A 14-acre Eastport property was searched on May 22 by the Maine State Police (MSP) and the Eastport Police Department for clues into the whereabouts of a woman who has been missing for almost a decade. Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North Commanding Officer Lt. Christopher Coleman and Sgt. Darrin Crane, two State Police canine units and seven members of the Maine State Police Evidence Response Team began surveying the former property of Marilyn Lehan on the afternoon of Wednesday, May 21, on Clark Street in Eastport, where she lived with her husband Brian King from 2002 to 2004.
     On Thursday morning, May 22, and into the day, the canine teams continued searching the 14 acres of brush behind the house. MSP Evidence Response Team Detective Micah Perkins explains that the canine units are the focus of the day's surveying. The team members have specialized skills and were pulled from all over the state to work on the investigation. "The team works in reaction to any information gathered from their [the canine unit] search." The property is now owned by another family.
     After an eight-hour search, no sign of Lehan was discovered. Additional searches at other locations are likely as new information comes in.
      Lehan and her husband moved to Eastport in 2002 when she purchased the house. The property was foreclosed on after her disappearance, and her husband has since relocated to the Berkeley, Calif., area. Lt. Coleman explains that Lehan "hails from the West Coast" and has three brothers who were searching for her for some time without success. Eastport Police Chief Rodney Merritt adds that the Eastport Police Department was contacted by one of the brothers in the summer of 2013 and officially reported her missing. According to family members it was not uncommon for Lehan to have long periods of time elapse between family contacts. Lehan and King had lived in Montana and California, among other states, before settling in Maine. Merritt says that the police department investigated through the summer and requested the assistance from Maine State Police in the fall of 2013.
     Lt. Coleman explains that the property search "is the logical place to start. It's her last known residence, and we need to rule it out as a possible location. It's one of several steps to take. It's still a very open active missing person investigation." He adds, "We really need the public's help. We don't have a lot of information about how she spent her days." The MSP Major Crimes Unit North is working cooperatively with the Eastport Police Department. If at some point foul play enters the investigation then the Major Crimes Unit would take the lead, Coleman says.
     Although residing in Eastport for only two years, Lehan was active in and attended St. Joseph's Catholic Church. She was born February 24, 1955, and is 59 years old. She is 5'9" tall with brown hair and brown eyes. Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts or anyone who may have had contact with her prior to her disappearance is asked to contact Detective Micah Perkins of the State Police in Bangor at 1‑800‑432‑7381 or the Eastport Police Department.