A Life Cut Short While Planning To Leave Her Unhappy Marriage

Why Anna Maciejewska's tragic story deserves our attention.

This week, I am pivoting from the light-heartedness of my last couple of newsletters to a serious topic. Today's newsletter highlights the 2017 homicide of Anna Maciejewska, a 43-year-old Polish immigrant who lived with her family in a small suburban town outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

A Personal Connection

I don't personally know Anna or anyone in her family, but this case resonates deeply with me on several levels. My parents came to America as German immigrants with limited social support. They arrived separately (they had yet to meet each other) and had only one relative to call on. It was difficult for them to assimilate without knowing English or having friendships to lean on. After I was born, they moved into a multi-cultural neighborhood and found friends they could rely on in place of family.

As a high school student, I was educated by the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, an order founded by a Polish noblewoman whose mission was to serve the needs of Polish immigrant children and their families in the United States. Decades later, Polish students attended my high school classes, which allowed me to deepen my understanding of the cultural displacement young foreigners experience in our country.

In a random, crazy twist, I discovered a few months ago that my grandfather was born in Poland. So yes, I'm Polish, too, which connects me directly to my former fellow students and Anna's heritage.

What draws me to Anna's story is how it represents countless cases that don't receive national attention. Anna wasn't a celebrity or someone who fit the media's typical persona for high-profile coverage—she was an ordinary mother who found herself in an unhappy marriage, far from her only living relatives in Poland. These stories often go untold, yet they deserve our attention just as much as any headline-grabbing case.

Most importantly, I understand the urgency and secrecy involved in planning your departure from a marriage. As I will mention later in greater detail, Anna was learning everything she could to leave her marriage smartly and safely, as I had done only a few years before her. Many women have made the same careful plans, the quiet tiptoe of preparing logistically, emotionally, and legally while maintaining an outward appearance of normalcy.

Anna's research mirrors my journey—the late-night internet searches, the quiet consultations with professionals, the mental calculations of what you can take and must leave behind.

The time between deciding to leave and actually doing it is particularly vulnerable. It's the most dangerous time when your resolve has crystallized, but your physical safety remains precarious.

I recognize in Anna's methodical preparation the same survival instinct that guided me.

The difference between our stories—that I made it out alive and she didn't—haunts me. It's a stark reminder of how quickly these situations can turn deadly, and that's why I feel compelled to share her story with the urgency it deserves.

This isn't just Anna's story or my story—it's a narrative shared by too many women whose names we'll never know.

The Timeline

Anna moved from Poland to the U.S. in 1997 and married Allen Gould in 2006. They had a son together who was four years old at the time of her disappearance.

Before vanishing, Anna had taken some time off from work. The last time she verbally communicated with anyone outside her household was on March 28, 2017. Her husband claimed he last saw her on April 10, 2017, when she left their home in Charlestown Township, Pennsylvania.

Anna was an actuary who was supposed to return to work at Voya Financial in West Chester that day but never arrived. The next day, after she had missed work again, her employer reported her missing.

Anna's navy blue 2011 Audi A4 was found abandoned two miles from her home on May 8, 2017, in an overflow parking lot near neighborhood walking trails. A search of the area turned up no indication of her whereabouts. A cadaver dog alerted to the smell of human remains in the trunk, and her purse—with ID, cash, and credit cards—was locked inside.

Final Communications

Anna's elderly parents live in Poland, and she communicated with them regularly. She spoke to her mother on the phone on March 27 about coming to Poland for a surprise visit for her father's birthday. The next day, she said she had to delay her trip due to work obligations.

On March 29, Anna's father received a birthday text from her phone with an uncharacteristic number of mistakes for someone whose native language was Polish. Police later determined the same message had been researched via Google Translate and found printed out in the couple's home.

On Saturday, April 1, Anna's mother called Allen and asked to speak to her daughter. Allen said Anna would call her on Monday. When her mother called back on Monday, Allen reported that Anna "didn't come back," and he had no idea where she was. When her mother asked if he'd called the police, he said he was too busy with work and caring for their four-year-old son.

The Investigation

When officers responded to their home for the missing person's report, they noticed Anna's iPhone and iPad on the kitchen table. Her phone had been reset to the factory settings, and all her belongings remained in the home.

Law enforcement found divorce paperwork at the home and evidence that Anna was taking a class called "Divorce 101." Her internet history revealed she had visited over 150 websites about divorce, emotional and psychological abuse, narcissistic personality disorder, domestic abuse vs. normal marital conflict, and how to divorce an emotionally abusive husband. This methodical research reveals Anna's detail-oriented nature and suggests the turmoil she was experiencing in her marriage.

The reality is that emotional abuse often goes unreported—there isn't a clear pathway for reporting it, like there is for physical violence. Anna's internet trail suggests she was carefully preparing for the challenges she anticipated in leaving her marriage. She was arming herself with knowledge, which speaks to her character and the seriousness of the situation.

Police stated Gould was initially cooperative in the investigation but, within a month, had hired an attorney and stopped talking to police. He wrote a check for a criminal defense attorney, clicked on an article about strangulation, and got a second cellphone.

Recent Developments

After eight long years, during which it seemed the case had gone cold, Allen Gould, 60, was arrested on May 14, 2025, and charged with first- and third-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, false reports, and other offenses in the death of Anna.

To date, her body has never been found.

Even though it seemed that the case had come to a dead end, I'm relieved and heartened that the investigators had continued working on it all these years, even without the discovery of Anna's remains. It's a testament to their commitment that they persisted until they gathered enough evidence to bring charges.

Community Response

Anna's disappearance touched many in the local community. A Facebook page called "Finding Anna" was created, where volunteers posted updates on the case. They also put up signs with Anna's image and information requesting details on her whereabouts. The group commemorated her first birthday after she disappeared and organized searches, of which my husband participated in one.

Friends of Anna have remained steadfast advocates for justice, attending Allen's recent arraignment and committing to represent Anna at upcoming hearings. Their continued presence ensures that Anna is not forgotten and has kept pressure on authorities to continue bringing justice to her and her family.

In a tragic twist, Allen has been the primary caretaker of their child since Anna's disappearance. This child has now spent most of their life without their mother and with a father, who is now charged with murder.

What We Can Do

If Anna's story has moved you as it has moved me, there are ways you can make a difference:

• Support Missing Persons Organizations: The Charley Project (charleyproject.org), which I referenced in this newsletter, maintains a database of over 16,000 missing persons cases. Consider supporting their work or similar organizations.

• Know the Warning Signs: Familiarize yourself with the warning signs of emotional abuse and coercive control. Resources like the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-SAFE) provide information that could help someone you know.

• Check In on Others: People isolated from family and support networks, like Anna was from her parents in Poland, are particularly vulnerable. A simple check-in with neighbors, friends, or colleagues who seem isolated can make a difference.

• Support Immigrant Communities: Consider volunteering with or donating to organizations that help immigrants build community connections and access resources in their new home countries.

• Visit "Finding Anna": Learn more about ongoing advocacy efforts for Anna and show support for those working to ensure her story isn't forgotten. Check out the Facebook Page for Anna Maciejewska here.

I'll provide updates in future newsletters as this case progresses through the legal system. Until then, let's remember Anna not just as a victim but as a thoughtful mother who was carefully planning for a better future—a future she tragically never got to experience.

Here are my sources for this article:

https://charleyproject.org/case/anna-bronislawa-maciejewska

https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-arrested-murder-wife-vanished-2017-allegedly-faked/story?id=121830065

https://www.dailylocal.com/2017/07/29/friends-of-missing-charlestown-woman-make-birthday-wish-for-her-return/

https://websleuths.com/threads/pa-anna-maciejewska-43-chester-county-10-april-2017-arrest-2.413762/page-18

https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/allen-gould-anna-maciejewska-malvern-murder/