FARMINGTON — Maine State Police continue to investigate a double homicide that occurred in December 2023 at Pawsitive Dog Kennel at 274 Red Schoolhouse Road.
A visitor found the bodies of mother, Jean Robinson, 76, and daughter, Allison “Joy” Cumming, 53, deceased at the kennel at about 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2023. The pair lived in a separate building on the property. Joy Cumming ran the business.
The cause of death has not been released.
“There is not an update at this time,” Shannon Moss, public information officer for the Maine Department of Public Safety, wrote in an email Monday. She will send out a release when there is more information is available, she said.
People posting on Facebook in different groups have voiced concerns about how little information has been released on the case.
The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined the manner of death is homicide for both the mother and daughter. Police have said there is no danger to the public in this case.
“Every death and/or homicide investigation is complex and presents its own unique set of challenges,” Moss wrote. “Sometimes these investigations can take days, weeks, months or sometimes years. Frankly the public’s desire to know the facts surrounding what happened does not dictate when information is released. The investigation dictates that. Detectives, Evidence Response Technicians and Prosecutors have one shot at a case and that’s why they are diligent and methodical in their work. The goal is justice for the victims.
“Last year, we had a record number of homicides with a remarkable 98% clearance rate. These Detectives are buried, they have worked around the clock, on holidays, away from their families, and frankly they deserve grace and praise for their efforts,” Moss wrote.
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