On a rainy night in late May 1989, a fire was spotted in a Westport, Connecticut parking lot. Within minutes, first responders realized the impossible: a body was burning in the open. Not long after and just a few miles away, a husband called police to report his wife missing.

Her name was Joan Wertkin. From the outside, she was living an enviable life in one of Connecticut’s most idyllic towns. But as investigators traced her final hours, the case turned into something far more complicated – a tight timeline, a fraying relationship, a car left where it shouldn’t have been, and questions that still echo for her family.

If you have information about Joan Wertkin’s case, please contact the Westport Police Department Cold Case Unit at (203) 520-3831. You can also email tips to coldcasetips@westportct.gov.

View source material and photos for this episode at: darkdowneast.com/joanwertkin

Dark Downeast is an Audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.

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The Murder of Joan Wertkin (Connecticut)

Dark Downeast