Justice For Tracy Gilpin

Mar 14

Tracy Gilpin, 1986

On the evening of October 1st, 1986, Tracy Gilpin headed home from her babysitting job. It was warm for early autumn, and the fifteen-year-old felt a buzz of excitement as the leaves crunched underfoot. She'd just been paid for several nights’ worth of sitting, and had plans to go out with her friends to a neighborhood house party.

Tracy had recently moved to Rocky Nook, a secluded, close-knit coastal neighborhood in Kingston, MA, with her mother and siblings following her parents’ divorce. The divorce and move seemed to have been a tough adjustment for her. Her name was well known to the Kingston police—she had run away from home on at least four occasions. Her family had become used to Tracy pulling what they referred to as a, quote, “no call no show”—staying away from home overnight without sharing her plans. The high school freshman was performing poorly in school, and she had been experimenting with drugs.

Despite these troubles, Tracy was a good kid. Although she was new in town, she made friends easily and was considered responsible enough to babysit for neighborhood children. The teen had a motherly instinct, and spent a lot of her free time babysitting. She spent the rest of her free time with her friends, having sleepovers and trading jewelry. She took great pride in her appearance, and made sure that her dark hair was always perfectly done. She had a romantic streak: her favorite song was “Endless Love” by Lionel Ritchie and Diana Ross, a heartfelt ballad with simple lyrics and an enduring message. She dreamed of starting her own large family when she grew up. Tracy's sister, Kerry, older by eleven months, described Tracy as hilarious and genuine. As the middle child, she kept her siblings doubled over with laughter when she acted out soap operas with her dolls or pretended to be a character she called “Karen.” Kerry recalled, “You could see that little mischievous twinkle in her eyes and you knew she was up to something.” Tracy smiled easily—a sarcastic smile that raised one side of her mouth while lowering the other.

Tracy was smiling when she stopped briefly at home to get ready to go out. Her mother, Kathleen, could tell that she was excited about her payday and her plans for the night. She checked her hair in the mirror, then left on foot for the party, which was at the home of an older neighbor who lived only a few blocks away. At about 10:30PM, Tracy left the party with a few friends. They were heading home, but she needed a pack of cigarettes, so she split off on her own, down the road that connected her neighborhood to the rest of town. The tree-lined street was dark and quiet—no one drove into Rocky Nook unless they lived there, or were visiting someone who did. But this quiet street was the only way to get to the Cumberland Farms gas station and convenience store on Route 3A, the nearest place that Tracy, nicknamed “Ashtray,” could buy cigarettes. Smokes in hand, Tracy used the convenience store pay phone to call the woman who was hosting the party. She asked for a ride back, but the host said she couldn't leave because she was still tending to the guests at her house. Another woman at Cumberland Farms offered to give Tracy a ride. Although Tracy was known to hitchhike, she turned the offer down, opting instead to head back to Rocky Nook on foot. When she left the parking lot at 11:30PM, it was the last time that she would be seen alive.

Tracy never came home

Tracy's mother, Kathleen, wasn't too worried when her daughter didn't come home, even though it was a school night. Tracy had a habit of staying over at friends' houses without checking in, but she usually turned up before too long. The next day, however, Tracy hadn't shown, and a couple of her friends called her house looking for her. By nightfall, Tracy's family was concerned. They searched around the neighborhood, driving to several of her friends' houses, growing more desperate. No one had any idea where she was. Kathleen called the Kingston Police to report Tracy missing, but they had heard her name frequently enough that they didn't think anything of it. They figured she'd run away again, and would likely come back on her own. When Tracy still hadn't been heard from by October 6th, five days after she'd gone missing, Kingston Police joined her family in the search.

Days became weeks

As days became weeks, there was still no sign of Tracy. Her family posted flyers with her picture all over town and along the shore as far as Plymouth. Before her parents had divorced, her family had lived in the seaside village of Manomet, a section of Plymouth about ten miles down the coast. Some locals thought she might've gone there to live with her father, Rich, who worked as a longshoreman. Rich, however, had no idea where his daughter might be. Various sightings of Tracy trickled in over the weeks—apparently hanging out at the beach, or loitering at the mall.

A gruesome discovery

On October 22, 1986, three weeks after Tracy had initially been reported missing, a local woman was picking flowers in Myles Standish State Forest in Plymouth. As she made her way into the thicker patches of vegetation at the edge of the forest, she discovered the decomposed, partially-clothed body of a young girl in a makeshift grave. The girl was covered in leaves, her underwear pulled down, her pants and shoes missing. A large boulder covered her head, which had been severely disfigured.

Although decomposition and damage from the rock had rendered the girl's face unrecognizable, Plymouth Police quickly matched the body to Tracy's missing person report in nearby Kingston. When asked to view the remains, Tracy's mother recognized a piece of her daughter's jewelry. Dental records were needed to confirm the identification. An autopsy would reveal that she had been dead for several weeks, and likely died the night she vanished. Her death, which was ruled a homicide, had resulted from a massive skull fracture, caused by a single blow from the 73-pound rock found on her head.

Some initial theories

The placement of Tracy's remains at the edge of the woods, right near the forest entrance, made it seem as though someone wanted her to be found. Because Myles Standish State Forest was eleven miles from the Cumberland Farms where Tracy had last been seen, it was assumed she had been brought to the location by car. The Gilpin family suspected that she had known her killer; her sister insisted that Tracy would not have gotten into a car with someone she didn't know, and would have fought against anyone attempting to abduct her. However, in 1991 the Boston Herald would report that Tracy was known to hitchhike—it's possible she did accept a ride from a stranger that night. She also might have been picked up by someone she knew as she walked home from Cumberland Farms. Maybe the driver had invited her to a party outside of Rocky Nook, or had suggested a late-night adventure in the woods. Or maybe Tracy had accepted a ride home, only to realize that something was wrong as the car drove in the opposite direction of her neighborhood. Another terrible possibility is that Tracy was killed elsewhere, and her body was dumped at the edge of the woods along with the murder weapon.

Not much evidence

The investigation into Tracy's murder made little headway from the start. Not much was certain about what happened to her that night other than her cause of death. Her body lay waiting at the edge of the woods for weeks as erroneous reports of her whereabouts came in. In the meantime, evidence at the scene was degraded by the elements. There wasn't a lot for the police to pursue. Tracy's family prayed for answers as they prepared to lay their daughter to rest.

The Gilpins mourn Tracy’s death

The Gilpins held visiting hours for Tracy at Shepherd Funeral Home, followed by a mass at St. Joseph's Church in Kingston on October 26, 1986, just a few days after she was found. She was interred in St. Joseph's Cemetery. Her headstone was carved with an angel and flowers on one side and a unicorn on the other. Atop the gravestone, an open granite book read “Sadly missed, forever loved, always remembered. Our memories until we meet again.”

After her funeral, her father, Rich, moved back in with her mother and siblings in their home in Rocky Nook. They leaned on one another for support, navigating the grief of a world without Tracy. The Gilpin family began the tradition of holding memorial masses for her every year, commemorating her January 27th birthday as well as the date of her death. Sometimes the Gilpins felt like they were the only ones who remembered Tracy—the lack of news or visible progress in her case would gnaw at them for decades. In the absence of progress, they tried their best to move forward. In February of 1988, Rich and Kathleen had another son, Shane, twenty years younger than their eldest child, Kerry. Shane had a smile just like Tracy's, and as he grew up he developed similar mannerisms to the sister he would never meet.

1990 – Melissa Benoit

A few weeks before the fourth anniversary of Tracy's death, another Kingston girl went missing. When 13-year-old Melissa Benoit left home on September 15, 1990, her family thought she was on her way to visit her father's gravesite at nearby Evergreen Cemetery. Melissa was reported missing later that day, and a massive ground search ensued. Over 1,000 volunteers joined in the effort. Eleven days after she disappeared, Melissa's body was found in the basement of her neighbor, Henry Meinholz. Henry, who worked in a lumberyard and taught Sunday School, lived next door to Melissa on property that abutted Evergreen Cemetery. He was charged with her kidnapping and murder within weeks of her initial disappearance.

When Henry was charged with Melissa's kidnapping and murder, there was immediate speculation that he was responsible for Tracy's death as well. There were a lot of details that pointed to him as a possible suspect. Both Melissa and Tracy were slim brunettes in their early teens. Both girls were found partially undressed. Tracy had often visited the grave of a friend who was buried in Evergreen Cemetery—perhaps within view of Henry’s home. But most chilling, Henry admitted to picking up teen hitchhikers and molesting them in his car—could he have encountered Tracy that night at Cumberland Farms? The Plymouth Assistant DA said, “I don’t have any firm evidence that he was involved [in Tracy's murder.] But certainly, there is enough information to take a closer look.” Despite the possibility of a resolution, Kathleen expressed her hope that he was not involved in her daughter's murder, saying, “I pray to God he didn't have anything to do with it, and if he did, I don't want to know. The man is just so bizarre.”

A memorial for Tracy and Melissa

On Sunday, November 11, 1990, a local Girl Scout Troop honored Tracy and Melissa, planting two dogwood trees in their memory in front of the Kingston Police Station. Melissa's murder two months prior had rattled the Kingston community—the innocent young girl could have been anyone's daughter, sister, or friend. Beside Melissa's murder, Tracy's disappearance and death took on a new dimension. Speculation swirled as to whether Henry bore responsibility for her violent end. People wondered that if Tracy's murder had been solved, Melissa's could have been prevented. For Tracy's family and friends, this tree-planting ceremony must have been bittersweet. It felt unfair that the community had not deemed Tracy's loss worth memorializing until another little girl was brutally murdered. Her inclusion in this ceremony, though well-intentioned, may have felt like an afterthought.

Melissa’s case is solved

Henry Meinholz was convicted of the kidnapping and murder of Melissa Benoit on November 23, 1991, just over a year after she was killed. He confessed to raping her during his trial. Although police believed he was responsible for other crimes, they lacked the evidence to support their suspicions. By this point, they had told the Gilpin family that they did not view Henry as a prime suspect in Tracy's death. Within a week of Henry's imprisonment, a rumor began circulating that he had offered information about Tracy's murder in exchange for special treatment—supposedly, he wanted to serve his sentence at Bridgewater State Mental Hospital instead of Walpole State Prison. Kathleen confronted authorities with this rumor and was told that no such offer had been made, either by Henry or his attorney. With these rumors squashed and Henry ruled out as a prime suspect, Tracy's case was once again at a standstill.

Kerry Gilpin’s career

Kerry, who was only eleven months older than Tracy, found her life's path altered by her sister's death. The seventeen-year-old had been at work when her mother came in to tell her Tracy's remains had been found. Shortly afterwards, Kerry found one of the missing persons flyers that her family had distributed hanging in a local gas station. She recalled asking the clerk to give the flyer back to her, saying, “he wouldn’t need it” any longer.

Kerry's grief found an outlet in her career path. After graduating high school, she earned a Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Western New England College. In 1994, at age 25, she joined the Massachusetts State Police force as a state trooper. She rose through the ranks, putting in twelve years in crime scene services and earning a promotion to major. She then became the deputy commander of a division that oversaw the training academy and internal affairs. In November 2017, Kerry, by that time a 23-year veteran with the force, was promoted to Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, following the abrupt resignation of her predecessor due to a scandal. She was sworn in by Governor Charlie Baker, who said of her,

“I have the utmost confidence that Colonel Gilpin will excel as the leader of our tremendous police force. [She] brings decades of experience and knowledge to her post, with a deep understanding of the State Police force at every level.”

Kerry's exemplary work in law enforcement was inspired at least in part by her sister’s murder. Her desire to help victims of violent crime fueled her dedication and leadership within the force. She also remained committed to finding justice for Tracy. Regarding her sister's homicide, Kerry later said, “It’s been 30 years. But I know it's solvable. In my heart of hearts, I know that that person is [still] out there.”

2017 - Reward

In 2017, the Gilpin family offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest and conviction, an increase from their previous offer of $10,000. They hoped that it would generate new leads and get new press. Speaking on behalf of her family, Kerry said, “We think there are a lot of people that know something, that, for one reason or another, are afraid to come forward.”

Tracy’s father doesn’t see justice served

Tracy's father, Richard, sadly wouldn’t live to see a resolution. He passed away in January of 2018, at the age of 71. He was interred with Tracy at St. Joseph's Cemetery in Kingston. But just two months after his passing, police received a tip that would breathe new life into the investigation.

A suspect? Michael Hand

The tip police received concerned a gathering in Kingston the night that Tracy disappeared—not the party in Rocky Nook that she'd left to buy cigarettes, but another one, five miles away, hosted by a man with coke-bottle glasses named Michael Arthur Hand. An anonymous partygoer had called in the tip all these years later. According to the tipster, Tracy had turned up at Michael's party after buying her cigarettes at Cumberland Farms.

Michael's name had not come up before in the investigation, so detectives learned everything they could about the man. He'd grown up in Kingston, graduating from the local high school in 1975. His yearbook picture showed a young man with thick-lensed glasses wearing a jacket and collared shirt. His father was a vice principal in the local school district who had a reputation of being tough. Michael had lived with his parents in the family home on Brookdale Street in Kingston, and remained there after they passed away. Then, in 2007, Michael sold the family home and moved to Troutman, a small North Carolina town with a population of 3,500. He didn't have a police record of any kind, but there was a civil case filed against him by the Ford Motor Credit Company in the amount of $3,900. Excited by the discovery of a previously unknown witness, detectives traveled to the small town of Troutman to interview him on March 7, 2018.

Michael lived in an unkempt house on Klutz Street, a dead-end street. The investigators recognized the 61-year-old by his glasses as he greeted them. Michael was surprised to hear Tracy's name, but was willing to sit down and talk about what he remembered of her. Initially, he told them he'd been familiar with her from around the neighborhood and that he'd lived briefly with her aunt, but that he hadn't known her very well. He admitted that she'd been present at a small gathering at his house several weeks before she went missing, but was adamant he had not seen her the night of her death. When investigators asked Michael to provide a DNA sample, however, his story changed dramatically. As the interview progressed, he recited a meandering chain of events that unfolded on the night Tracy died.

Michael Hand’s story

In 1986, 29-year-old Michael still lived with his parents in Kingston. His family home on Brookdale Street was five miles from Tracy's home in Rocky Nook, and just a short drive from the Cumberland Farms on Route 3A where she was last seen. He told investigators he'd seen Tracy on the afternoon of her disappearance, riding in the passenger seat of an orange Ford Escort driven by Henry Meinholz. Later that night, he watched the same car take off from the Cumberland Farms parking lot, heading south down Route 3A towards Plymouth. Just then, an unnamed friend of Michael’s arrived at the convenience store on a motorcycle. Michael climbed onto the back, and he shouted “Follow that car!”—the two took off in pursuit of the Ford. The men stopped when they found the car pulled over on the side of the road at the edge of Myles Standish State Forest. They saw Henry emerge from the woods, carrying a shovel and a tarp. Michael's friend with the motorcycle got scared and took off, leaving Michael alone on the side of the road. Henry noticed Michael and approached him, shovel in hand. Michael, who felt very intimidated, claimed Henry forced him into the woods. Once there, Henry ordered him to kneel down and touch the boulder that had been found on Tracy's head. Michael claimed he moved the rock about a foot, and that he scratched his hand when he touched it, leaving trace amounts of his blood on its surface. As Michael walked out of the woods, his friend with the motorcycle reappeared, and Michael rode away with him. Frightened that he would be implicated in the situation, he did not stop to get help for Tracy or alert the authorities about what he had seen.

Michael's tale sought to pin the blame for Tracy's death squarely on Henry Meinholz, unaware that Henry had been cleared as a suspect in Tracy's murder. Michael also claimed that Tracy had made sexual advances towards him weeks before her death—she had rubbed his upper leg and attempted to kiss him in the bedroom of his home. He said he had rebuffed her, because his penis was uncircumcised and he worried that she would laugh at him.

Michael speaks to his pastor

Michael contacted his pastor, David Troutman, when his interview concluded. Pastor Troutman reported this conversation to the police at the urging of his son, who was a reserve police officer. The pastor told police that Michael had been disturbed, distressed, and desperate, and that he'd made potentially incriminating statements in their conversation. Michael was worried that he was going to be arrested for a 30-year-old murder in Massachusetts. He claimed that he had been looking for a girl who had been taken into the woods by another man, and that while looking for her he had knocked or thrown a rock onto the girl's head. When Pastor Troutman asked Michael why he hadn't gone to police right away, he explained that he'd been too afraid to think.

Michael charged with murder

On March 9, 2018, a mere two days after he'd been interviewed as a potential witness, Michael Hand was arrested for Tracy's murder. Kerry Gilpin, then Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, released a public statement expressing her family's gratitude. “For the past three decades, we have remained hopeful that Tracy's murderer would be identified. The much-welcomed news of an arrest in the case leaves us cautiously optimistic that justice for Tracy is within reach.” Kerry had not been involved in the investigation of her sister's murder. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz explained, “She may be the colonel of the State Police but she is also [Tracy's sister]. It was important for us to treat her like a victim rather than as the Superintendent.” Michael Hand was held in Iredell County Jail in North Carolina until a hearing on March 12, when he agreed to return to Massachusetts to face the charges. As Plymouth County investigators worked to piece together the events leading to Tracy's death, Michael’s neighbors and acquaintances in North Carolina and Massachusetts reacted to the news of his arrest.

Neighbors reflect on Michael

Because the affidavit supporting the murder charges against Michael is sealed, there is not much known about the case against him. In the absence of public information, people that knew Michael began to pore over their interactions with him, searching for any hint that, in hindsight, might point to his shocking arrest. The stories shared about Michael in both Kingston and Troutman tended to paint the picture of a man whose relationships were often at arm's length.

Michael had lived in a three-bedroom home on dead-end Klutz St in Troutman until his arrest. He lived primarily on disability pay but also bred dogs and sold junk cars and car parts to make money on the side. He liked to falsely claim that he had been a police officer in Boston until back problems forced his retirement. He also claimed that he was in the witness protection program due to his police work.

Michael's neighbors in Troutman described him as an argumentative man who could not hold down a job. An 81-year-old woman who was a neighbor of Michael’s said he was an opinionated Yankee with a gun collection who was always hard-up for money. Although she thought Michael was a know-it-all with an attitude, she did say, “He was always very helpful if I needed anything. He offered to help me with my yard work. He never did... but he offered.”

Christine and Tom Nava on Michael

Christine and Tom Nava lived across from Michael on Brookdale Street for many years. Tom had grown up in the neighborhood with the Hand family, and considered Michael a friend. He said, “A lot of people considered [Michael] a little strange because he just did his own thing.” Tom recalled an afternoon of shooting targets in Michael’s backyard. At one point, a local police officer poked his head around the side of the house to see what was going on. When the officer spotted Michael, he relaxed and said, “You're with Mike? You're all set!” Michael's departure from the neighborhood hadn't ended the friendship—Tom had visited Michael in North Carolina just a few months prior to his arrest. Considering the charge of murder, Tom said, “Mike's done a lot of stupid things, but I don't think murder is one of them. He's always been a good friend to me.”

Christine, Tom’s wife, felt a little differently about her husband's friend, saying, “He always had an odd way about him. He was always very nice to me. He never did anything negative. Some people just give you this feeling that they're a little odd, and I just tried to stay away.” Christine charitably recalled that Michael had carved two granite headstones in his driveway for Christine when she lost her pet dog, and later, a pony. Years ago, the Navas had had several arguments with Michael when they built a horse farm on their property. Upon hearing of the murder charge, Christine said, “Of course there is a shock factor, but I was not overly surprised, no.”

Christine and Tom bought Michael's family home in 2007 when he moved away to North Carolina. The state of the property was shocking: many of the walls had holes in them, and the floors were littered with animal feces. The basement was particularly bad—for years, Michael had kept dogs confined there. The desperate dogs had chewed through the floor joists and parts of the wall as they attempted to eat their way out of the basement. Christine asked another neighbor, Rob Arrowsmith, to help her renovate the dilapidated house. Rob, who owned a construction company, had also grown up in Kingston with Michael. Rob was disturbed by the state of the Hand house when he first inspected it. According to Rob, “There was a grate installed in the living room floor—a steel grate—it was creepy.” He suggested that the Navas hire a demolition crew to tear apart the home's interior—the years of filth and neglect had caused irreparable damage. Following Rob's advice, Christine had the house gutted and rebuilt the interior before selling the property to some family members.

The Legal Process

Within days of his arrest, Michael Hand was in Massachusetts. He was arraigned on March 14, 2018, at Brockton District Court after a power failure forced officials to move proceedings at the last minute. Tracy's family looked on as Michael's attorney entered a “not guilty” plea on his behalf. The judge ordered that Michael be held without bail until his next court appearance a month later. After the arraignment, Plymouth County DA Timothy Cruz told reporters, “His statement puts him at the scene, puts his hands on a rock, and allegedly, bleeding on a rock, which he subsequently states that he dropped on the head of Miss Gilpin. I'm really glad that the family now knows who the killer is, and we're going to make sure we do everything we can to get justice for Tracy Gilpin.”

At a pretrial hearing on April 13, 2018, his attorney requested funds to hire a private investigator. He also asked for access to the recordings of Michael's statements made when investigators first interviewed him in North Carolina. Assistant DA Jennifer Sprague objected to this request, due to an ongoing grand jury investigation and the possibility of DNA evidence. The judge ordered that the recorded interviews be turned over to the defense by the next court date, scheduled for May 23rd, a month later.

Michael was indicted by a grand jury on May 22, 2018, and his case was bound over to Plymouth Superior Court. He was charged with one count each of murder, kidnapping, and assault with intent to rape a child. He was arraigned for a second time for these charges in early June of 2018 and continued to be held without bail. During the year of 2019, however, the kidnapping and assault charges were dropped, and Michael's defense team asked the public to come forward with any information about other possible suspects in Tracy's murder.

As Michael Hand sat in jail awaiting trial, the COVID-19 pandemic ground the legal system to a halt. Courts in Plymouth County were closed, causing delays which were compounded by a shortage of court workers. The resulting backlog pushed some trials back as far as four years. Michael, who was not particularly well-liked in jail, was anxious to get on with the proceedings. By May of 2022, both the prosecution and the defense had filed several motions pertaining to what evidence would be presented to the jury at trial. One motion filed by prosecutors requested that statements of innocence from Michael's interrogation be disallowed, including, quote, “I didn't smash Tracy's face” and “I have no blood on my hands from Tracy Gilpin, period.” In another motion, prosecution requested that the judge allow the jury to hear testimony from Pastor Troutman regarding his conversation with Michael in the days before his arrest. The pastor had told police that he didn't believe their conversation fell under any kind of privilege because it was not religious in nature: Michael hadn't approached his pastor for spiritual counsel when he discussed his involvement in Tracy's death.

On June 1, 2022, Michael's attorney said in court that it was indisputable that the semen found in Tracy's underwear did not belong to him, nor did the DNA found on the rock used to crush Tracy's skull. The defense did not want a continuance—they hoped to prove Michael's innocence as soon as possible, as he'd been sitting in jail for four years. A week later, however, the judge granted a continuance so that the prosecution could investigate a new lead. According to Assistant DA Jennifer Sprague, the state needed to interview two witnesses and run a DNA test that could benefit Michael's case. Sprague explained that an anonymous tip had come in claiming another man had been with Tracy the night she disappeared. That man had refused to give DNA and threatened to invoke the fifth amendment, so the state obtained a DNA sample from his brother and was waiting to test it against the DNA obtained from the crime scene. A new trial date was set for September 6, 2022.

On August 8, statements from Michael's pastor were ruled inadmissible to be presented during trial. The judge also found that the interrogation conducted by the police involved coercion and ruled that portions of Michael’s interview were involuntary. After his talk with police, Michael reiterated (and even amplified) some aspects of the story to his pastor, but because of the impropriety in the police interview, those statements, too, were inadmissible. The details of what went wrong legally during the interrogation have not been released. The defense appealed this ruling, which postponed the trial once again, from September 6 to October 5, 2022.

At the time of this airing, the case against Michael Hand is still in progress, as is the investigation of Tracy Gilpin's murder. While we wait for justice for Tracy, life continues on for her friends and loved ones.

Massachusetts State Police cold case unit

In October of 2019, Kerry Gilpin announced the formation of a statewide unsolved case unit to investigate cold cases and other violent crimes. The unit would consist of five state troopers experienced in homicide investigation. These troopers would partner with the state's district attorneys, whose offices held jurisdiction over unsolved murders.

Kerry said, “There are many cases over the years that, even in light of the outstanding and tireless efforts of police and prosecutors, have not been resolved for a variety of reasons. I hope that by creating a dedicated unit … we will build upon the excellent work already done on these cases and … achieve the breakthroughs we need to secure justice for these victims and their families.”

District Attorneys around the state were pleased at the announcement. Worcester County DA Joe Early said, “I'm really excited that Col. Gilpin is putting resources into these horrible crimes. These families still experience a lot of pain. Hopefully, this unit will help to solve some of these murders.”

The creation of this unit was one of Kerry's last acts as Superintendent of Massachusetts State Police. On November 6, 2019, she announced her retirement from the force, two years after stepping up to lead it. Before and during her tenure as superintendent, the force was embroiled in one ethics scandal after another. It was in upheaval when Kerry accepted her promotion, and she pursued an agenda of reform with courage and tenacity. Despite her leadership and dedication, the pushback she experienced as she worked to rebuild public trust began to grind her down. Still, she considered her time as superintendent to be the greatest honor of her professional life. Kerry gave her parting words in a letter to state police employees: “We have accomplished so much during this difficult time, and I am confident you will continue to build on the foundation.” She remains extremely proud of her career with the force. Kerry Gilpin's legacy, a dedication to the victims of unsolved violent crimes, will live on long after her career. Now a civilian, Kerry watches from the sidelines as the legal process inches forward. Meanwhile, Michael Hand awaits trial, anxious for the opportunity to prove his innocence. With investigations ongoing, it's possible new information will come to light—whatever arises, we hope that it leads to justice for Tracy.

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Plymouth Police Department cruiser, 1986

Shepherd Funeral Home (Kingston, MA), Tracy’s service conducted here

Michael Hand's house (194 Brookdale St, Kingston, MA)

Michael Hand, suspect in Tracy Gilpin’s murder

Kathleen Gilpin (left), Kerry Gilpin (right)

Sources For This Episode

Newspaper articles

Various articles from Boston Herald, Enterprise, Hartford Courant, Kingston Reporter, Patriot Ledger, The Boston Globe, Wicked Local, and Worcester Telegram & Gazette, here.

Written by various authors including Andrea Estes, Andy Dabilis, Antonio Planas, Beverly Ford, Cody Shepard , Colin A. Young, Cristela Guerra, Dave Altmari, David R. Smith, Elaine Thompson , Evan Allen, Jessica Trufant, Joe Difiazio, Kathryn Gallerani, Mary Whitfill, Meghan Ottolini, Neal Simpson, Rich Harbert, Sandy Coleman, Travis Anderson, and Wheeler Cowperthwaite.

Official sources

Press release, Timothy Cruz, District Attorney, 3/11/2018

Online written sources

'Tracy L “Ashtray” Gilpin' (FindaGrave), 11/1/2009

'She went to a party and disappeared; 15-year-old Tracy Gilpin's murder…' (Mass Live), 9/7/2017, by Scott J. Croteau

'Michael Hand: 5 fast facts you need to know' (Heavy), 3/11/2018, by Jessica McBride

'32 years later, police make arrest in murder of Kingston teen Tracy Gilpin' (The Enterprise), 3/11/2018, by Joe Pelletier

'Unsolved murder of Tracy Gilpin, teen who disappeared in 1986' (Mass Live), 3/11/2018, by Scott J. Croteau

'Arrest made in 1986 killing of Tracy Gilpin, sister of Massachusetts State…' (Mass Live), 3/11/2018, by Scott J. Croteau

'Man arrested in 1986 Murder of Massachusetts Teenager' (The New York Times), 3/12/2018, by Maggie Astor

'After almost 32 years, a police executive welcomes an arrest in the...' (CNN), 3/12/2018, by Eric Levenson

'Arrest made in 31-year-old cold case of murdered Massachusetts teen' (NBC News), 3/12/2018, by Bianca Hillier