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New Hampshire Cold Cases

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New Hampshire Murders

If you’re curious about the number of murders in New Hampshire by year, you may find reports and data on the websites of several law enforcement and investigating organizations. Uniform Crime Reports from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are released to the public every year and include a wealth of information on criminal activity across the country. From 1980 to 2019, there were 946 homicides in New Hampshire. After around 635 of those murders were solved, the remaining 311 are still labeled as unsolved murders in New Hampshire.

Among many of the cases included on various law enforcement lists, and other public databases, are some of the many unsolved murders in northern New Hampshire, including the 1987 murder of Raymond Breault, the 1991 murder of Maurice Giguere, and the 2015 murder of David Oldham, as well as the mysterious 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray. Others on these lists are the various unsolved central New Hampshire murders, including the 1991 murder of Lisa Wright, the 1985 murder of John Crawford, the 2010 murder of Roberta Miller, the 1989 murder of Angel Hazelton, the 1977 murder of Francis “Frank” Sidoti, the 1988 murder of Gregory LeFevre, and the 1993 murder of Diethelm Baumann, among countless others. Additionally, some of the unsolved murders in Concord, New Hampshire, which can also be found within different databases or on various law enforcement websites, include the 1975 murder of Judy Lord, the 1989 murder of Sonya Moore, and the 1989 suspicious death of David Braley, among a few others. Finally, some unsolved murders in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, include the 1981 murder of Carl LeChel, the 1971 murder of Kathy Lynn Gloddy, the 1969 murder of Luella Blakeslee, the 1966 murder of Everett Delano, and the 1993 murder of Jerry Riley, among many others.


Unsolved New Hampshire Murders

Currently, there are around 311 New Hampshire cold cases, according to Project: Cold Case, a significantly lower number than the state previously had, thanks to the work of law enforcement and the advancements in things such as DNA technology. Several of the unsolved murders in New Hampshire can be found put together in an organized manner by many local and county law enforcement websites, within Project: Cold Case’s unsolved homicide database, and on the New Hampshire State Police’s cold cases website.

A few of the many northern New Hampshire unsolved murders that are listed on various law enforcement websites include the 1987 murder of Raymond Breault, the 1991 murder of Maurice Giguere, and the 2015 murder of David Oldham, in addition to the mysterious 2004 unsolved disappearance of Maura Murray. Also among the lists are unsolved murders Concord, New Hampshire, which include the 1975 murder of Judy Lord, the 1989 murder of Sonya Moore, and the 1989 suspicious death of David Braley, among a few others. In addition to those previously mentioned, other unsolved murders New Hampshire included in the lists of cold cases are the many east New Hampshire unsolved murders. These include the 1990 murder of Sheila Holmes, the 2000 murder of Jeffrey Trudeau, Jr., the 1972 murder of Arlene Clevesy, the 1974 double murder of Ellen and Maurice Wilkinson, and the 1977 murder of Shari Roth, among countless others.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous New Hampshire Murders

Although you may not initially be able to think of any famous New Hampshire murders, more than likely a few of the names that can be found on the list of all murders in New Hampshire, list of New Hampshire murders, lists of notorious New Hampshire criminals, and list of murders in New Hampshire, have seemingly become fairly well known. Some of these very well-known, or infamous, New Hampshire murders include the 1975 unsolved murder of Judy Lord, the 2010 murder of Lynne Brennan, and the 1980/1984 Bear Brook murders, among others. Along with this, New Hampshire’s most famous missing persons case is the 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray, who vanished in rural North Haverhill, New Hampshire, without a trace after a minor car accident.


Homicide Rate in New Hampshire

In 2019, the violent crime rate in New Hampshire was at around 152.5 per 100,000 people, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s 2019 Uniform Crime Report (UCR). In summary, violent crime, which includes assault, rape, burglary, and homicide, in New Hampshire in 2019 harmed around 152 people per 100,000 population. According to the same data, the homicide rate in New Hampshire was approximately 2.4 per 100,000 people in 2019. So, in New Hampshire, around 2 people per 100,000 were killed in 2019.

Concord, the state capital of New Hampshire, has a population of about 44,000 inhabitants now, according to the most recent census. Contrast this with the 0 murders per 100,000 people being the Corcord, New Hampshire, murders rate in 2018 and the 239.14 violent crimes per 100,000 residents being the violent crime rate in Concord, New Hampshire, the same year. In Concord, New Hampshire, the homicide rate appears to be growing every year, even though we have no way of confirming how many murders in New Hampshire 2021 or how many murders in Concord, New Hampshire 2021.

Merrimack County Murders

Over 152,000 people live in Merrimack County, New Hampshire, as of their latest census. However, based on FBI Uniform Crime Reports from previous years, it appears that there have been very few Merrimack County murders, and their crime trends reflect that. In certain homicide cases, investigators are able to gather enough Merrimack County murders evidence to charge a suspect with the offense and send them to Merrimack County murders trial. The evidence that is frequently presented in Merrimack County homicide trials is entirely reliant on the nature and characteristics of the crime. For example, evidence might include blood, saliva, sperm, skin cells, or other types of DNA evidence, and even cell phone pings, but almost always includes Merrimack County murders crime scene photos, which illustrate to the jury the atmosphere around the crime, the location of any items of evidence around the scene, and can even tell a story of what happened, and how the crime took place.


Concord, New Hampshire Murders

Concord, New Hampshire, murders appear to be more prevalent than murders in many other New Hampshire cities, seemingly due to its size and population. Many recent and decades-old murders in Concord, New Hampshire, have been solved, or have seen some form of resolution, and law enforcement is still looking into the few unsolved crimes. As expected, Concord murders discussion will continue on social media sites such as Reddit and Websleuths, where people speculate and share information about Concord murders pictures, Concord murders crime scene photos, and Concord, New Hampshire, murders autopsy photos, which are commonly not made available to the general public even after an investigation concludes.

In the past few years, DNA technology has resulted in the resolution of hundreds, if not thousands, of decades-old cold cases, and New Hampshire is no different. The 1987 murder of Judith Whitney, the 1966 murder of Everett Delano, and even the identification of the three Bear Brook victims, Marylse Elizabeth Honeychurch and her two daughters, Marie Elizabeth Vaughn and Sarah Kyn, are just a few of the many cases where Concord murders DNA, as well as DNA from crimes in other parts of New Hampshire, was used to solve or bring new information to cold cases.


New Hampshire Serial Killers

Throughout history, New Hampshire has had more than its fair share of New Hampshire killers. The most well-known New Hampshire serial murderers may be found on just about any type of serial killer list, including a list of serial killers in New Hampshire and New Hampshire serial killer lists. Some of the most notorious New Hampshire serial killers who frequently appear on these lists are as follows: Terry Peder Rasmussen, who murdered at least six people from 1978-2002; and the Connecticut River Killer, who remains unidentified, and is believed to have killed at least six women along the New Hampshire and Vermont border.


Crimes in New Hampshire

Multiple local, state, and federal law enforcement and investigative agencies have wonderful resources on their websites that you may visit to learn more about the various types and frequencies of crime in New Hampshire, including yearly crime reports. These yearly reports, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report, frequently include the many categories of crimes as well as their associated crime rates and data. The FBI report provides the same information in their reports for numerous towns and counties in every state in the United States, including a report dedicated to crime in New Hampshire.

Unfortunately, it appears that there will not be an end to the number of New Hampshire homicide and true crime stories in New Hampshire. According to Project: Cold Case’s unsolved homicide statistics webpage, there were about 946 homicides in New Hampshire between 1980 and 2019. Approximately 635 of the homicides were solved or saw some form of resolution throughout the years, leaving approximately 311 unsolved murders in New Hampshire alone. Despite this, New Hampshire’s numerous law enforcement agencies will never stop working and using all of the resources available to them in order to solve all of New Hampshire’s true crimes.

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Additional New Hampshire Cold Cases