Family of missing Hampden man speaks out after AG’s office leak exposed case details

HAMPDEN, Maine (WABI) - The daughter of a missing Hampden man is speaking publicly about her father’s disappearance after confidential case information was included in a document the Maine Attorney General’s Office mistakenly sent to media outlets earlier this month.

Dawn B. Dunphy’s father, Douglas Dunphy Sr., went missing from his home on Kennebec Road in Hampden on Jan. 16. His car was found in Bangor about two weeks later.

The 45-page document mistakenly sent by the Attorney General’s Office contained confidential information on dozens of cases, including Dunphy’s disappearance.

Family remembers Dunphy as Marine veteran, outdoorsman

Dawn Dunphy described her father as a loving father, an outdoorsman and a master electrician who served in the Marines as a plane mechanic during the Vietnam War.

“He was brilliant. He was so smart. He could fix anything,” Dawn Dunphy said. “He could tell every plane and what was wrong with it by the sound of the engine... Took us camping. Taught us survival skills in the woods. Fishing, the whole nine yards, hiking.”

Dawn Dunphy, who now lives out west, said she and her father caught up every Sunday. It has been more than nine months since she last heard his voice.

“My older brother called... And he just said, dad’s missing,” Dawn Dunphy said.

Case remains with state police

The case is now in the hands of Maine State Police. It’s been months since investigators provided any public updates.

“If Dad can be found, and we can put him next to Mom where he belongs, then I can grieve. But I can’t until then. I need to find him,” Dawn said.

Earlier this month, Dawn received a call from a reporter informing her that information on her father’s case had been included in the leak from the Attorney General’s Office.

Dawn said the lack of communication sent her into a panic.

“I need to know what’s happening in order to be informed. It wasn’t real fun to hear about that leak, I’ll tell you. And it wasn’t real fun to be like, okay, could this harm anything?” Dawn said.

Dawn said she later spoke to someone from the Attorney General’s Office, who told her they prioritized notifying families when sensitive information was included and told her that her father’s case was not compromised.

“Every single week, something else happens,” Dawn said. “This is what having a missing relative is like.”

Leak confirmed investigators’ suspicions

Dawn said she has long presumed her father is dead, but the leak marked the first time it was confirmed that investigators believe so as well.

Asked whether finding her father’s body would help her accept what happened, Dawn said it would.

“Definitely. If we could bring him home and put him next to mom. That, that’s where he belongs,” she said.

Dunphy’s family is asking anyone hunting or hiking this fall to keep an eye out and call Maine State Police with any tip, no matter how small, as they hope to bring him home.