One spring evening in 1987, a college student got into a green car in Plymouth, New Hampshire and vanished.

His friends believed he was coming back. His family knew he would have called if he’d left on his own. But he was gone, and the man believed to be with him on the night he disappeared had a long history of run-ins with the law.

What started as a missing persons investigation soon stretched across state lines, into jail breaks, forged identities, strange searches in the Vermont woods, and disturbing yet inconclusive physical evidence.

Police identified one suspect at the time. The missing man’s family believes they know what happened. But nearly four decades later, no one has ever been charged.

If you have information about the disappearance of Patrick Merrill, please report it to the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/patrickmerrill

Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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