Three-part documentary ‘Gone’ to premiere in October

‘Gone,’ a multimedia investigation into the disappearance of Cutchogue’s Louise Pietrewicz, will premiere in October on suffolktimes.com.

The project includes a three-part documentary video, which will be published on consecutive evenings, followed by a longform story in that Thursday’s issue of The Suffolk Times.

“We really see this story unfolding in four chapters,” said Times Review content director Grant Parpan, who is producing the story along with executive editor Steve Wick and multimedia reporter Krysten Massa. “We want to tell the story of who Louise was and what went wrong in its own distinct episode, if you will, followed by a separate segment focusing on the suspects and a video finale that will resolve the story to some extent. Then on Thursday morning, even more details will be delivered straight to our readers’ mailboxes in the form of a print story.”

An official premiere date for ‘Gone’ will be announced next month.

Ms. Pietrewicz, a 38-year-old mother from Cutchogue, was in the process of separating from her husband when she was reported missing in October 1966. Multiple police agencies were involved in the investigation, but an arrest was never made.

No media outlet has ever reported her disappearance, but elements of her story have been quietly discussed in her Cutchogue community for decades.

Research and filming on the project began in July and is ongoing. The project will include interviews with Ms. Pietrewicz’s family members — including her daughter and only surviving sibling — friends and retired law enforcement.

“I’ve actually learned more about what happened to my mother in these past couple months than I did in 50 years,” said Sandra Blampied, Ms. Pietrewicz’s daughter, who was 11 years old when her mother was last seen.

Mr. Parpan said many more people in the community who think they know what happened to Ms. Pietrewicz can expect revelations.

“And more importantly I think there’s additional details that can still come out if a few people who were close to the situation agree to be interviewed, or if materials from several key points in the investigation are made public by law enforcement,” he said. “Make no mistake about it, though, we have discovered a lot and obtained documents crucial to our reporting. An important story will finally be told.”

Mr. Wick, who learned about Ms. Pietrewicz’s disappearance years ago, made opening a Suffolk Times investigation into the matter his first order of business upon joining the staff as executive editor last month.

“A woman disappeared and her life didn’t seem to matter to a lot of people who were in a position to do something about it,” he said. “We aim to bring some level of closure to a family that has waited more than 50 years for answers.”

Suffolk Times readers interested in sharing information about the case should contact Mr. Wick at 631-354-8048.