HOULTON, MAINE: Jayme Schnackenberg, a 39-year-old man from Monticello, Maine, has been arrested and charged with the alleged murder of his girlfriend, Kimberley Hardy. Forty-two-year-old Hardy was undergoing cancer treatment when she mysteriously vanished earlier this month. Schnackenberg appeared in Houlton District Court on Monday, June 26, where he was held without bail in the Aroostook County jail. Maine Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea requested a Harnish bail hearing, a proceeding that allows the state to present evidence of probable cause for a capital offense.
Harnish bail hearing
According to Maine law, in a Harnish bail proceeding, the state is offered the opportunity to obtain a judicial finding of probable cause that the defendant has committed a capital offense, and the defendant, at the same proceeding, can rebut the case against themselves. Maine Assistant Attorney General Leane Zainea requested the hearing. During the hearing on Monday, June 26, Schnackenberg's temporary attorney, Jeff Pickering, said, "I told him it would be to his advantage to wait until the Harnish bail hearing," explaining that the defendant questioned the contents of the probable cause affidavit, per Bangor Daily News.
Schnackenberg was charged with intentionally and knowingly causing the death of Hardy, Judge Sarah Gilbert stated, noting that the charge comes with a potential life sentence. Hardy's mother reported her missing on June 18, expressing concern as she hadn't heard from her daughter for several days. The Houlton Police Department's missing person post revealed that Hardy left her vehicle, her cat, and crucial personal belongings, including cancer medication, at home.
What happened to Kimberly Hardy?
Authorities initiated an extensive search for Hardy, involving the Maine State Police Troop F, Computer Crimes Unit, Maine Warden Service, and Maine State Police Major Crimes Unit North. The investigation led them to focus on New Limerick, where Hardy was last seen on the night of June 16. Hardy's short hair, a result of ongoing cancer treatment, made her look distinctive, even in a crowd. It remains unclear whether she had her medication with her at the time of her disappearance. Tragically, her lifeless body was discovered in a wooded area off Harvey Sliding Road in Monticello by game wardens, according to local news station WGME.
The Maine State Police, along with the Evidence Response Team and police detectives, continue to investigate various scenes related to the case. Hardy's body was scheduled to be transported to the state medical examiner's office in Augusta for an autopsy to determine the cause of death and confirm her identity. The results of the autopsy are still pending at the time of publication.
Bail hearing to be scheduled
Schnackenberg's bail hearing has yet to be scheduled, but according to Maine law, it must take place within five days. His relationship with Hardy, which started in February 2022, was publicly known as they posted about each other on Facebook. It also emerged that Schnackenberg shared the Maine State Police's original alert about Hardy's disappearance on his own Facebook page on June 20, per the New York Post. That said, as the investigation unfolds and authorities gather more evidence, the community remains stunned by the tragic loss of Kimberley Hardy, a woman fighting cancer, who was allegedly murdered by her own lover.
