Justice can be incredibly slow. Sometimes it takes eight years to even get an arrest. For the residents of Chester County, the name Allen Gould Malvern PA has become synonymous with a mystery that haunted a quiet neighborhood for nearly a decade.
It started in March 2017. Anna Maciejewska, a 43-year-old mother and successful actuary, seemingly vanished. Her husband, Allen Gould, claimed she just drove off to work one morning and never came back. For years, the case sat cold. No body. No weapon. Just a lot of questions and a very suspicious timeline that didn't sit right with anyone who actually knew Anna.
Then, in May 2025, everything changed. Investigators finally moved in, charging Allen Gould with first-degree murder.
The Disappearance That Didn't Make Sense
Anna was organized. She was the kind of person who didn't just "leave." She had a three-year-old son she adored. She had a high-level career at Voya Financial.
Honestly, the story Allen Gould told police was full of holes from day one. He reported her missing on April 12, 2017, but investigators later determined she hadn't been seen by anyone else since late March. Think about that for a second. Your wife is gone for two weeks before you call the cops?
Even weirder was the "birthday text." Anna’s father in Poland received a text message in Polish wishing him a happy birthday around the time she disappeared. The problem? The grammar was all wrong. It wasn't how a native speaker would write. Prosecutors now believe Gould sent that text himself to make it look like Anna was still alive and well.
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Red Flags and the Search for Evidence
It's pretty rare for a murder charge to stick without a body. But the Chester County DA, Christopher de Barrena-Sarobe, decided he had enough. The "totality of circumstances" was just too damning.
Here is what the investigation eventually uncovered:
- The Car: Anna's 2011 Audi A4 was found abandoned in a nearby park, but her keys, cell phone, and passport were still at the house.
- The Search History: Gould’s internet history showed he was looking up some pretty dark stuff.
- The Blue Tarp: Neighbors reported seeing a blue tarp in the yard around the time she went missing.
- The Dog Alert: A cadaver dog alerted police to the presence of human remains at the couple's Malvern home back in 2017, though no body was found during the initial dig.
Basically, Gould tried to play it cool. He told police the car wouldn't start the day she disappeared, but then later said he saw her drive away in it. You can't have it both ways.
A Marriage on the Brink
Why would this happen? Well, the marriage was falling apart.
Friends testified that Anna was planning to leave. She was looking into divorce attorneys. She was unhappy. Investigators found divorce papers in the home, which suggests the "happy family" image was a total facade.
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It’s a classic, tragic trope in true crime—the spouse who would rather commit a permanent crime than deal with the fallout of a legal separation.
Why the Arrest Took Eight Years
You might be wondering why it took until 2025 to put handcuffs on him. Without a body, Pennsylvania law requires a massive mountain of circumstantial evidence to prove a "no-body" homicide.
Prosecutors had to painstakingly rebuild Anna's life and Gould's lies. They had to prove she couldn't be anywhere else. They looked at her bank accounts (untouched), her social security number (never used), and her family ties (completely severed).
When you add up the fake texts, the inconsistent stories about the car, and the fact that he was "uncooperative" with search efforts, the picture becomes pretty clear. Gould even wrote a check for $75,000 to a defense attorney years ago with the memo "trial defense if needed."
Talk about planning ahead.
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The Impact on the Malvern Community
Malvern is a beautiful, tight-knit area. Having a cold case like this looming over the township for eight years was heavy.
For Anna's friends and family back in Poland, the arrest of Allen Gould Malvern PA wasn't just a news headline. It was a long-overdue validation of what they’d suspected all along. Her mother even testified via Zoom during the preliminary hearings, her grief still raw after nearly a decade of not knowing where her daughter’s remains are.
What Happens Next?
The case is currently moving through the Chester County court system. Gould’s defense attorney, Evan Kelly, maintains that the case is built on assumptions and that without a body or a murder weapon, the state can't prove a crime occurred.
But the prosecution is banking on the "lies" being the evidence. In their eyes, the deception is the confession.
Actionable Insights for Following the Case:
- Monitor the Court Docket: If you're local to Chester County, you can track the status of Commonwealth v. Allen Gould through the Pennsylvania Unified Judicial System web portal.
- Support Domestic Violence Awareness: This case highlights the dangerous escalation that can happen when a spouse decides to leave. Organizations like the Domestic Violence Center of Chester County (DVCCC) provide resources for those in similar high-risk situations.
- Report Tips: Even though an arrest has been made, Anna Maciejewska's remains have never been found. If you lived in or near the Charlestown Township area of Malvern in early 2017 and remember anything unusual—specifically involving a blue tarp or activity near the wooded trails—the Pennsylvania State Police (Embreeville barracks) are likely still interested in that information.
Justice is finally moving, but for Anna's family, the story won't really be over until they can bring her home.