Maine State Police, Attorney General Conclude Investigation into Farmington Double Homicide

The Maine State Police and Attorney General’s Office on Wednesday announced that they have concluded the investigation into the deaths a mother and daughter who were found dead in Farmington in late December of 2023.

On the morning of Dec. 27, 2023, 76-year-old Jean Robinson and her daughter, 53-year-old Allison “Joy” Cumming, both of Farmington, were found deceased at Joy’s small business, the Pawsitive Dog Kennel, located at 274 Red Schoolhouse Road in Farmington.

Autopsies were performed on the two victims by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Augusta a day later, which determined that both Robinson and Cumming died from sharp force injuries. Both of their deaths were ruled homicides.

In a twist to the case that was first reported by the Maine Wire in August of last year, the Maine State Police have confirmed that on Dec. 31, 2023, just four days after the bodies of Robinson and Cumming were discovered, William “Neville” Cumming Jr., the son of Jean Robinson and brother of Joy Cumming, was found dead at his residence in Bar Harbor by his father, William Cumming Sr.

Following an autopsy, the Medical Examiner ruled Cumming Jr.’s death a suicide.

In their Wednesday press release, Maine Department of Public Safety spokesperson Shannon Moss said that at the time of Cumming Jr.’s death, the investigation into the murders of Jean Robinson and Joy Cumming was ongoing, but suggested that Cumming Jr. was responsible for both homicides.

Now, over a year after the double homicide, following forensic testing by the Maine State Crime Laboratory, the investigation has concluded with the determination that there was probable cause to arrest and charge William “Neville” Cumming Jr. with the intentional murders of his mother and sister, if he had not taken his own life.

Neville’s death followed scrutiny from troopers, hinting he was a suspect, though those close to him, including his father, denied he could commit such acts.

Neville’s past included a 2000 drug conviction and recent failed attempts at legal cannabis businesses, leading to bankruptcy and debts exceeding $50,000 by late 2023.

Neville’s father, William Cumming Sr., who made the Dec. 31, 2023 911 call reporting that he had found his son dead at his residence in Bar Harbor, told the Maine Wire on Wednesday that he is “appalled that the Maine State Police would level this accusation against my son, Neville, without communicating with me in advance and especially after telling me that he left behind a suicide note and refusing to share that note with me.”

“The State Police have pinned the murder on the wrong man, and that means the real killers may never face justice,” Cumming Sr. said.

For more information on the Farmington double homicide, read the article below from the Maine Wire published in August 2024.