Carolyn Moore Undetermined 2004 Carolyn Moore (28) had a history of substance abuse when she went missing on August 23, 2004 from Taunton. Her jacket was found in bushes beside a Winthrop Street restaurant days after she went missing. Moore had been living on the streets when she went missing and her family was trying to get her committed to a drug rehabilitation center.
At the time, police and search dogs combed parts of the city, including spots downtown where the mother of two had been known to hang out. Sections of the Taunton River was also searched by divers. Her photo was also posted on national missing persons web site, including the National Center for Missing Adults.
On October 29 2008 skeletal remains were discovered 500 feet from railroad tracks off Plain Street in Berkley. In 2009 the remains were positively identified through DNA as Moore. Investigators were initially able to track a surgical plate from the remains to Morton Hospital and Medical Center, then to surgery done on Moore a number of years ago. Investigators are now trying determine how and why she was in Berkley. The cause of death was undetermined.
At the time, police and search dogs combed parts of the city, including spots downtown where the mother of two had been known to hang out. Sections of the Taunton River was also searched by divers. Her photo was also posted on national missing persons web site, including the National Center for Missing Adults.
On October 29 2008 skeletal remains were discovered 500 feet from railroad tracks off Plain Street in Berkley. In 2009 the remains were positively identified through DNA as Moore. Investigators were initially able to track a surgical plate from the remains to Morton Hospital and Medical Center, then to surgery done on Moore a number of years ago. Investigators are now trying determine how and why she was in Berkley. The cause of death was undetermined.
Howard Ferrini Unsolved Murder 1991 Howard Ferrini (53) was last seen alive on August 14 1991. Ferrini, a professional gambler, spent considerable time at the Raynham Dog Track. On August 14 1991 around 4PM Ferrini told his friends he was leaving for a few hours, but would return to participate in a sweepstakes that was planned for later that evening.
After leaving the dog track, Ferrini drove his 1988 blue Cadillac to his home in Berkley. At 5:15 PM Ferrini, had a phone call with one of his friends while preparing his diner. He also told this friend about the upcoming sweepstakes and how he expected to win. Ferrini never returned to the track that evening, attempts by his friends to reach him were unsuccessful. Several days passed when a friend visited the house looking for Ferrini, but there were no signs of him or his blue Cadillac.
On August 21 1991 a Massport employee was conducting an inventory of cars in the central parking lot at Logan Airport in Boston smelled a strong odor coming from a blue Cadillac parked on the fourth level of the airport garage. Boston Police arrived on scene, and determined the Cadillac was registered to Ferrini.
Police forced the trunk open, and discovered Ferrini's badly decomposed body. Police determined Ferrini had injuries to his head, and a plastic bag had been placed over his head and tied tightly with a knot. An autopsy report revealed that the level of decomposition was consistent with his having died on August 14 1991. Ferrini was also dressed in the same clothing he was last seen wearing on August 14 1991. Ferrini had suffered two blows to his head which had fractured his skull and that were consistent with his having been struck by a hammer. The medical examiner concluded that although the blunt force injuries from the hammer would have disabled Ferrini, the cause of his death was asphyxiation from the bag being tied around his head. His death was ruled a homicide.
Based on the scene inside the trunk, robbery was ruled out as a motive. Ferrini was still wearing two gold chains around his neck, a gold bracelet and a gold ring on his pinky finger. Inside the rear pocket of his pants, police found his wallet and $6,000 in one hundred dollar bills.
Investigators went to his Berkley home and discovered all of the doors and windows locked. After gaining entrance, they noted the telephone had been unplugged. An inventory of the property revealed that a hammer was missing from Ferrini’s tools. Blood evidence was located in the house, leading investigators to determine Ferrini was assaulted in his home before being placed in the trunk of his Cadillac and driven to Logan Airport.
Update: March 8 2021
A forensic fingerprint analysis by the FBI on the bag used to suffocate Ferrini matched the prints to Kevin Hanrahan. Investigators believe Hanrahan and another person beat, stomped and choked Ferrini to death inside his brand new Berkley home and then put him in the trunk of his own car and drove it to Logan Airport.
Ferrini’s organized crime ties led to his death, Ferrini was aligned against Frank Salemme’s regime, siding with Vinnie Ferrara, who was in prison at the time of Ferrini’s murder. Ferrini was close to Frank Salemme’s Fall River crew boss Timothy Mello. Ferrini was also associated with Gordon O'Brien, who was an mob hit man for Gennaro "Jerry" Angiulo, an underboss for Raymond Patriarca.
Kevin Hanrahan (1953-1992)
Kevin Hanrahan, was associated to Timothy Mello, Gordon O'Brien, Frank Salemme and Anthony Germani (aka William Anthony). The were arrested on August 14 1990 for the attempted kidnapping of Blaise Marfeo in Providence.
Hanrahan and Mello were frequently were seen together on Federal Hill and reportedly made a name for themselves ripping off fellow drug dealers and criminals. Hanrahan was shot in the head and killed under the Hill’s landmark arch on September 18,1992.
On March 31 1994 Ronnie Coppola was shot and killed in Cranston R.I.. Cappola had dined with Kevin Hanrahan on September 18, 1992 the night he was murdered. FBI believes Coppola was the "set-up man".
In 2010, two FBI informants alleged Frank Salemme ordered the hit on Hanrahan. According to court filings, the informants said he was supposedly trying to shakedown a bookmaker already paying protection money to Anthony St. Laurent. The bookie he approached to extort immediately contacted St. Laurent who sent him to Gordon O’Brien in the St. Laurent stronghold of Taunton who in turn called Salemme on the phone in Boston to inform him of Hanrahan’s unsanctioned strong-arm tactics. Hanrahan told the people he was with the night he died that he was coming into a “big score” later that evening. St Laurent allegedly accepted a large payment from the bookie in question in the 48 hours leading up to Hanrahan’s murder.
In 2017 Robert DeLuca admitted to, and pleaded no contest to conspiring to murder Kevin Hanrahan in September 1992. DaLuca claimed Rocco Argenti (died in 2002) participated as well. On October 14 2020 Robert DeLuca was convicted and sentenced for his role in the murder of Kevin Hanrahan in 1992. DeLuca was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to murder conspiracy.
Gordon O'Brien (1945-2008)
O'Brien was associated with the Patriarca crime family as well. O'Brien had extensive contacts with the Patriarca Crime Family in Federal Hill.
In April 1991, Taunton Police raided a Fall River apartment owned by Howard Ferrini whom authorities believed had been hiding O'Brien. However, while Ferrini was taken into custody, police failed to find evidence O'Brien had been living there. In late 1991 O'Brien was arrested in connection to the murder of Ferrini, but due to lack of evidence the charges were dropped.
O'Brien went to serve a 6 1/2 year sentence in Massachusetts State Prison for ferrying heroin to Martha’s Vineyard. He was paroled in 2008 after serving seven (7) years in prison possession and trafficking of cocaine and heroin, and died several months later
Anthony St. Laurent (1941-2016)
Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent was a member of the Patriarca crime family for decades. St. Laurent’s criminal record dates back as far as 1959. By the mid-1980s his criminal activity stretched from Providence to Atlantic City to Las Vegas.
In April 2006 he was indicted as a result of his longtime extortion of bookies operating in Taunton and two businessmen of $100,000 each. In 2007, St. Laurent pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges and sentenced to five (5) years in prison. In 2010 Dorothy St Laurent, his wife and their son Anthony St. Laurent Jr, who both pleaded guilty to shaking down several bookmakers in the Taunton area for more than twenty years on behalf of “The Saint.” The extortion ring is believed to have netted between $800,000 and $1.5 million over 20 years.
St Laurent spent his days it the federal prison talking about ways to take out his rival, Robert DeLuca, another member of the Patriarca mob. On multiple occasions, St. Laurent approached two separate FBI informants requesting that they kill DeLuca on his behalf, shooting him in the head and telling him “this is from the Saint” before they pulled the trigger. St. Laurent was feuding with DeLuca over the fact that he believed DeLuca was spreading rumors that St. Laurent was a rat and St. Laurent’s further belief that DeLuca had tried muscling in on his rackets while he was incarcerated. St. Laurent was sentenced to seven (7) years in prison for the murder plot.
Ironically, DeLuca had already entered the Witness Protection Program five years prior. He was arrested in connection to a murder conspiracy involving the 1993 murder of Steven DiSarro.
After leaving the dog track, Ferrini drove his 1988 blue Cadillac to his home in Berkley. At 5:15 PM Ferrini, had a phone call with one of his friends while preparing his diner. He also told this friend about the upcoming sweepstakes and how he expected to win. Ferrini never returned to the track that evening, attempts by his friends to reach him were unsuccessful. Several days passed when a friend visited the house looking for Ferrini, but there were no signs of him or his blue Cadillac.
On August 21 1991 a Massport employee was conducting an inventory of cars in the central parking lot at Logan Airport in Boston smelled a strong odor coming from a blue Cadillac parked on the fourth level of the airport garage. Boston Police arrived on scene, and determined the Cadillac was registered to Ferrini.
Police forced the trunk open, and discovered Ferrini's badly decomposed body. Police determined Ferrini had injuries to his head, and a plastic bag had been placed over his head and tied tightly with a knot. An autopsy report revealed that the level of decomposition was consistent with his having died on August 14 1991. Ferrini was also dressed in the same clothing he was last seen wearing on August 14 1991. Ferrini had suffered two blows to his head which had fractured his skull and that were consistent with his having been struck by a hammer. The medical examiner concluded that although the blunt force injuries from the hammer would have disabled Ferrini, the cause of his death was asphyxiation from the bag being tied around his head. His death was ruled a homicide.
Based on the scene inside the trunk, robbery was ruled out as a motive. Ferrini was still wearing two gold chains around his neck, a gold bracelet and a gold ring on his pinky finger. Inside the rear pocket of his pants, police found his wallet and $6,000 in one hundred dollar bills.
Investigators went to his Berkley home and discovered all of the doors and windows locked. After gaining entrance, they noted the telephone had been unplugged. An inventory of the property revealed that a hammer was missing from Ferrini’s tools. Blood evidence was located in the house, leading investigators to determine Ferrini was assaulted in his home before being placed in the trunk of his Cadillac and driven to Logan Airport.
Update: March 8 2021
A forensic fingerprint analysis by the FBI on the bag used to suffocate Ferrini matched the prints to Kevin Hanrahan. Investigators believe Hanrahan and another person beat, stomped and choked Ferrini to death inside his brand new Berkley home and then put him in the trunk of his own car and drove it to Logan Airport.
Ferrini’s organized crime ties led to his death, Ferrini was aligned against Frank Salemme’s regime, siding with Vinnie Ferrara, who was in prison at the time of Ferrini’s murder. Ferrini was close to Frank Salemme’s Fall River crew boss Timothy Mello. Ferrini was also associated with Gordon O'Brien, who was an mob hit man for Gennaro "Jerry" Angiulo, an underboss for Raymond Patriarca.
Kevin Hanrahan (1953-1992)
Kevin Hanrahan, was associated to Timothy Mello, Gordon O'Brien, Frank Salemme and Anthony Germani (aka William Anthony). The were arrested on August 14 1990 for the attempted kidnapping of Blaise Marfeo in Providence.
Hanrahan and Mello were frequently were seen together on Federal Hill and reportedly made a name for themselves ripping off fellow drug dealers and criminals. Hanrahan was shot in the head and killed under the Hill’s landmark arch on September 18,1992.
On March 31 1994 Ronnie Coppola was shot and killed in Cranston R.I.. Cappola had dined with Kevin Hanrahan on September 18, 1992 the night he was murdered. FBI believes Coppola was the "set-up man".
In 2010, two FBI informants alleged Frank Salemme ordered the hit on Hanrahan. According to court filings, the informants said he was supposedly trying to shakedown a bookmaker already paying protection money to Anthony St. Laurent. The bookie he approached to extort immediately contacted St. Laurent who sent him to Gordon O’Brien in the St. Laurent stronghold of Taunton who in turn called Salemme on the phone in Boston to inform him of Hanrahan’s unsanctioned strong-arm tactics. Hanrahan told the people he was with the night he died that he was coming into a “big score” later that evening. St Laurent allegedly accepted a large payment from the bookie in question in the 48 hours leading up to Hanrahan’s murder.
In 2017 Robert DeLuca admitted to, and pleaded no contest to conspiring to murder Kevin Hanrahan in September 1992. DaLuca claimed Rocco Argenti (died in 2002) participated as well. On October 14 2020 Robert DeLuca was convicted and sentenced for his role in the murder of Kevin Hanrahan in 1992. DeLuca was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to murder conspiracy.
Gordon O'Brien (1945-2008)
O'Brien was associated with the Patriarca crime family as well. O'Brien had extensive contacts with the Patriarca Crime Family in Federal Hill.
In April 1991, Taunton Police raided a Fall River apartment owned by Howard Ferrini whom authorities believed had been hiding O'Brien. However, while Ferrini was taken into custody, police failed to find evidence O'Brien had been living there. In late 1991 O'Brien was arrested in connection to the murder of Ferrini, but due to lack of evidence the charges were dropped.
O'Brien went to serve a 6 1/2 year sentence in Massachusetts State Prison for ferrying heroin to Martha’s Vineyard. He was paroled in 2008 after serving seven (7) years in prison possession and trafficking of cocaine and heroin, and died several months later
Anthony St. Laurent (1941-2016)
Anthony “The Saint” St. Laurent was a member of the Patriarca crime family for decades. St. Laurent’s criminal record dates back as far as 1959. By the mid-1980s his criminal activity stretched from Providence to Atlantic City to Las Vegas.
In April 2006 he was indicted as a result of his longtime extortion of bookies operating in Taunton and two businessmen of $100,000 each. In 2007, St. Laurent pleaded guilty to federal extortion charges and sentenced to five (5) years in prison. In 2010 Dorothy St Laurent, his wife and their son Anthony St. Laurent Jr, who both pleaded guilty to shaking down several bookmakers in the Taunton area for more than twenty years on behalf of “The Saint.” The extortion ring is believed to have netted between $800,000 and $1.5 million over 20 years.
St Laurent spent his days it the federal prison talking about ways to take out his rival, Robert DeLuca, another member of the Patriarca mob. On multiple occasions, St. Laurent approached two separate FBI informants requesting that they kill DeLuca on his behalf, shooting him in the head and telling him “this is from the Saint” before they pulled the trigger. St. Laurent was feuding with DeLuca over the fact that he believed DeLuca was spreading rumors that St. Laurent was a rat and St. Laurent’s further belief that DeLuca had tried muscling in on his rackets while he was incarcerated. St. Laurent was sentenced to seven (7) years in prison for the murder plot.
Ironically, DeLuca had already entered the Witness Protection Program five years prior. He was arrested in connection to a murder conspiracy involving the 1993 murder of Steven DiSarro.
Cheryle LeCornec Unsolved Murder 1980
On May 27, 1980, Cheryle LeCornec (24), mother of two (2) children was last seen leaving her home at 15 South Main Street.
Cheryle was at a family member's home in the morning, located near the end of Bayview Ave. While there she received a call from her father, Walter LeCornec, asking her to return home because he needed her help with packing items in preparation of moving to a new apartment. The family was moving from their 15 S. Main St. home in Berkley to an apartment on Ingell Street in Taunton.
Later that same day, Cheryle is dropped off at the Berkley home by a male friend from Fall River. Approximately 20 minutes later she is picked up again in a blue car. She was supposed to be returning to her family members home at the end of Bayview Ave. It was only a ten (10) minute drive. She was never seen again.
On June 1 1980, Walter (1908-1984) & Winifred LeCornec (1920-2022), reported Cheryle missing to the Berkley Police Department.
On September 16, 1980, hunters discovered skeletal remains in a culvert in a wooded area a ¼ mile off of Bayview Ave near the intersection of Friend Street. It appeared her skull was crushed. An autopsy was performed, and the cause of death was determined to be from severe head and facial injuries resulting being struck with a blunt object. Her death was ruled a homicide. On September 22, 1980 the medical examiner officially identified the remains as those of Cheryle LeCornec using dental records.
In the years since Cheryle's murder, three (3) different teams of investigators tried to find her killer or killers. The names of potential suspects — and what may have happened — have been widely circulated through word of mouth in town and beyond but no one has come forward with information that could lead to an arrest. Eight (8) individuals took polygraph tests in connection the the investigation. All eight (8) have been ruled out as suspects. Cheryle was cremated, and this case was prior to DNA testing. Cheryle was buried in the Berkley Common Cemetery along with her parents.
Mysteries Phone Call June 1980
In early June 1980, a collect call from Mattapoisett was supposedly placed by Cherlye LeCornec to the home of Emma D. Allen, a neighbor of the LeCornec Family. Although she did not accept the charges, Emma relayed the message to Wynne LeCornec, assuming that Cheryle needed a ride home from somewhere. As mentioned previously, The LeCornec family was in the process of moving, and their phone had been disconnected.
During the original 1980 investigation, investigators believed the call was purposely placed after Cheryle's murder to make it seem as if she had left town. Whomever placed the call would have known that the LeCornec's phone was disconnected. They would have known that Emma was a neighbor who Cheryle would sometimes place collect calls to. The phone call from Mattapoisett was never confirmed.
Family Statement 2023
There has been much confusion over the years regarding the vehicle Cheryle was last seen getting into. The original statement of Cheryle getting into a blue car was provided by a neighbor. Another neighbor saw her being dropped off in a white car. Her father was also quoted saying he last saw her being picked up in a truck. It is important to recognize that details printed in the newspapers from 1998 referenced original newspapers from 1980. Those newspapers contained a lot of inaccurate information because it didn't come from the LeCornec family.
The articles about the case span over 40 years and have many inconsistencies. Over the years, rumors have circulated throughout Berkley, like they do in any rural town. The purpose of sharing these articles isn't to create a specific narrative, but instead to shed light on what exactly was being investigated over four decades. It's important to be aware that several statements and claims made in these articles were never verified. Cheryle's story has been lost throughout time.
On May 27, 1980, Cheryle LeCornec (24), mother of two (2) children was last seen leaving her home at 15 South Main Street.
Cheryle was at a family member's home in the morning, located near the end of Bayview Ave. While there she received a call from her father, Walter LeCornec, asking her to return home because he needed her help with packing items in preparation of moving to a new apartment. The family was moving from their 15 S. Main St. home in Berkley to an apartment on Ingell Street in Taunton.
Later that same day, Cheryle is dropped off at the Berkley home by a male friend from Fall River. Approximately 20 minutes later she is picked up again in a blue car. She was supposed to be returning to her family members home at the end of Bayview Ave. It was only a ten (10) minute drive. She was never seen again.
On June 1 1980, Walter (1908-1984) & Winifred LeCornec (1920-2022), reported Cheryle missing to the Berkley Police Department.
On September 16, 1980, hunters discovered skeletal remains in a culvert in a wooded area a ¼ mile off of Bayview Ave near the intersection of Friend Street. It appeared her skull was crushed. An autopsy was performed, and the cause of death was determined to be from severe head and facial injuries resulting being struck with a blunt object. Her death was ruled a homicide. On September 22, 1980 the medical examiner officially identified the remains as those of Cheryle LeCornec using dental records.
In the years since Cheryle's murder, three (3) different teams of investigators tried to find her killer or killers. The names of potential suspects — and what may have happened — have been widely circulated through word of mouth in town and beyond but no one has come forward with information that could lead to an arrest. Eight (8) individuals took polygraph tests in connection the the investigation. All eight (8) have been ruled out as suspects. Cheryle was cremated, and this case was prior to DNA testing. Cheryle was buried in the Berkley Common Cemetery along with her parents.
Mysteries Phone Call June 1980
In early June 1980, a collect call from Mattapoisett was supposedly placed by Cherlye LeCornec to the home of Emma D. Allen, a neighbor of the LeCornec Family. Although she did not accept the charges, Emma relayed the message to Wynne LeCornec, assuming that Cheryle needed a ride home from somewhere. As mentioned previously, The LeCornec family was in the process of moving, and their phone had been disconnected.
During the original 1980 investigation, investigators believed the call was purposely placed after Cheryle's murder to make it seem as if she had left town. Whomever placed the call would have known that the LeCornec's phone was disconnected. They would have known that Emma was a neighbor who Cheryle would sometimes place collect calls to. The phone call from Mattapoisett was never confirmed.
Family Statement 2023
There has been much confusion over the years regarding the vehicle Cheryle was last seen getting into. The original statement of Cheryle getting into a blue car was provided by a neighbor. Another neighbor saw her being dropped off in a white car. Her father was also quoted saying he last saw her being picked up in a truck. It is important to recognize that details printed in the newspapers from 1998 referenced original newspapers from 1980. Those newspapers contained a lot of inaccurate information because it didn't come from the LeCornec family.
The articles about the case span over 40 years and have many inconsistencies. Over the years, rumors have circulated throughout Berkley, like they do in any rural town. The purpose of sharing these articles isn't to create a specific narrative, but instead to shed light on what exactly was being investigated over four decades. It's important to be aware that several statements and claims made in these articles were never verified. Cheryle's story has been lost throughout time.