Podcast Summary: Dark Downeast

Episode: The Disappearance of Tina Stadig (Maine)

Host: Kylie Lowe
Date: November 13, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Kylie Lowe investigates the 2017 disappearance of Tina Stadig from Skowhegan, Maine. Through in-depth storytelling, interviews with Tina’s family, and critical examination of police efforts, the episode seeks to illuminate the struggles, humanity, and enduring questions surrounding Tina’s case. The narrative not only pieces together Tina's final days but also highlights the broader challenges faced by individuals grappling with substance use, mental health, and unstable housing—and how these factors can complicate missing persons investigations in rural New England.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Tina’s Disappearance: The Timeline and Immediate Aftermath

• Spring 2017: Tina, 40 years old, kept in close contact from jail with her twin, Tammy. She inquired about moving in with her sister after release, but no concrete plans were made.
• May 25, 2017: Last verified contact with law enforcement, per probation records.
• May 28, 2017: Last reported sighting by people Tina stayed with.
• July 4, 2017: Family files a missing persons report after failed attempts to locate Tina.
• [03:45] “She always stayed in touch with her twin…Tina’s family didn’t realize just how long had passed…until a month later.” (Kylie Lowe)
• [05:20] “She’d missed a scheduled check-in with her probation officer…her last contact with law enforcement was May 25, 2017.” (Kylie Lowe)

Tina’s Background & Human Story

• Tina was deeply bonded with family, especially her twin.
• Early life included acts of kindness (e.g., volunteering at a nursing home as a child; [10:13]).
• Teenage years marked the onset of substance use disorder and mental health struggles, including potential diagnoses of schizophrenia, bipolar depression, and PTSD.
• Repeated cycles of incarceration, attempted treatment, and instability.
• [11:38] “She loved her family. You know, I know that.” (Donna, Tina’s mother)

Systemic Challenges & Family Advocacy

• Tina’s life—marked by frequent police encounters—exemplifies how individuals with mental illness and substance use are often routed through the justice system rather than care.
• Law enforcement’s initial assumption that Tina was “in hiding” due to warrants delayed serious investigation, exacerbating family frustration.
• [05:46] “For families like Tina’s, those assumptions sting. A person’s record can sometimes overshadow their reality…” (Kylie Lowe)
• The family stayed active, posting appeals on social media, checking shelters, and urging the public’s help.

Investigative Developments

• Bangor Shelter Lead: Reported sighting of a woman named “Jen” around July 10-12, 2017, remains unconfirmed.
• Community Support & Misdirection: Genuine support mixed with opportunism; a fundraiser for missing persons is clouded by suspicion over misuse of funds ([16:00]-[18:00]).
• Major Search—North Avenue Property:
  • Early December 2017: Maine State Police search rural property (structures, woods) where Tina was known to stay with 'Wade'.
  • [19:27] “Investigators believed Tina knew the man who lived there and had sometimes stayed at the home.”
  • Items collected, but significance not disclosed.
  • Early/mid-2018: Cadaver dogs, excavator used; still, no answers.
  • December 1, 2018: The abandoned house on the property burns down—fire's cause undetermined, not officially linked to Tina’s case.

People of Interest & Final Days

• Adam: Tina’s ex-boyfriend and a regular contact; last person (according to family) to see her.
• Wade: Lived on the searched property; history of volatile relationship with Tina; Tina’s last known destination, per Adam’s account.
• [27:00] Donna: “I called him and I asked him if Tina was there…He told me it was two in the morning and then he told me that she left and went up to this other guy’s house, Wade, and his stories were not right.”
• Court records reveal no violent pattern for Adam (theft, drug charges), minor violent history for Wade decades earlier.

Lingering Theories & Family’s Emotional Journey

• The family oscillates between believing Tina was murdered (possibly by someone she knew), abducted, or fell victim to accidental or medical misfortune that was covered up due to others’ fear.
• [32:45] Donna: “Yep, I think somebody did [end her life].”
• Emotional labor falls on family, as law enforcement’s investigation slows.
• [35:06] Donna: “I couldn’t even think of anything good to say. You know, it was just a lot of the drugging and stuff. But then… she used to go to church with me and… get right up on the altar and sing.”
• [36:00] Tammy: "It was the ice storm… walked around town, falling on the ice and everything. It was fun—yeah, I always remember that night."
• Tanya (another sister) finds peace in believing Tina, if gone, is finally at rest free of turmoil ([36:14] quote).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [09:31] Kylie Lowe: “It was as if Tina could feel the pain her twin had just experienced and was taking the brunt of it for her.”
• [11:38] Donna: “She loved her family. You know, I know that. And the little kids, you know, she really loved them a lot.”
• [12:47] Donna: “She had a very hard life. Very hard life.”
• [26:59] Donna: “I called him and I asked him if Tina was there and he said no, that she had been gone for two… weeks. And I said, well, do you know where she went? And he said, I kicked her out. We were fighting and I kicked her her out. He told me it was two in the morning… and then he told me that she left and went up to this other guy's house. Wade and his stories were not right.”
• [32:45] Donna: “Yep, I think somebody did [end her life].”
• [33:03] Donna: “That goes through my mind. Was she walking up the street? He says it was 2 in the morning… did somebody come along and grab her?”
• [35:37] Kylie Lowe: “That resurfaced memory was a piece of her daughter she hadn’t been able to share before.”
• [36:14] Tanya (via newspaper): “That she is not hurting, suffering, or in jail or drugged out of her mind. And that’s what I have always wanted for her… yes, she is in heaven. She would be in heaven. God doesn’t punish those who have no mind of their own. And that’s what my sister was like.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• [02:28] Start of deep dive into Tina’s disappearance and background
• [09:14]–[09:31] Family’s memories and childhood story
• [11:38] Donna recalling Tina’s love for family
• [12:52]–[13:55] Tina’s criminal justice and mental health challenges
• [19:27] Police search of the North Avenue property
• [26:05] Family’s own investigation, focus on Adam and Wade
• [32:40]–[33:15] Donna discussing her belief about Tina’s presumed death
• [35:06]–[36:14] Family shares favorite, happier memories of Tina; thoughts on her peace and legacy
• [End] Call-outs: contact info for police tips, mental health/substance use resources

Thematic Significance & Tone

Kylie’s reporting is empathetic, direct, and respectful—prioritizing Tina’s humanity while not shying away from the hard truths and unanswerable questions. The tone is compassionate, earnest, and investigative, with a strong ethical grounding—classic to the "heart-centered" approach of Dark Downeast.

Call to Action

• If you have information about Tina Stadig:
  Contact Skowhegan Police Department at 207-474-6908
• For support with substance use or mental health:
  • National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): 1-800-950-NAMI or nami.org
  • Shatterproof.org for addiction help

Conclusion

This episode offers a moving, meticulously-researched window into the life and disappearance of Tina Stadig. Through layered storytelling, the audience is urged to remember that behind every missing person is a whole human — loved, flawed, enduring — and that even years later, hope for answers, justice, and remembrance endures.