Aug 11, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min · 14 segments
**1961 - Lincoln, Massachusetts.** On the afternoon of October 24, 1961, a quiet suburban neighborhood in Lincoln, Massachusetts became the setting for one of New England's most haunting mysteries…
Kristen SeaveyHost
It was 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 1961, the day after Joan Risch disappeared and Ed Fosco scanned the terrain of Lincoln, Massachusetts from the air above town.
Ed was a sales manager at the Fitchburg Paper Company and also a seasoned helicopter pilot.
With the blessing of the company's chairman, he had contacted the state police to offer his services in conducting an aerial search for Joan, using the company's helicopter.
Joan's husband Martin worked in the sales department at Fitchburg Paper Company as well.
Joan had disappeared on Tuesday afternoon from their home in Lincoln, while Martin was away on a work trip.
No valuables or personal items of Joan's were missing from the home, and her car was still in the driveway.
For two hours, Ed Fosco took the helicopter in wide, slow circles, observing the landscape of Lincoln and the surrounding towns.
He could see the rolling fields of the remaining farms that were being hemmed in by new suburbs.
Ed kept the helicopter low, between 100 and 500 feet, and it shook the trees, scattering the animals of the forest in all directions.
He was on the lookout for the gray or blue sedan that had reportedly been seen parked in the Rish's driveway the day before.
About 20 state troopers and 50 soldiers from nearby Fort Devens, along with local volunteers, moved across the woods and marshy wetlands surrounding the Rish's home on Old Bedford Road.
Dogs moved across the terrain with their heads to the ground, trying to catch Joan's scent.
Sometime around noon, Ed completed his search and brought the helicopter down at Hanscom.
There, he met his wife and drove just a couple of miles to the Risch home on Old Bedford Road.
Martin told them that the police had given him the green light to return to the house, now that the crime scene technicians had finished their business.
It was 10 a.m. on Wednesday, October 25, 1961, the day after Joan Risch disappeared and Ed Fosco scanned the terrain of Lincoln, Massachusetts from the air above town.
Ed was a sales manager at the Fitchburg Paper Company and also a seasoned helicopter pilot.
With the blessing of the company's chairman, he had contacted the state police to offer his services in conducting an aerial search for Joan, using the company's helicopter.
Joan's husband Martin worked in the sales department at Fitchburg Paper Company as well.
Joan had disappeared on Tuesday afternoon from their home in Lincoln, while Martin was away on a work trip.
No valuables or personal items of Joan's were missing from the home, and her car was still in the driveway.
For two hours, Ed Fosco took the helicopter in wide, slow circles, observing the landscape of Lincoln and the surrounding towns.
He could see the rolling fields of the remaining farms that were being hemmed in by new suburbs.
Ed kept the helicopter low, between 100 and 500 feet, and it shook the trees, scattering the animals of the forest in all directions.
He was on the lookout for the gray or blue sedan that had reportedly been seen parked in the Rish's driveway the day before.
About 20 state troopers and 50 soldiers from nearby Fort Devens, along with local volunteers, moved across the woods and marshy wetlands surrounding the Rish's home on Old Bedford Road.
Dogs moved across the terrain with their heads to the ground, trying to catch Joan's scent.
Sometime around noon, Ed completed his search and brought the helicopter down at Hanscom.
There, he met his wife and drove just a couple of miles to the Risch home on Old Bedford Road.
Martin told them that the police had given him the green light to return to the house, now that the crime scene technicians had finished their business.
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