To reach a suicide prevention hotline, call 888-568-1112 or 800-273-TALK (8255), or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.
A man who police suspected of killing his mother and sister at a dog kennel in Farmington in 2023 died by suicide before he could be charged, according to Maine State Police.
Jean Robinson, 76, and 53-year-old Allison Cumming, both of Farmington, were found dead at Pawsitive Dog Kennel on Red Schoolhouse Road at about 10:45 a.m. on Dec. 27, 2023.
After autopsies, police ruled their deaths homicides.
Their cause of death was not immediately released, but on Wednesday, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said the women died of “sharp force trauma,” which typically refers to stabbing.
Also revealed on Wednesday was that on December 31, 2023, William Cumming Sr., had called 911 to report his son, William Neville Cumming Jr., 56, was dead at his home in Bar Harbor.
Cumming Jr. was the son of Jean Robinson and brother of Joy Cumming.
After an autopsy, Cumming Jr.’s death was ruled a suicide, Moss said.
At the time of his death, Moss said an investigation suggested that Cumming Jr. was responsible for both homicides.
The investigation, including forensic testing conducted by the Maine State Crime Laboratory, has since been completed, Moss said, finding “probable cause to arrest and charge William Cumming Jr. with the intentional or knowing murders of his mother and sister, had he not taken his own life.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated the year of the homicides. It was 2023.
