Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
CRIME SCENE — Yellow police tape restricted access to the property on U.S. Route 1 in Amity where Jeffrey Ryan, his 10-year-old son Jesse Ryan and a neighborhood friend, Jason Dehahn, were stabbed to death June 23. A 1989 blue Ford pick-up truck, missing from the residence, was found by a landowner Saturday morning in Weston. Steve McCausland, Maine State Police spokesperson said “the vehicle had been destroyed by fire and the investigation is ongoing.”
Police ‘working around the clock’ to crack case
By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
AMITY — Funeral arrangements continue as Maine State Police carry on their investigation following the triple homicide in Amity early June 23. State police spokesman Steve McCausland characterized the investigation as “ongoing” and said “we have a team of investigators that have been working literally around the clock since last Wednesday investigating this.”
The victims, Jeffrey Ryan, 55, his 10-year-old son Jesse Ryan, and a friend, Jason Dehahn, 30, were found stabbed to death in Ryan’s trailer. The residence is set back from U.S. Route 1 where a team of state police detectives and representatives from the medical examiner’s office worked non-stop to uncover evidence. Yellow police tape roped off the property through the weekend while several police vehicles and troopers restricted public and media access to the scene. The victims’ bodies were transported Thursday to Augusta for autopsy.
A 1989 Ford pick-up truck, missing from the homicide scene, was found in Weston on Saturday around mid-morning by a landowner who called the state police. McCausland said it had been “destroyed by fire” and he would not comment on whether or not the driver was a suspect or could have met someone in Weston to escape in another vehicle. 
Houlton Pioneer Times Photo/Elna Seabrooks
EVIDENCE COLLECTION — Maine State Police investigators processed evidence at the scene of a triple homicide in Amity last week. Police say they are working around the clock and using all their efforts to find out who is responsible for the deaths.
However, McCausland did confirm that within a short time, investigators and a fire marshal combed the scene for evidence and hauled it away on a flatbed truck to the state crime lab in Augusta for thorough analysis.
Concerned father found horror scene
Obviously still grieving over the death of his son, Dehahn’s father said exclusively again on Saturday what he had told the Pioneer Times immediately after the killings: “He just didn’t come home. I went to look for him.”
He also said he “had no idea at all” that anything was wrong and added that he did not want to talk about what he found at the Ryan home. When asked if it were possible to do or print something, the distraught father said: “There’s nothing anybody can say or do.”
Last Thursday, as police examined the property for evidence, Dehahn’s aunt said: “They stayed to themselves. They watched races together. I don’t know why somebody would do something like this to them. They were just good friends — Jason and Jeff.”
According to one source in the general area, there had been no disturbance at a lawn party and bonfire the night before the murders. A neighbor said he thought he had seen one of the victims on a four-wheeler going by his home around 5:30 p.m. and did not notice that anything was amiss.
Attorney Richard Rhoda, who had represented Ryan over the years in civil matters, said he “found him to be a loving and caring father.” A neighbor referred to Dehahn as “a great guy, a wonderful guy.”
Community shocked
The name of the town, Amity which stands for friendship, now seems incongruous in a place where some residents are fearful of a killer on the loose. Some are locking their cars and front doors and relying on a gun or rifle for protection which had been practically unheard of in the past.
Cindy Bowen said she moved to Amity from Connecticut “to get away from this kind of thing. This is getting scary, it really is.” She had noticed a lot of police activity last Wednesday night and knew something was unusual as scores of official vehicles streamed past her home.
Homicides not common
McCausland said Maine averages 24 homicides in a year and the last triple homicide occurred in Old Orchard Beach February 20, 2008.
While not unprecedented, the killings have unnerved some area residents. “It’s shocking. They want answers,” said Courtney Farrar, a friend of the Dehahn family. She not only locks all doors and windows now, she barricades them. “I borrowed a gun from my father. It’s scary at night. Things like that don’t happen around here,” said Farrar who added that she has a hunting license.
Kyle Stewart, also an Amity resident, said he was concerned for his family which includes a 1-year-old son. He said he had not seen any indication of a disturbance before the killings. Acknowledging that he had a firearm, he said “if they come back, that would be a wrong move for them.”
Interest in guns up
At Macs Trading Post in Houlton, owner Michelle Crane said she had sold a handgun and a shotgun on Saturday. “Mostly people are looking and I don’t think they are going to make any rash decisions. They are concerned for their safety and had never had a gun,” said Crane. She added at least 10 people were looking to see what their options were and they looked mostly at handguns.
Anyone with information on the crime should contact the Maine State Police Department at the Houlton barracks: 532-5400.
Children, families remember Jesse Ryan
Using the Alert Now system, families were notified of a gathering at Mill Pond School Sunday afternoon to remember Jesse Ryan,10, who was fatally stabbed last Wednesday.
Mary Harbison, assistant principal, said “the thoughts and prayers of students, staff and teachers of the Mill Pond School are with both the Ryan and Dehahn families.” Jason Dehahn was also stabbed to death in the Ryan home on June 23. His daughter attends Mill Pond school.
Students, according to Harbison, were able to share stories, write messages and draw pictures during the informal meeting.
A funeral for Jesse Ryan is scheduled for today. Memorial gifts can be made in his memory c/o the Dunn Funeral Home in Houlton.
Funeral plans for his father, Jeffrey, and the other victim of the homicide have not been revealed.
