Police continue search for Canaan woman Cadaver dogs work woods where body found Friday

CANAAN – Game wardens and Maine State Police detectives were back on Route 23 in Canaan Tuesday afternoon, looking for answers in the mystery surrounding three people who lived together but wound up dead, missing and in jail.

The body of Cheryl Murdoch, 37, was found Friday night deep in the woods off Route 23, and police Tuesday were still looking for Shirley Moon Atwood, 35, who is considered missing and endangered. She last was seen in late July.

Both women lived in a Hartland Road home with Atwood’s estranged husband, Shannon Atwood, 36, who has a previous conviction for choking a woman and bashing her head into the floor in 1993.

Both women disappeared from the Route 23 trailer around the last week in July, and both left their vehicles behind.

State police spokesman Stephen McCausland said Tuesday that about a half-dozen friends of Shirley Moon Atwood had called police about her whereabouts. Although that was encouraging, he said Tuesday, “we are no closer to finding her today than we were yesterday.”

McCausland confirmed that cadaver dogs were continuing to search the woods in the Scott Road area where Murdoch’s body was found Friday.

Murdoch was reported missing by her mother on Aug. 6 after she failed to arrive in Arizona for a visit with her family. The search for Shirley Moon Atwood was begun during the investigation into Murdoch’s disappearance when it was learned that Atwood also was missing.

Police have not released the cause of Murdoch’s death.

Shannon Atwood was arrested Sunday after police attempted to serve a search warrant at his home.

Atwood barricaded himself in the home and threatened police with a bow and arrow and the claim that he would blow up the house using propane.

Police detectives released few details of the situation.

Atwood has a criminal record, having served three years in jail for choking a woman and bashing her head against the floor in 1993 in Moscow.

The woman and Atwood had been dating and recently had broken up. Atwood was sentenced to six years in prison, all but three suspended, and ordered to undergo psychological testing and counseling.

That same year, Shirley Moon was sentenced to 10 years in jail, with all but four years suspended, for deliberately crashing her car head-on into a pickup truck on Route 23 that she believed was being driven by her boyfriend. The truck actually was being driven by a neighbor who was seriously injured, and Moon was convicted of aggravated assault.

Murdoch was convicted in 2000 at Newport District Court of operating under the influence and in 1993 at Dover-Foxcroft of assault.

Atwood also has previous convictions for criminal trespassing, theft, forgery, simple assault and unauthorized use of property.

Atwood remains in jail under $20,000 bail after a brief court appearance Monday in Skowhegan District Court. After Sunday’s standoff, he was charged with terrorizing, reckless conduct with a dangerous weapon and reckless conduct, and entered not guilty pleas to all charges.

Police are not saying whether he is a suspect, a witness or a person of interest in the Murdoch slaying. No one has been charged in Murdoch’s death at this point.