After more than a year, Maine State Police and the Maine Attorney General’s Office have concluded their investigation into an incident they ruled to be a homicide in January of 2024, but had also emphasized at the time that there was no danger to the public.
On Wednesday, December 27, 2023, at approximately 10:45 am, the Franklin County Dispatch Center received a 911 call reporting the discovery of two deceased individuals at the Pawsitive Dog Kennel, located at 274 Red Schoolhouse Road in Farmington.
The victims were later identified as 76-year-old Jean Robinson of Farmington and her daughter, 53-year-old Allison “Joy” Cumming, also of Farmington. Farmington Police Officers, Franklin County Sheriff’s deputies, and Detectives from the Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit South responded to the scene, working throughout the evening to collect evidence and conduct interviews.
The victims’ bodies were transported to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta, where autopsies were performed on Thursday, December 28, 2023. The Medical Examiner determined that both Robinson and Cumming died from sharp force injuries, and their deaths were ruled homicides.
On Sunday, December 31, 2023, in a related incident, William Cumming Sr., called 911 to report his son, 56-year-old William Neville Cumming Jr., was deceased at his residence in Bar Harbor. Following an autopsy, the Medical Examiner ruled his death a suicide. Cumming Jr. was the son of Jean Robinson and brother of Joy Cumming.
At the time of his death, the investigation into the murders of Jean Robinson and Joy Cumming was ongoing but suggested that William Cumming Jr. was responsible for both homicides.
Upon completion of the investigation, including forensic testing conducted by the Maine State Crime Laboratory, it was determined that there was 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.
