shared photos of her son online. Stephanie, Celeste's sister Danielle, her best friends and even complete strangers who have shared Celeste's photo and Missing Person's poster far and wide are waiting for answers and updates in her case. What happened to Celeste and where is she now?

Stephanie Dogme (35:46)

I just want to know what happened to her point blank. I mean, somebody does not just get up and disappear.

Kylie Lo (35:54)

At the time of her disappearance, Celeste Dogme was 27 years old. She is described as a black woman, 5ft 2 inches tall with brown curly hair and brown eyes. She has ear, nose and tongue piercings and a prominent tattoo on her right upper leg of a dream catcher. If you have information regarding the disappearance of Celeste Dogmen, please report it to Maine State Police via the tip form linked in the description of this episode. You can also contact the Auburn Police Department's anonymous tip line at 207-333-6653. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this case@darkdowneast.com Be sure to follow the show on Instagram arkdowneast. This platform is for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lo and this is Dark Down East. Dark down east is a production of Kylie Media and Audio. Check. So what do you think, Chuck? Do you approve?

Netcredit (37:25)

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Kylie Lo (37:46)

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