Town file
Carmel, Maine
Carmel, Maine (Penobscot County, Maine) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 653, "Surprising Serial Killer" (4 December 2025). Carmel, Maine, is a small town of 2,828 people in Penobscot County, about twenty minutes from Bangor.
- Town
- Carmel
- County
- Penobscot County
- State
- Maine
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 653
- Approximate location
- 44.800, -69.003
Episode 653 / 4 December 2025 / 185 min / full
Surprising Serial Killer
"'We're going to Carmel, Maine' ... 'This is in Penobscot County'" about 0:04:59
The case: Disappearance of Jerolyn Lee Towers (October 1982); Murder of Jenny Lynn Hicks (July 1977); Murder of Lynn Ann Willet (May 1996); Aggravated robbery of June Moss (April 2000). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2025
- Population
- 2,828
- Median age
- 40.1
- Median household income
- $86,623
- Median home value
- $275,000
- Two-bedroom rent
- $1,330
- Cost of living
- 85
- Religious
- 24.2%
- Property crime
- ▲ just above half
- Violent crime
- ▼ about one third
History, in brief
- Martin Kinsley of Hampton bought the township in 1795 and started selling off lots with the idea of having a town. about 0:06:30
- The first settlers were Abel Ruggles and Reverend Paul Ruggles. about 0:06:49
- The place was named to honour the prophet Elijah's experience on Mount Carmel. about 0:06:57
The reviews read out
5 stars
"The town is small and everyone knows each other; the store on Route 2 going into Hermon needs updating."about 0:07:26
3 stars
"The best part is the rural, quiet plots of land and the close proximity to the bustling outer towns."about 0:07:54
3 stars
"Crime is average for a high population city but is not bad; people and police take care of situations and the community is close."about 0:08:52
3 stars
"Summer is great, winter is awful."about 0:08:53
3 stars
"Not a lot of restaurants nearby."about 0:09:29
2 stars
"I have to travel half an hour to work."about 0:09:36
1 star
"Stay away from Village Market; the town is the worst place the reviewer has lived, the market is the worst place in it, an employee was rude and the owner followed the reviewer home; the state troopers served the reviewer a no trespassing order."about 0:09:47
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Old Town, Maine17 miles
- Hartland, Maine24 miles
- Fayette, Maine58 miles
- Litchfield, Maine63 miles
- Machiasport, Maine81 miles
- Newry, Maine93 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.