Human remains found along Route 3 in Plymouth have been identified as those of Sandra Crispo, a Hanson woman who was reported missing in August 2019.
On March 6, 2025, a hunter searching the woods for deer antlers, found a human skull in a trail near the breakdown lane between exits 13 and 15 of Route 3 North in Plymouth.
Massachusetts State Police responded to the wooded area and located the remains and turned them over to the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office contacted the FBI to conduct further testing on the skull, which found a DNA match with Crispo in one of the FBI’s forensic DNA databases.
Crispo, last seen on Aug. 7, 2019, was 54, was reported missing from her 47 Spofford Ave. home in Hanson Aug. 9 after family members discovered she wasn’t there.
Crispo had recently moved to Hanson from Quincy to be closer to her daughter, Laina McMahon and her family, including her three grandsons, according to the Hanson police.
McMahon reported her mother’s disappearance after she went to Crispo’s house and found it empty with the lights and air conditioning on, the back door unlocked and her dog in the house with no food or water.
More than five years later, the discovery of her remains prompted an unusually high police presence on Route 3 North, sparking wild speculation online as several people posted photos of the line of police vehicles on All Things Plymouth.
State police wouldn’t say why they were there, issuing only a terse one-line statement:
“State Police are conducting a search as part of an ongoing investigation. There is no threat to public safety, and no further information is available at this time,” the statement said.
But several people wondered if Crispo had finally been found.
Since Crispo was reported missing, Hanson Police, Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office, and other law enforcement partners have conducted an extensive and exhaustive investigation into her disappearance.
That investigation has included searches, interviews, forensic testing, reviews of records, and other investigative efforts.
The investigation remains active and ongoing, said the Hanson police and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office. They are asking anyone with any information regarding Sandra Crispo’s disappearance to contact them.
Andrea Estes can be reached at andrea@plymouthindependent.org.