The Disappearance of Michael Madore (Maine)

Summary

Dark Downeast – The Disappearance of Michael Mador (Maine)

Podcast: Dark Downeast
Host: Kylie Low
Episode Date: August 21, 2025
Episode Description: Investigative journalist Kylie Low takes listeners into the nearly 30-year-old disappearance of Michael Mador, a 32-year-old man from Milo, Maine, whose vanishing remains unsolved and whose family is still searching for answers.

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode delves into the mysterious disappearance of Michael Mador in April 1996. With a mix of narrative, case file analysis, and personal interviews, host Kylie Low seeks to illuminate overlooked details, explore possible theories, and give voice to Michael's surviving family as they continue seeking closure.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Disappearance and the First Reports

• Timeline: Michael Mador was last seen on April 6, 1996, leaving his home in Derby, part of Milo, Maine. He was reportedly wearing hip waders, carrying a .357 handgun, and riding a ten-speed bike.
• Initial Concern: Michael’s friend Matt contacted Fish & Wildlife on April 8 (04:00), noting Michael left behind a note giving away all his belongings and implied he was heading to Alaska or possibly contemplating suicide.
• Found Items: In Michael’s home, handwritten letters, some cash, and a hatchet were left out. Missing were his hip waders, handgun, radio, bicycle, and some CDs.

2. The Letters and Immediate Reactions

• Two Letters:
  • The first, shorter letter instructed friends Peggy and David to deliver a hatchet to Michael’s brother (07:01).
  • The second, longer letter left all Michael’s property and pets to Peggy and David, asserting he would be in “Bangor/Brewer till next Saturday … to get a feel of how it’s going to be away from everyone.” He reiterated his plan to move to Alaska for a new life (06:00-08:00).
  • An incomplete draft was found in the trash, more impersonal and logistics-focused (09:21).
• Critical Analysis of Notes: Host Kylie Low and Michael’s family note the oddity of both a rough draft and a final version, the sudden emotional tone shift, and question the authenticity and motivation behind the letters (31:28-34:15).

3. Search Efforts and Initial Investigation

• Immediate Search: Law enforcement and a scent dog conducted air and ground searches around a local camp Michael frequented but found no trace (10:12).
• Assumptions: The case was initially treated as “attempt to locate/well-being check” rather than a criminal case, possibly limiting the thoroughness of the investigation.

4. Michael’s Background and Family's Perspective

• Sister’s Voice: Terry Kraus paints a vivid picture of Michael—a protective, mischievous big brother, good-natured and outdoorsy (15:13-16:35).
  • “He was always there. He cared. He was just my big brother.” —Terry Kraus [15:13]
• Employment & Struggles:
  • Military service ended abruptly (reason unclear, possibly mental health).
  • Attended trade school, worked as a welder briefly, then returned home and struggled for steady employment (16:43-18:13).
• Mental Health and Self-Medication: Michael was reportedly obsessed with physical fitness and vitamins, perhaps as self-medication. He refused to seek help or counseling despite family urging (18:41-19:22).
  • “I think Mike had … he was trying to self medicate through exercise and vitamins … I was concerned, very concerned.” —Terry Kraus [18:41-19:22]
• Legal Issues: Michael faced a series of minor criminal convictions in the early ’90s, unknown to his sister until more recently (20:10-20:50).

5. Inconsistencies and Family Theories

• Out of Character: Terry and John stress that Michael was always in contact, never just disappeared, and the idea he’d suddenly leave for Alaska on a whim was out of character (21:34-22:20).
• Bike Instead of Truck: Though Michael was known to bike everywhere, riding to Alaska in early April Maine weather seemed implausible (22:49-23:39, 30:35-31:13).
  • “He had no money, he wasn’t prepared, he hadn’t packed … how were you gonna do that?” —Terry Kraus [30:35]

6. Open Questions, Possible Scenarios, and Contemporary Efforts

• What Really Happened?
  • Was Michael planning to harm himself, run away, or did he meet with foul play?
  • The handwritten notes, while verified as his, leave open the question of whether they were voluntary or written under duress.
• Ongoing Advocacy: Terry and John have been persistent in restarting the investigation, contacting police, and conducting independent searches (25:21).
  • They worked with authorities for records checks, searched property records, and arranged for cadaver dog searches based on rumors about possible body disposal sites (25:21, 40:40-41:29).
    • “I want his remains. I want to get a plot … He was loved and he’s remembered and he’s missed and he deserves peace and the family deserves peace.” —Terry Kraus [41:17, 43:02]
• Law Enforcement Stance: Maine State Police confirm the case is “an active criminal investigation,” but offer no public comment (39:19).
• Community and Online Interactions:
  • Attempts to contact last-seen witnesses (Peggy and David) were unsuccessful.
  • Curious public social media comments from David (“he wanted nothing to do with his family and probably changed his identity”) and Peggy suggest ongoing divisions and unanswered questions (37:41).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Michael’s Character & Childhood:
  • “He was the only one allowed to torture me … but we lived in the kind of small town where you went out until the street lights came on.” —Terry Kraus [15:13]
• On the Search for Answers:
  • “We just want him brought home so he can finally rest.” —Kylie Low [Intro Summary]
  • “Not one [sign of life]. Nothing. Nothing. No fingerprints, no ID, no Social Security, no criminal activity, nothing.” —Terry Kraus and John [25:10-25:12]
• On the Family’s Grief and Hope:
  • “He was full of life. He had a right to try to turn things around. Somebody else’s life is not yours to take away.” —Terry Kraus [41:41-41:50]
  • “His is a life paused mid-sentence. And that uncertainty can echo for generations.” —Kylie Low [42:28]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Case Introduction & Disappearance: [03:00–10:12]
• Reading of Letters & Report Summaries: [06:00–10:12]
• Early Search Efforts & Lack of Evidence: [10:12–13:44]
• Family Background and Reflections: [15:13–22:20]
• Analysis of Letters & Theories: [31:28–34:15]
• Current Advocacy & Renewed Search Efforts: [39:19–41:29]
• Reflections on Loss & Legacy: [41:41–43:33]
• Call to Action / Contact Info: [43:33]

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Overall Tone & Style

The episode is heart-forward, sensitive, and investigative—honoring Michael as a complex and loved human being, not just a case file. Kylie Low balances factual detail with empathy, leveraging first-person family accounts and careful case analysis.

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Conclusion / Call to Action

If you have information about Michael Mador’s disappearance, contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North at 207-973-3750 or toll-free at 1-800-432-7381.

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This episode highlights the enduring pain of ambiguity and the dogged perseverance of family, reminding listeners that every “missing person” is a missing story deserving attention until the truth is brought home.

Transcript

[Fan]

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[Terry Kraus]

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[Fan]

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[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

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[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

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[Fan]

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[Terry Kraus]

Sign what? The app. Yeah, sure.

[Fan]

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[Terry Kraus]

Anything to help, I suppose.

[Fan]

You're the best.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

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[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Be in Bangorbrewer till next Saturday, 4-13-96 to get a feel of how it's going to be away from everyone and everything. That's why I don't want to be contacted to see if I can do it and more so to prepare myself for going away. Everything I'm leaving behind is your David's and your kids after Saturday, 4-13-96 including the money I left you a portion of what I had saved in the jewelry box on desk by TV to use as you like and to feed dogs, etc. I need you to be strong for me and at peace with this. Like I saw this morning, you know how I feel about you and I'm happy knowing you're in good hands. P.S. i will have a good life in Alaska. I know you will have a good life here. I left you most of the CDs. Make good use of them. We have the same taste in music. Love always Michael Joseph Medor Another handwritten.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Letter gave Peggy and David instructions for his two dogs.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Dear David and Peggy, everything is yours. I'll be making enough money to replace it all. I only want my family, Cupcake and Thunder to be cared for. That's all I ask. They're the only family I've ever had of my own. Please don't separate them. Love always Mike. As of 4-13-96 I leave my red Ford truck, black Toyota, 1987 Formula plus snowmobile, my Honda 350X3 Wheeler, my LG Blue boat and trailer, my kayak and all miscellaneous items to David and Peggy. Signed Michael J. Mador.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Peggy told the officer that she realized several items were missing from Mike's house. A pair of waiters, a.357 handgun, some CDs, a small portable radio and a 10 speed bicycle. In Peggy's opinion and as is noted in the incident report, the fact that these items were missing meant Mike wasn't really heading for Bangor, but instead was more likely on his way to a camp in the woods that she knew well. As far as I can tell, the report by Peggy and David and the earlier call to the warden service by Mike's friend Matt all refer to the same camp. The report continues. Contact was made with Mike's brother Dick and he checked the camp and sure Enough bike prints slash footprints one way led out to the camp, end quote. Dick reported that the camp was locked up from the outside and there was no indication that Mike was there. The incident report states that multiple people had been to that camp over the weekend looking for Mike, but hadn't found him out there at any point, though it doesn't mention exactly when. In the report, Peggy and David said they'd already brought Mike's photo around to hotels, motels, other businesses, and even showed it to an officer in the Bangor Brewer area to see if anyone there had seen Mike. But the effort turned up nothing. As investigators checked Mike's house for themselves, they noticed something in the trash. It was another handwritten letter, but this one was incomplete. Here's the voice actor again.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Dear Peg, hi babe. I'll be in Bangor till next Wednesday, April 10, 1996, to get a feel of how it's going to be away from everyone and everything. That's why I don't want to be contacted to see if I can do it. Everything I'm leaving behind is yours, David's and the kids. After next Wednesday, April 10, 1996, I'll be making enough money to replace it all. I left you a portion of what I had saved in jewelry box on DeskbyTV to use as you like and to cover feeding the dogs, etc. After Wednesday, April 10, 1996, the money's all yours. Keep the phone and electric going as long as you like. Then when you're done, just cancel them. And don't pay any bills. Except.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

It trails off mid sentence like that. And there are a few words scribbled out before pay any bills that can't be deciphered. Officer McManus wrote in the report that Peggy was concerned about taking possession of Mike's belongings on April 13, as the completed letter instructed them to do. The officer finally told Peggy, after several mentions of the items, that she could take care of Mike's dogs. But she and David were not to take or dispose of anything inside or outside of Mike's house until further notice. According to the report, Peggy had a key to the residence. Peggy and David explained to Officer McManus that they believed Mike wanted to, quote, get away from it all and that he didn't want to deal with the possible death of his elderly parents. The report also states, quote, and especially did not want to come between David and Peggy anymore, end quote. Before Officer McManus cleared the scene and left Mike's house, David pulled the officer aside to speak with him outside of the presence of his wife. According to the report, he was concerned that Mike, quote, might have drowned in a bog that must be crossed to reach the remote camp by one of the two main trails to the area, end quote. After getting directions to the camp in question, Officer McManus contacted the Sheriff's Department. A plan was already in the works for an aerial search of the area around the camp to begin at first daylight on April 9th. In one of the only media mentions of Mike's disappearance from 1996 that I was able to obtain, Beverly Wright reports for the Piscataquist observer that investigators conducted a thorough air and ground search of the camp and surrounding woods, which was located between the Devil's Sledders Snowmobile Club on Outer Pleasant street in Milo and Lakeview Plantation. A scent dog from the Charleston Correctional Facility sniffed the ground while aircraft circled overhead. Neither human nor dog found any sign of Mike that day. At the time, the case was classified as an attempt to locate and a well being checked. But in the 29 years since that search, Mike has never been found. It took years, but now his name and case has landed on the Maine State Police Unsolved Missing Persons list. Thanks to his younger sister, Terry Kraus, Summer's winding down and it's the perfect time to ease your child back into learning with ixl. IXL is an award winning online learning platform that helps kids truly understand what they're learning through fun, engaging and personalized content. IXL is used in 96 of the top 100 US school districts and is the perfect tool to keep learning going without making it feel like school. I can't believe my daughter, my baby is getting ready to start preschool soon, which means she's the perfect age to introduce ixl. There's programs for kids her age working on letters and numbers, which she is obsessed with. I hear the ABC song ad nauseum. I just like it. It's so sweet. But she's so excited about learning and I'm so excited to show her IXL make an impact on your child's learning. Get IXL now and Dark down east listeners can get an exclusive 20% off IXL membership when they sign up today at ixl.com towneast visit ixl.com downeast to get the most effective learning program out there at the best price. As summer winds down, it's time to refresh your wardrobe with staple pieces for the season ahead. Quince nails it with luxe essentials that feel effortless and look polished, perfect for layering and mixing and their styles are so versatile, you'll find yourself reaching for them again and again. Think chic cashmere and cotton sweaters Starting at just $40, washable silk tops and classic denim pants. Timeless styles you'll keep coming back to. And the best part? Everything with Quince is half the cost of similar brands. One of my go to looks for a dinner date or a night out is my washable silk slip dress from Quince in like this beautiful deep wine color layered with one of their white cozy cotton sweaters over the top. It's a perfect fall look. Nice and transitional. I love it. Elevate your fall wardrobe essentials with Quint's. Go to quince.com/downeast for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns. That's Q-U-I-N-C e.com downeast to get free shipping and 365 day returns. Quints.com downeast Mike's sister Terry and her husband John have become Mike's voice and fiercest advocates in recent years. It was Terry and John who reached out to me earlier this year and asked for help bringing awareness to Mike's case. Terry remembers Mike as a typical big brother. He picked on her in all the ways big brothers are programmed to do. But he was there when she needed him too.

[Terry Kraus]

He was always there. He was always. He cared. He's the one that, oh, he was just my big brother. We grew up together. The others were grown. He was the only one allowed to torture me. And I just remember him just, I remember him tying me to a chair. It was a game. He tied my arms behind my back and then would go eat the cake that mom had just made or eat the brownies or stick his hand up from under the bed and grab my leg. Things like. Like that. He was good natured. He had a good personality, good sense of humor. But we lived in the kind of small town, the kind of neighborhood where you went out until the street lights came on. You gathered at somebody's house and played epic games of hide and seek and things like that. We kickball. That was our childhood. It's what I remember.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

They grew up in Brownville Junction. The small town exists in part because of the railroad and the paper mills. Like so many of Maine's rural towns, the rail yards and mills were a hub of employment and kept the local economy thriving. One of the joys and maybe downsides of living in a small town like Brownville Junction. There was always somebody keeping an eye on you.

[Terry Kraus]

Everybody knew you you couldn't get away with anything. Somebody would call your parents, but everybody knew you. Everybody looked out for you.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Like other members of his family, Mike entered military service after graduating high school. But that abruptly ended and he joined.

[Terry Kraus]

The Navy out of high school. So I probably. He was 17, I would have been 14. He was discharged and I don't know the details. When we foiaed the Navy, the Department of the Navy, we got some medical records, but we didn't get reasons. We don't know what kind of a discharge he received or why. I know he did get hurt while he was there, but I don't know why he was discharged.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

I spoke to Mike's former wife as part of my reporting for this story. As far as she remembers, Mike's discharge may have been related to his mental health. Mike returned to Maine after that and decided to pursue a trade he went into.

[Terry Kraus]

At the time it was called emvti, Eastern Maine Vocational Technical Institute in Bangor. He became a welder and he went down to Rhode Island.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

He worked at a company that made submarines. But like Mike's military career, that job didn't last very long either.

[Terry Kraus]

And he came home. I don't know if he was there two years, maybe a year or two, and then he came home and I don't know why he gave that up. And there was always a lot of secrecy. So I don't think he would have told me if there was a reason.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Mike struggled to hold down stable employment after Rhode Island. He was a security guard at a hospital for a little while, but other than that, he scrounged for money and borrowed from family and did what he could to get by.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Just kind of went from job to job a little bit listless, though it.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Seemed he hadn't yet found the right career path. As far as his personal interests go, Mike was passionate about his physical fitness and being out in the wilderness. His former wife told me that she remembered Mike and his friend Matt and Matt's brother talking about being mountain men and living off the grid, things like that. Mike had a very active lifestyle, but that lifestyle also appeared to morph into what Terry and John described as an obsession.

[Terry Kraus]

I think Mike had. He was trying to self medicate through exercise and vitamins. He was a bodybuilder. He didn't drink. He didn't use drugs that I ever heard of. And I think that was a form of self medicating. Again, those weren't things. I don't think he had anybody to talk to about it.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Yeah, so he overused vitamins and exercise.

[Terry Kraus]

Yeah. To try to right himself.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Yeah. Obsessively.

[Terry Kraus]

I would beg him, beg him to ask for help at this time, to go see a counselor or somebody. And I begged him to go see a doctor. And he just. He never would. But yeah, I was concerned, very concerned.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

The root cause of Mike's internal battles might never be fully understood. He rarely spoke about his struggles with his sister.

[Terry Kraus]

I think he was masking and I think once you put up that defense or that wall of denial, it's hard to take it down, maybe.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

As I mentioned, Mike was married for a short time. He and his former wife dated for about four years and then got engaged while she was still in high school. She told me stories about their tumultuous relationship and the different side of him she saw once they got married. Mike's moods were volatile and he could be violent around her. She was honest about her feelings towards him at the end of their relationship. She did not like him, but she was not unkind to his memory. She has since reconnected with Terry and John to help their cause. She wants to know what happened to Mike too. After Mike's divorce in 1990, Terry believes that Mike dated several people here and there. She did not approve of his dating choices. As is mentioned in some of the case file documents, Terry believes that Mike and Peggy were in a romantic relationship at the time of his disappearance, while Peggy was married to David. As of this episode's release, I haven't heard back from Peggy or David to ask them about this or anything else. In the years before his disappearance, Mike had some run ins with the law. In 1991, he was found guilty of theft by unauthorized taking or transfer. In June of 1993, he was arrested for violating a protective order. But that charge was dismissed when he pled to a different charge. About a week after that arrest, Mike was arrested again, this time for another theft by unauthorized taking or transfer charge and he was convicted. Mike was convicted of assault in 1994. Records show that he was fined but not sentenced to any jail time for these convictions. Now, the details of her brother's criminal history surprised Terry. She only recently became aware of his charges and convictions. Despite the secrecy and the private topics that didn't get discussed at family get togethers. It's not like Mike ever totally dropped out of contact with his siblings or parents before.

[Terry Kraus]

Mike was always. There was never a loss of contact. It wasn't necessarily weekly or daily, but there was never a loss of contact. There was no social media, there were no cell phones. But People were around, so he was always around. He might show up on Sunday, he might show up in two weeks, he might call. At the very least, he would ask for money.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

When Terry was getting ready to move to California In January of 1996, her big brother was there to help.

[Terry Kraus]

So it was January of 96. He came and helped dad move us.

[John (Terry's husband)]

He was right there. You just call him up. And he showed up and helped her pack up her stuff to move to California. So he was always around. There was never a point where he's like, well, has anyone seen Mike lately? That. That was never a thing.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

So when Terry heard that Mike had supposedly left on his bike to test out living on his own in preparation for a potential move to Alaska, and then he dropped out of contact completely. That didn't align with what she knew to be true about her brother. But there were a few things about the details from the notes that were kind of sort of believable. For example, Mike did like to bike places and often chose that method of transportation over the two vehicles parked in his driveway.

[Terry Kraus]

He rode his bicycle everywhere, even though he had. In the police report, it said there were two trucks that he owned. First. He would ride his bike to visit my parents, which involved two towns over huge hill. So I know he was still. Or my belief he was still health conscious.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Mike was also fairly savvy in the woods.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Yeah, he was very knowledgeable in the woods and very comfortable in the wilderness.

[Terry Kraus]

To a point in that area. There were a lot of camp hunting camps that anybody went to. So I think he was comfortable in the wilderness in that context. Could he go out in the middle of nowhere and survive? No, I don't think so. I don't know about that. But there were camps and stuff he would go to and hunting camps with friends.

[John (Terry's husband)]

He knew his way around, though.

[Terry Kraus]

Yeah. Yeah, he did.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

The details of her brother's reported departure from his home to start a new life in Alaska doesn't make any sense to Terry now. But back in 1996, she was living out of state and not fully up to speed on what was happening to track Mike down after that initial search of the area area surrounding the camp. According to the article from the Piscataquist Observer, Mike's brother Dick was pretty confident Mike did go to Alaska. At the time, it was Mike's dream to live there, and he talked about job opportunities being plentiful in America's last frontier. Dick believed that Mike would turn up somewhere in the near future. He was just breaking away for a bit to Live on his own terms and would probably make contact with his family soon. Nine years later, when Mike and Terry's father passed away and his estate was moving through probate, Mike was listed as an heir in the will with a specific instruction. Should four months pass and Mike's whereabouts could not be established, he would not receive any portion of his father's estate. On June 1 and June 8, 2005, probate notices were published in the Piscataquist Observer. Four months passed and Mike's whereabouts could not be established. Mike hasn't contacted Terry or any of his other family members in the last 29 plus years. As Terry learned in 2014 when she requested Milo police review his case, there's been absolutely no other activity to serve as a sign of life since that April in 1996.

[Terry Kraus]

Not one.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Nope.

[Terry Kraus]

Nothing. Nothing. No fingerprints, no ID, no Social Security, no criminal activity, nothing.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

On July 18, 2014, Terry contacted Milo police officer Michael Larson and asked him if he could look into Mike's disappearance. According to the 2014 incident report, Terry told Officer Larson she'd previously spoken with then chief of police Todd Lyford, who told her that Mike walked off and he'd probably turn up. Mike had been missing for more than 18 years at that point. On August 8th of that year, Officer Larson ran a triple eye search, which checks a national fingerprint based index maintained by the FBI and facilitates the exchange of criminal history records between federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Officer Larson also checked NCIC and surfaced a brief criminal history prior to his disappearance. But Mike had no criminal history after August 22, 1994. Mike's fingerprints didn't show up in the system anytime after that. In all the years since he disappeared, Mike hasn't opened a bank account or touched any assets, and he apparently abandoned the home that he owned in Milo. Deed records show that liens were placed on the home for unpaid property tax and utility bills throughout the years, both before and after Mike was last seen alive. A claim for foreclosure was filed in Main District Court in October of 1997. Sometime in the last 29 years, an unrelated individual started paying the property taxes on Mike's house. And correspondence from the town of Milo regarding the property was sent to Michael Mador, care of this individual. As far as Terry understands it, after the house sat vacant for a certain period of time, ownership was transferred to the person paying the bills. From what I've been able to suss out, this is unrelated to Mike's disappearance. The man's name was on other properties around the state of Maine, and he was a landlord. He may have acquired the property through a process known as a tax lien sale, but I don't know for sure. The individual died in 2022, so I can't ask. Since she reached out to Milo PD in 2014 for an update, both Terri and her husband John, have shouldered the heavy burden of reinvigorating Mike's case. They've had recent meetings with Maine State Police Detective sergeant Greg Mitchell and Detective Jacob Furland, who is currently assigned to his case but have also chosen to pursue answers on their own. They reach out to possible witnesses. They comb through records and turn over every stone they can find, trying to answer their biggest questions. What really happened to Mike and where is he now? This summer, don't let your wireless bill sizzle your budget. For a limited time, Mint mobile is offering three months of unlimited premium wireless service for 15 bucks a month. All plans come with high speed data and unlimited talk and text delivered on the nation's largest 5G network. I literally just texted my friend earlier today and I was like, can I be an influencer for a second? Because I've been on Mint Mobile now for just over a month and I don't know why I didn't switch sooner. I have better service where I am in nowhere and it's like 80% less than what I was paying on my other provider. Truly, this is the way to go this year. Skip breaking a sweat and breaking the bank. Get this new customer offer and your 3 month unlimited wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month at mintmobile.com downeast that's mintmobile.com downeast upfront payment of $45 required, equivalent to $15 a month limited time new customer offer for first 3 months only. Speeds may slow above 35 gigabytes on unlimited plan. Taxes and fees extra. See Mint Mobile for details. This message is sponsored by Greenlight. Remember summertime as a kid? The freedom of nature. Opportunities born from boredom, rites of passage like riding a bike, setting up a lemonade stand, and even learning to earn and manage a buck. With school out, summer is the perfect time to teach your kids real world money skills they'll use forever. Greenlight is the easy, convenient way for parents to raise financially smart kids and families to navigate life together. Maybe that's why millions of parents trust and kids love learning about money on Greenlight, the one family finance and safety app. One of my daughter's favorite games right now is playing grocery store. I buy things from the store with Play Money inexplicably everything costs $42. But she's learning that we exchange money for the things we want and need. When she gets a little older, a tool like Greenlight will help me teach her that when you do your chores, you get your allowance. Greenlight helps automate that process. Don't wait to teach your kids real world money skills. Start your risk free Greenlight trial [e-mail] downeast that's greenlight.com downeast to get started greenlight.com downeast is it possible that Mike left home on his bike that day and began a journey to Alaska by way of Bangor, Maine? Well, anything is possible, but based on the circumstances, Terry and John feel it is highly improbable.

[Terry Kraus]

He had no money, he wasn't prepared, he hadn't packed, he hadn't sold his things, he hadn't didn't you know, he didn't have money. How were you gonna do that?

[John (Terry's husband)]

He get to Bangor a little on Alaska?

[Terry Kraus]

Yeah, on a 10 speed.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Mike may have been known to bike to any destination, but Alaska or even Bangor seems like a small stretch. If you asked Harry and John, not to mention historic weather data indicates that the Temperature was between 0 and 37 degrees Fahrenheit before noon on April 6, 1996, with 12 to 14 mph winds. Translation, it was kind of cold for a bike ride.

[Terry Kraus]

We all daydream. We all, oh, what if this, what if that? Especially when you're young and you think you have choices.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Oh yeah, and I'm sure it would have been a cool, cool thing to do to go to Alaska. So just because he voiced it doesn't mean he's going to jump on his 10 speed on April 6 and start heading that way.

[Terry Kraus]

Not even a mountain bike with decent tires on a ten speed, you know? Yeah.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Terry takes issue with the letters that were turned over to police, reportedly written by Mike. Particularly the fact that two of the letters start out similarly, but one is unfinished, almost like a draft. Some of the language changes between the two notes too.

[Terry Kraus]

I find it odd there was a draft.

[John (Terry's husband)]

If you're going to scribble a note to a girlfriend, why just say, hey, you know, here's a couple things for you. Why do you need to make a practice note that doesn't make sense?

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Let's dissect the letters a little more. Both the unfinished version found in the trash and the completed letter appear to be written by the same person and they communicate the same basic message. But when you really compare them, there's A noticeable tone shift, and some details change, too. The unfinished note feels like a rough draft. We've said that it's focused on logistics. It's kind of abrupt and emotionally distant. The completed note, on the other hand, is more thoughtful and reads like a goodbye. In the unfinished note, the author says.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

He'Ll be gone until next Wednesday, April 10, 1996.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

But in the completed note, he extends.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

That to next Saturday, 4-13-96, from a.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Few days later to a full week. They both say he doesn't want to be contacted during this time. In the unfinished note, it's simply to.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

See if I can do it.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

But in the completed note, he expands.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

On that to see if I can do it and more so to prepare myself for going away in terms of.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

What he's leaving behind. Both notes mention that everything will be Peg's, David's and the kids after he's gone. And they both reference some money he left. The unfinished note focuses a lot on instructions.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Keep the phone and electric going as long as you like. Then when you're done, just cancel them and don't pay any bills.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Except it kind of reads like a to do list. The completed note doesn't include any of that. Instead, he shifts towards more emotional and personal content.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

He writes, I need you to be strong for me and at peace with this, like I saw this morning, referencing.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Some kind of moment they shared before he left. He even reassures the recipient, saying, you.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Know how I feel about you and I'm happy knowing you're in good hands.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

The completed note goes a step further and talks about the future.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

I will have a good life in Alaska. I know you will have a good life here.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

He even throws in a personal touch about music, saying he left her most of the CDs because they have the same taste.

[Voice Actor (reading letters)]

Then he signs it, love always, Michael Joseph Medore.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

So, to summarize, the unfinished note looks like a first attempt. It's focused on logistics, kind of emotionally detached. The completed note is much more intentional. It adds emotional weight, it offers reassurance, and it reads like someone saying goodbye on their own terms. Terry has scrutinized the handwriting on all the letters found at his house and the signature on the completed letter. And it does look like Mike's. Somewhere along the way, a handwriting expert reviewed these notes, and Terry told me the expert also believed it was Mike's handwriting. If that's true, were the notes written by his own free will, under duress? Add those to the list of questions. If Mike did write those letters, it remains a Possibility that he was planning to go away, but perhaps not to Alaska. The initial request for assistance by his friend Matt raised the concern that Mike might intend to harm himself, or maybe he was going to give life in the wilderness a chance, but some sort of accident happened on Mike's journey out there. David initially suggested to police that maybe Mike drowned in a bog on his way to the camp. I reached out to Peggy and David as part of my reporting for this episode as the last people to see Mike back in 1996, who Mike apparently left all his worldly belongings and beloved dogs to, and who contacted Milo police with their concern for his well being. I really hope to have a conversation with each of them. They did not respond to me, but social media accounts that appear to belong to them have left public comments online in recent months. A Facebook account appearing to belong to David has posted public comments on threads about Mike's case on that social media platform. One of those comments reads, quote, he wanted nothing to do with his family and probably changed his identity, end quote. The account appearing to belong to David also referred to himself as only an acquaintance of Mike. Terry and John participated in an interview about Mike's case livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook earlier this year. A user appearing to be Peggy commented during the stream, saying that Mike's older sister read the letters he reportedly left behind and helped clean out his house after he disappeared. Terry's not sure if that happened. I also contacted the first person that, according to reports, sounded the alarm about Mike, his friend Matt. Matt was transparent with me that he struggles with his memory and he had a hard time remembering specifics about that time in April of 1996. He was surprised when I asked about calling the warden service out of concern for Mike because he doesn't remember doing that. However, Terry spoke with Matt's brother who said he remembers calling the warden service. So maybe he and Matt were together when he made the report, but only Matt's name made it into the multiple documents. Maybe everyone is misremembering. Not sure. Matt told me a secondhand story that he heard about two people getting stuck in the woods with Mike's truck around the time Mike disappeared. Someone saw the two people, asked if they needed help and they said no. Matt doesn't know who told him the story or who the two people might have been, but they were seen in the woods off Alderbrook Road in Lakeview Plantation. Without being able to trace the origins of that story, it's hard to make anything of it. But let's say Mike's truck was out in the woods after he disappeared. Was his truck later searched or processed for evidence? He signed both of his trucks over to Peggy and David in those letters he supposedly wrote before he disappeared. But what actually happened to the trucks? Because Mike's case was treated as an attempt to locate and well being check at the beginning, that means it wasn't treated as a criminal investigation. And so I'm inclined to believe that no evidence was collected. There was no sign of foul play. The letters made it seem like Mike left on his own accord. And no one has proven that true or false with any degree of certainty since. One more thing about Matt, interestingly, he actually moved to Alaska sometime after Mike disappeared, possibly the very next year, 1997. I asked Matt if he ever saw Mike in Alaska or if Mike ever called him or caught up with him there since that's where he was supposedly heading when he vanished. But Matt never saw Mike in Alaska and hasn't heard from him since 1996. With no sign of life from Mike in almost 30 years, the only possible explanation that makes sense to Terry and John is that Mike is deceased and not living in Alaska or elsewhere. If he took his own life or died in an accident on his way to a camp in the woods, where is his bike he reportedly rode that day? Where are his remains? Would he have been found already if either scenario was true? Would his body have been recovered during the initial aerial and ground search around the camp back in April of 1996? There's a lot that we don't know about the initial investigation or contemporary efforts by local authorities and Maine State Police. I contacted Maine State Police Detective Sergeant Greg Mitchell of Major Crimes Unit north to ask about Mike's case. I received this in response. Quote, thank you for the message. It is the long standing policy of the Maine State Police not to comment on active criminal investigations beyond formal press releases. So we are declining your current interview request. End quote. Mike's case is an active criminal investigation. According to Sergeant Mitchell's response. That said no one has been charged with any crimes as it relates to Mike Mador's disappearance. Police have not publicly identified any suspects. Terry and John are of the opinion that someone or multiple someones caused Mike's death and disposed of or concealed his remains in some yet to be uncovered location. Their priority now is to find him and they'll continue to work independently to make that happen. Based in part on a rumor they've heard about Mike's whereabouts in recent years, they arranged for a search of private property by an out of state cadaver dog and the dog's handler. In mid July of 2025, after receiving consent from the current property owners to conduct the search, the dog was on site. According to information I received from a source close to the family's search effort, the dog showed interest in a specific area of the property. Plans are in the works to return to the location with ground penetrating radar. At minimum, the search effort could eliminate a location and refine the effort to find Mike. But it is Terri's greatest hope that it leads them to her brother once and for all.

[Terry Kraus]

I want his remains. I want to get a plot and I want to have a headstone. I'm not asking anybody else to pay for that. We're going to pay for that. I want to have him buried because when I die, who's going to remember him?

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Mike was not a perfect person. His sister and brother in law never tried to present him as such. However imperfect he may have been, he had a right to his own life.

[John (Terry's husband)]

He was full of life.

[Terry Kraus]

He was full of life. He had a right to try to turn things around. Somebody else's life is not yours to take away.

[John (Terry's husband)]

And yeah, just because he was having issues as an early adult, he still.

[Terry Kraus]

Had a family that loved him and cared about him.

[John (Terry's husband)]

He had family that loved him and cared about him. And he was a fun, loving guy and was full of life and full of potential.

[Terry Kraus]

I would like to think he was going to turn his life around, but he will never know. He never had the chance and they didn't have the right to take it away.

[John (Terry's husband)]

He's still a brother. He's someone's brother. He's someone's uncle.

[Terry Kraus]

He's someone's uncle. He's someone's son. My parents died. My poor little old parents didn't deserve that. They were nice people, they were good people. They didn't deserve that.

[John (Terry's husband)]

Yeah, they died not knowing.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

Until Mike is found, his disappearance lingers like a question mark on the family tree. It is a missing limb that reshapes the entire structure. Where there should be stories, roots, connections, there is only silence and speculation. Mike's name hangs in the branches, not with the certainty of dates and descendants, but with ellipses. His is a life paused mid sentence. And that uncertainty can echo for generations, leaving future family members to wonder not just where he went, but who they might have been if he had stayed.

[Terry Kraus]

We have, you know, kids that never got to know their uncle. Now he would have been the uncle, the pull my finger uncle. I mean, he would have been the fun one and I've talked to my kids about carrying on. I hope it doesn't go that long. It's something we've got to put in our will if it's not resolved because I want a heads up. He has a right to be remembered. He was loved. He was loved and he's remembered and he's missed and he deserves peace and the family deserves peace.

[Narrator (Kylie Lowe)]

If you have information relating to the disappearance of Michael Mador, please contact Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit north at 207-973-3750 or toll free 1-800-432-7381. You can also leave a tip using the form linked in the description of this episode. Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. You can find all source material for this [e-mail] 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 Lowe and this is Dark Down East. Dark down east is a production of Kylie Media and Audio Check. I think Chuck would approve.

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[Terry Kraus]

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