Vanished in Massachusetts: The Cold Case of Paul Rudolph Alwardt

Between the years of 1971–2005, terror haunted the town of Falmouth, Massachusetts. Melvin Reine, a businessman who owned a trash hauling business, seemed to be at the center of a lot of that terror.

Paul Rudolph Alward was a teenage boy working for Melvin Reine in the 1970s. Paul was also a ward of the state.

Details of Paul’s life aren’t clear. We can only say for certain that Paul was in the care of the Massachusetts Department of Children and Family Services during this time.

In March of 1978, Paul was no longer working for Mr. Reine. In fact, Paul knew the details of the business that Melvin Reine was running. Reine had been rigging bids with the city, using his local connections.

Paul was going to testify against Reine during this trial, which was upcoming.

Because Reine had a reputation in the area, the police decided that Paul needed extra protection and safety.

On March 31, 1978, the local police escorted Paul to the Ferry that would take him to Martha’s Vineyard where he could stay with some relatives. The hope was that Paul would be safe there until he testified against Mr. Reine.