Where's Sandra?

4 Years gone...What happened to Sandra Crispo?

(Left to Right, Steve Crispo, Sandra’s son, Sandra Crispo, Laina and Tim McMahon)

In the dog days of August 2019, my wife, who is a healthcare worker, came home from her night shift with a story to tell. My wife, well aware of my true crime obsession and at the time, my first book was about a year out from being published. Still, when something happened she usually brought it to my attention. My wife and I watched true crime documentaries all the time, and obsessed over many nationally publicized cases. This one hit close to home, however. A woman whom my wife worked, and became friendly with, mother had gone missing from her modest home in a quiet suburb south of Boston. I kept tabs on the case through the covid pandemic, searches were organized and my wife’s co- workers showed up in droves to rally around Laina McMahon, my wife’s co-worker. Laina’s 54-year old mother Sandra Crispo had disappeared. Sandra was last seen on August 7, 2019 when she was dropped off at home by her son in law : Tim McMahon, Laina’s husband, and father to a adorable brood of Sandra’s grandchildren.

(Sandra exiting Tim’s vehicle at Cumberland Farms just before she disappeared)

To understand Sandra’s disappearance, you have to understand Sandra’s family: The Dombrowski’s. Sandra is flanked by brother, Michael Dabrowski, sisters Wanda and Linda. Sandra’s father, Stephen Dabrowski was a bricklayer and a very generous man by all accounts, who loved his family fiercely. Steve was a resident of the Houghs Neck section of Quincy for over 5 decades and worked a union gig with the Bricklayers #3 for 6 decades. Steve was a hard working man who kept an eye on the future. Stephen Dabrowski invested heavily in the most precious of all valuables: Gold. Lots of it. Stephen had amassed a massive collection of gold bars and coins. Some valuations of the Stephen’s gold haul have been estimated at nearly 1 million dollars. Think about that, think about 1 million dollars in gold bars and coins just laying around the house. When Mr. Dabrowski passed away just after the new year in 2018, rumors started to circulate amongst the family about what Mr. Dabrowski had to leave after his passing. Sandra Crispo’s family knew that the patriarch of the family had a significant amount of gold and that it would be left to the siblings: Wanda, Michael, Linda, and of course Sandra.

(Sandra’s quaint home in Hanson, Mass, South of Boston)

That death of Stephen lit the fuse on the powder keg that was the siblings relationship. Immediately family members began the infighting over who got what and how it would be doled out. Sandra, being the level headed, non drug addicted sibling was handed over the lions share of the inheritance. Sandra had a tough go at some points in her life, at one point her and her daughter Laina were estranged. Sandra had battled drug addiction in the past, but at the time of her disappearance she was sober and living quietly in Hanson. Sandra had sold her home in Quincy just months before she vanished, a point that has been misrepresented in the media and by websleuths obsessed with the case. Sandra Crispo sold her house for one reason: To get closer to her grandkids, and her daughter Laina. Sandra’s main function in life was to be with her grandchildren during the day while Laina was on shift at the hospital and her husband worked a blue collar job. It was a move born out of convenience, not some money making scam cooked up by the diabolical Laina McMahon as some have bantered about online. The fact Sandra sold her house and moved before she disappeared is simply coincidence. I believe the real reason Sandra went missing is a lot more sinister. Sandra disappeared because of money and greed, nothing more.

(Sandra, on surveillance cam at Cumberland Farms before she disappeared)

On Wednesday August 7, 2019, Laina drove the short distance to her mothers new home in Hanson to drop her 3 kids off before work. It was a beautiful summer morning, and nothing was out of the ordinary. That afternoon, Sandra made a decision: It was time to take her vehicle to the mechanic. Sandra had a tricky exhaust with a leak in one of the pipes. When Sandra drove by it sounded like the start up of the Daytona 500. Police and neighbors took notice of the small vehicle with the loud exhaust. It was time for Sandra to rip the band-aid off and have the vehicle looked at. At around 330pm that afternoon, Tim McMahon showed up to pick the up his 3 sons and drive Sandra over to Rotary Auto in Pembroke to drop the car off. The whole drive was about 5.6 miles round trip from Rotary Auto to Sandra’s home located at 47 Spofford Ave in Hanson. Tim dutifully brought his mother in law to the mechanic and waited while she spoke to the guy at the desk. When Tim let Sandra into his truck, she asked Tim to bring her to Cumberland Farms located at 2 Main Street in Hanson. Sandra can be seen on camera in the store just before 5 stocking up on cigarettes. Tim dropped Sandra off at home just before5 and said goodbye out the window from the driver seat. It was the last time he saw his mother in law. Much has been made about Tim McMahon on this case. Naturally so, Tim was the last person to see Sandra alive. Awhile ago, some interesting information had come my way. A source told me that Tim McMahon had been arrested on drug trafficking. I took it seriously. I looked into it. I thought it was newsworthy that Tim may have had a criminal history and I wanted to report on it. The more I checked into it, I started to get the true picture of Tim’s past: He was as clean as they come. Tim McMahon had never been arrested for drug trafficking and had nothing to do with Sandra’s disappearance. The police had seized Tim’s phone and had his geofence data, Tim had been at Sandra’s residence for 53 seconds that day. Long enough to say goodbye to his mother in law.

(Rotary Auto Repair Pembroke, Ma)

On August 8, 2019, Laina McMahon was at the beach with her 3 sons. She received a phone call from the front desk of Rotary Auto repair, they had an estimate for the work Sandra’s car required and couldn’t reach Sandra on her landline. Sandra had no cell phone at the time of her disappearance, she had relinquished her phone a month or so prior. Laina thought that was odd but told the mechanic to keep the car and order the parts. Laina enjoyed a beach day and went home, on the morning of the 9th, Laina got the kids ready to go to their grandmother’s for the day. When Laina arrived, Sandra was nowhere to be found. Laina noted that Sandra’s dog Clarence looked a bit shaken and was out of food. The lights were on in the home and the air conditioning was running. Cut up fruit was in the fridge. Sandra’s purse and shoes were nowhere in sight, either. Laina alerted police and the home was searched. The vehicle Sandra dropped off at Rotary was seized and processed. The repairs were never performed and the vehicle remains property of the Mass State Police.

(Laina McMahon interviewed on Fox 25 Boston)

What police found when they searched Sandra’s residence on the day of the 9th has been the subject of much debate and frankly misinformation. I hope I can set that straight in this writing to the best of my knowledge. There was blood found in Sandra’s home during that search. That blood belonged to a man I will not name here today but will in time. There are complicated things involved, and while I am sure of his name and the facts, I want a few more things to fall into place regarding his past. This man was the on again, off again boyfriend of Linda Dabrowski, Sandra’s sister. When questioned, the man told police he had cut his hand hanging up a picture when Sandra moved into the Hanson home. That same man showed up the next day, on the 10th, and demanded to know where Sandra had hidden the gold bars. A rather callous thing to preoccupy yourself with when the homeowner had vanished off the face of the earth. Search parties were organized and flyers were being made up and this man was hollering about gold. Sandra’s family was horrified by this mans behavior. The callousness they thought. The greed. The family has also reported to me that this man has a major drug addiction, and was a compulsive gambler.

One other peculiar fact that still befuddles police is the way they found Sandra’s mattress. Sandra’s mattress had been moved. It was no longer on top of the box spring, but sitting up straight. Police theorized that whoever was in Sandra’s home must have been searching for something. Linda Dabrowski, this man’s companion, and Sandra’s sister, has never spoken publicly about the case. She claims that the memory of her sister is to heavy a burden to bear. She has refused to speak to me or my cohort in the story, Erin Warsheaur. When Sandra’s case was featured on the acclaimed podcast ‘‘Vanished’’ Linda refused to appear and talk about her sister.

One other fact about Linda Dabrowski’s behavior after her sister disappeared continues to trouble me. During the initial part of the search, Linda insisted she go to Sandra’s house and sit with her cats. Linda was in the home for 4 hours on her own volition, with a friend named Deb Giacomozzi. What happened during those 4 hours may be key to the investigation. Instead of searching for Sandra during those first frantic hours, Linda was alone in an active crime scene with a friend. One can only wonder if there is a logical explanation for this, it’s hard to know, Linda refuses all interviews regarding Sandra’s disappearance. Giacomozzi, who accompanied Dabrowski could not be reached for comment on what exactly happened during that time. I am very interested in speaking with her.

At a low point in the investigation, during a particularly frustrating time, Laina and Tim were watching ring camera footage of Sandra’s now empty house. While watching Tim noticed someone pulled up and dropped something off on Sandra’s doorstep. Laina and Tim raced to Sandra’s home and found a note that said they should have police look at a career felon who was released before Sandra disappeared. The man lived close, and fit the profile. Laina was convinced she found her mom’s killer. They presented police with the note and the man was questioned and he had an air tight alibi. This dispelled any thought that Sandra’s disappearance may have been a sex crime. A one off from a offender who didn’t know her. I haven’t 100% ruled that out myself, but I am 99% of the way there. The thing is, if someone was committing sexual homicides in the area I would expect there to be more bodies, these killers don’t just stop or go dormant. Whoever did this knew Sandra.

Fast forward to 2022, the police are tight lipped about the case and there is seemingly no movement. My sources tell me that a grand jury was convened late in 2019 regarding Sandra Crispo’s disappearance. Evidence was reviewed and testimony was made. What exactly was testified to is hard to ascertain as grand juries are done in secret, sources tell me that arrests may have been imminent right before the covid pandemic hit and pumped the brakes on everything.

The most vocal family member involved in this case is Michael Dabrowski, Stephen Dabrowski’s oldest son and Sandra Crispo’s daughter. Michael is very vocal about what he believes happened to his sister. When I reach out he is often loud and obnoxious, he has referred to me as a ‘‘Fucking idiot’' recently. Seems odd to me that a reporter wanting to get the truth for a missing family member would be met with this much rage. I often try to put myself in that position, what would I do? I would make time for anybody who could help me get my missing family members name out there. That is not the case here, I either get complete silence or massive pushback. Seems odd. Mike Dabrowski seems far more interested in advancing his own theories than letting an outsider view the facts. Mike points the finger at something he calls the ‘‘Satyr’ regarding his father Stephen. Now, there are legitimate questions regarding how Stephen amassed his fortune, and we are currently looking at all angles of Stephen Dabrowski’s life. Mike Dabrowski did not cooperate for this article, and my sources tell me members of the family believe Michael may have left his fathers funeral early and broke into Sandra’s home searching for the gold bars left to them. This is not an accusation but a snapshot of the innuendo that has run amuck in the family. Family members have also made far more damning accusations in comments to me, Michael Dabrowski, the loudest and most vocal of the clan, especially on social media, regarding his sisters disappearance, when under oath at grand jury, allegedly invoked his 5th amendment right to not self incriminate.

The last piece of this is not what people saw but rather what they heard. The night prior to Sandra’s disappearance, neighbors in her quiet neighborhood overheard a commotion at Sandra’s home. Sandra and a man were arguing about money, loudly in the home. Just who that man was is a mystery but I have my theories. Recently, a family source told me that there was a second man involved in this alleged argument at Sandra’s residence. Finding the identities of these two men is my #1 priority. It’s hard to believe when you visit Sandra’s neighborhood that no neighbor saw anything out of the ordinary. As far as I know, nobody has come forward, no ring footage exists. Nothing. On a street where all the houses are bunched together so tight people could hear Sandra arguing but did not see her leave with anyone or walk away from her home. I find that nearly impossible to believe.

Much of the online vitriol has been slung at Sandra’s daughter and husband, Laina and Tim McMahon. I have looked into and interviewed them extensively. Neither acts like they are capable of making someone disappear. Laina is the most vocal member of the family. She appears consistently on news channels and podcasts, and spoke to me extensively regarding her mother’s disappearance. She would have to be Machiavellian to pull the wool over my eyes in that manner. After all this time and discussion with Laina, I completely ruled out she could be capable of hurting her mom. Sandra’s son, Stephen Crispo, with whom I shared a 6th grade homeroom with, is not under suspicion. Stephen has been seriously affected by his mom’s disappearance, and last I knew, he lived in a tent in the woods, drug addicted.

As we sit here in fall 2023, little has been written in longform about Sandra’s disappearance. News stations have stopped featuring it and the case is ice cold. It is our intention to change that. There are so many unanswered questions regarding Sandra’s disappearance:

What happened that night at Sandra’s house? Who were the two men she was allegedly arguing with?

Has all ring camera footage in the neighborhood been thoroughly scrutinized? My guess? Probably not.

And lastly, what happened to Sandra’s body? The key evidence in the whole case? I don’t know but we have some thoughts.

Stay tuned. This is just the orientation.