PORTLAND, Maine — Portland police on Monday issued a plea for tips in the unsolved homicide of a 2-year-old girl on the 30th anniversary of the discovery of her death.
Sarina Towle, whose nickname was "Pretty," was found dead by her mother, Loralee Meserve, in their Danforth Street apartment in the West End around 9 a.m. on March 25, 1994, according to a 1996 NEWS CENTER Maine report.
Meserve's boyfriend, Carl Bickham, and Sarina's brothers, ages 4 and 9, were the only other people in the apartment and there was no sign someone broke in, police said at the time, adding Towle was molested and beaten. Sarina was buried in Brooklawn Memorial Park in Portland and her family had moved way by 1996, according to the report.
Police told the Portland Press Herald they believe Sarina died sometime after 11 p.m. the night before her mother found her dead. Meserve and Bickham told police they don’t know how Sarina died, according to the newspaper.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact Portland police at 207-874-8584. Anonymous tips can be made by leaving a voice message at 207-874-8584 or texting "PPDME" and the tip to 847411.
Portland police said Towle's death is one of 13 unsolved homicides dating back to 1985 that they are investigating.