The Murdered
Susan Hannah
Limington, Maine
🌹💔 MISSING, THEN FOUND IN THE WOODS: THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF SUSAN HANNAH 💔🌹
She was a free spirit who loved horses, animals, gardening, and the simple beauty of walking along the beach. She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, and a young woman trying to rebuild her life.
But on Easter weekend in 1992, 22-year-old Susan Hannah went for a walk along the Maine coast and never came home.
For more than a year, her family searched for answers. Then, in November 1993, a hunter made a grim discovery in a remote stretch of woods in Limington, Maine. Susan had finally been found, but the question of who killed her remained unanswered.
More than three decades later, her homicide remains unsolved. 🕯️
🌊 THE LAST TIME HER MOTHER SAW HER
On Saturday, April 18, 1992, Susan spent time with her mother, Caroline. They visited Susan’s grandmother at a nursing home, stopped at a grocery store, and returned to the family home in Scarborough.
That afternoon, Caroline began preparing dinner when Susan announced she was going for a walk to the beach. It was around 3 p.m.
She told her mother she would be back in time for dinner.
It was the last time Caroline saw her daughter alive.
Susan was 22 years old and had plans for her future. She was thinking about taking college classes, had recently earned her GED, and was dreaming of creating a beautiful flower and vegetable garden. She had ordered seeds and seedlings and sketched out plans for the garden she hoped to grow.
She was trying to establish a new chapter in her life.
But Susan never returned home. 💔
🍻 HER FINAL KNOWN HOURS
Investigators and loved ones later worked to piece together Susan’s movements that Saturday night, but conflicting accounts and gaps in the timeline have left important questions unanswered.
Susan was reportedly seen at The Whaler, a bar in Old Orchard Beach, during the evening. Acquaintances reportedly saw her there around 10 p.m., and employees last saw her at approximately 1:20 a.m. on April 19.
She was believed to have begun walking home, a journey of roughly three and a half miles.
Her uncle, who was staying at a nearby motel, later told police and reporters that he had seen Susan outside his room talking to a man he did not recognize. He described the man as being of medium build and thin.
What happened after that encounter?
Did Susan make it any farther along her journey home? Did someone offer her a ride? Did she encounter someone else along the way?
These questions have lingered for decades.
🔎 A DISAPPEARANCE THAT RAISED ALARM
Easter Sunday came, but Susan did not return home. She missed planned family commitments, including a visit to her grandmother, and failed to show up for responsibilities she had agreed to handle.
Her mother knew something was wrong.
Susan had run away as a teenager, but Caroline believed this disappearance was different. She had left behind her belongings and had very little money with her. She also had plans she was looking forward to pursuing.
On April 20, 1992, Caroline reported her daughter missing.
Investigators began looking into her disappearance, and attention eventually turned toward Susan’s estranged husband, Jon Hannah.
Susan had separated from Jon earlier that year after a troubled relationship. She had sought a protection-from-abuse order, describing incidents that left her fearful for her safety. A judge granted the order in March 1992.
The couple’s relationship had deteriorated amid arguments, allegations of controlling behavior, and conflict over their belongings and dog.
Jon was interviewed by investigators and publicly denied involvement in Susan’s disappearance. He was never convicted in connection with her death.
Although investigators examined his account of his activities that night and continued questioning him, no one has been held accountable for Susan’s killing.
It is important to remember that suspicion and investigative interest are not proof of guilt.
🕯️ A SEARCH BENEATH THE WATER
In October 1993, authorities conducted an extensive search of the waters near Camp Ellis, south of Old Orchard Beach. Divers and other personnel searched the ocean floor while investigators pursued potential leads in Susan’s case.
The operation drew attention, but it did not produce publicly confirmed answers about what had happened to her.
Then, the following month, came a discovery that would finally end one part of the mystery.
🌲 FOUND IN THE WOODS OF LIMINGTON
On November 13, 1993, a hunter named Jeff Libby was walking through the woods near Libby Mountain in Limington, Maine, when he noticed what appeared to be a black boot beneath the fallen leaves.
Looking closer, he discovered a skeletal foot still inside it.
The following day, he contacted Maine State Police, who responded to the remote location near a logging road off Route 117.
Investigators recovered skeletal remains along with clothing and personal items, including women’s jewelry.
Dental records ultimately identified the remains as Susan Hannah. Her mother also recognized jewelry belonging to her daughter.
After approximately 19 months of uncertainty, Caroline finally knew what had happened to Susan in one heartbreaking respect: her daughter was dead.
But the discovery brought no clear explanation of how she died or who was responsible.
The remote location was far from where Susan had last been seen. Investigators were unable to determine conclusively whether she had been killed in the woods or elsewhere and then left there.
Someone may have known how she ended up in that isolated location. Yet the circumstances surrounding her death remained unresolved.
🌹 A FUNERAL FILLED WITH LOVE AND HEARTBREAK
On November 21, 1993, approximately 200 mourners gathered at Blue Point Congregational Church in Scarborough to remember Susan.
Her family displayed photographs, keepsakes, and reminders of the girl who loved horses and animals. Among the items was the red ribbon she had won at a horse show as a child.
Her friend Peter Bump remembered her laughter and bubbly smile. The minister who had known Susan since childhood recalled her humor, her love for her family, and the way she would happily stop by his office just to say hello.
He remembered a piece of paper on which Susan had practiced typing the Lord’s Prayer, followed by a playful message thanking God for small miracles.
He described Susan as a small miracle herself.
Her ashes were placed in an urn shaped like an angel and buried at Scarborough Cemetery. Her mother planned to one day be buried beside her.
Even after Susan was found, the family was left with the question that mattered most: who had taken her life?
💔 REMEMBERING THE PERSON BEHIND THE CASE
Susan was not simply a name on a missing-person report or an entry on Maine’s unsolved homicide list.
She loved horses as a child and treasured the red ribbon she won at a riding competition. She enjoyed crafting, knitting, crocheting, and spending time outdoors. She loved flowers, birds, and animals, and she dreamed of planting a garden of her own.
Those who knew her remembered her smile, her energy, and the way she seemed to move through life with an unmistakable spirit.
Her friend Keira Hume expressed the hope that the truth would eventually emerge and that the person responsible would face justice.
Caroline, meanwhile, endured years of grief and uncertainty. She had once shared peaceful walks along the beach with her daughter. Those memories remained, even as the questions surrounding Susan’s final hours persisted.
For a mother who lost her child, knowing where Susan was found could never replace knowing why she died or who was responsible.
🔎 MORE THAN 30 YEARS LATER, THE QUESTIONS REMAIN
Susan Hannah’s homicide remains an unsolved case investigated by Maine State Police.
Someone may remember seeing Susan during the early morning hours of April 19, 1992. Someone may have information about the man her uncle reportedly saw speaking with her outside the motel. Someone may know something about how Susan ended up in the woods near Libby Mountain.
Even information that seems small or insignificant could help investigators reassess the timeline or uncover a new lead.
📢 HAVE INFORMATION?
If you have information about the disappearance or death of Susan Hannah, please contact:
📞 Maine State Police, Major Crimes Unit – South 207-624-7076, extension 9
🕊️ Susan was 22 years old when she disappeared. She had dreams, plans, and a family who loved her deeply.
Her mother spent years waiting for answers. Her loved ones still remember her laughter and her smile.
Susan deserves to be remembered as the person she was, and her family deserves the truth.
🌹 Someone may know something that could finally help solve her case.
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