REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. He had known drug problems. Mystery! . On a cold, drizzly Friday afternoon in May 1981, two 12-year-old girls from the village of Essex Junction, Vt., set out on their walk home from school. A logger found her remains on April 25, 1986, in Unity, New Hampshire. The first victim, the investigation only later concluded shed been murdered by a serial killer. One of the dissappeared, Paul Jepson, is believed to have been abducted, as detectives made it to the middle of the trail when his scent mysteriously ended. He will walk out on Sept. 10, 1983, not only free but without a criminal record. The crime traumatized this pastoral state of birch and mountains and Morgan horses, brought hard-line changes to its laws and left its people confused and bitter. This crime differed from the others but was linked based on timing, the nature of the vicious assault and the description of the attacker. Text is available under the . Letters and personal anecdotes were sent to editors. What is believed, though, is that robbery was the work of a criminal organization. She was last seen by a friend who dropped her off near exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike. Boroski had no idea what he was talking about but told him she didnt know his girlfriend. Feedback Survey, Please click here to visit the Agency of Administration's Public Record Request Database. In a matter of 5 years from 1945 - 1950, 5 people vanished on separate occasions in the exact same part of southern Vermont surrounding Glastonbury Mountain. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Montpelier, Vermont, murders tend to be significantly less common than homicides inmany other Vermont areas, most likelydue to the citys very smallsize and population. *Note: Picture above taken by Sandra Mansi in 1977 is believed to be the ACTUAL Champ. Frieds cause of death is still considered undetermined. Her cause of death was ruled undetermined. *Note: picture not of the actual skull. Louis Hamlin III, 17, of Burlington, showed no emotion Friday night as the Windsor County Superior Court jury found him guilty of first-degree murder and aggravated sexual assault in the attack last year on two 12-year-old Essex schoolgirls. Death investigations are categorized through investigation. Boroski responded that she had New Hampshire plates, but this did not deter her attacker, who proceeded to stab her 27 times before driving away and leaving her to die. Boroski drove straight to her friends house, who lived two miles away, panicked and bloody. She had been stabbed repeatedly in the neck and chest. While there is still no way to determine exactly how many murders in Vermont 2021 or how many murders in Montpelier, Vermont, 2021, we can determine that the murder rate as well as the violent crime rate appear to remain constant in both Montpelier and Vermont as a whole, based on archived reports. Dig deeper The next day, her body, with at least twenty-nine stab wounds, was found only yards away from where she was last seen. Murder! That evening, her husband returned home an hour after she was last seen to find his wife's dead body in the living room, bearing twenty-five knife wounds. In the museum itself, the spaces where the paintings once hung remain blank a stark and sad reminder of what was lost. [9] Boroski was able to provide authorities with a composite sketch and the first three characters of the attacker's license plate. Of course, Vermont is absolutely not the exception. While we dont know exactly how many murders have occurred in Washington County in recent years based on previous FBI Unified Crime Reports, we do know that there have been no murders in Washington County from 2016-2019. In the end, investigators from various investigative and law enforcement agencies across the state will continue to investigate the remaining unsolved cases until they can solve all of Vermonts true crimes. At 16 years old,Bernice Courtemanchewas already working as a nurse's aide. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Judges are handing down stiffer jail terms for a broad range of crimes. The 15-year-old girl spent 15 days in jail. The next day, her body was found in a swampy area behind Hartland Elementary School. People talk now of locking doors that were never locked before, of putting people in jail and throwing away the key, of fears that once were the province only of residents of big cities in other states. Shes put together facts and taken them to the New Hampshire authorities, and they paint a damning portrait of the prime suspect, who has never been officially ruled out. Thirty years ago, Sarah Hunter was living the dream in her first year as a head golf professional of a country club just off Vermont's Historic State Route 7A. Using Michelles notes, often kept in baby books, Carty recreated a general picture of Michaels whereabouts and movements in the 1980s. This information was passed on to Carty and eventually to the of the New Hampshire State Police. A couple of the cases where Montpelier murders DNA as well as DNA from crimes in other parts of Vermont was used to solve or bring new information to cold cases include the 1982 murder of Pamela Brown and the 1986 murder of Sarah Hunter. Thats when Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby, were hacked to death with an ax. Lizzie died of pneumonia in Fall River on June 1, 1927. [4], On June 24, 1989, decomposed body parts consisting of arms and legs belonging to a woman were found dumped alongside Massachusetts Route 78 in Warwick, Massachusetts, less than a mile from the New Hampshire border. It is a rollout . He stalked his victims, in the case of Aileen, who he tracked down to Florida. A neighbor has seen him alive the day before but family members weren't able to provide much other details, leaving a dead case unable to be closed. DPS Home; VSP Home; . Reporters pressed him: what about a Vermont case? By TRACY SCHMALER Vermont Press Bureau In 1981, the Vermont Legislature worked from the gut. On June 27, 2000, 16-year-old Molly Bish ofWarren, Massachusetts, vanished without a trace. Westover told Minnon that he was forced to participate in Barbara's murder. Homicides across Vermont have also skyrocketed this year. He got back in his vehicle and drove off. It allows judges the discretion to try youths over the age of 10 in adult court for serious ''personal'' crimes. | He was identified as a suspect just two weeks after his in-laws were killed but investigators were unable to establish a conclusive link to the murders, say police. His mother later remarried a third time. Louise was married to one of the Peacocks daughters at the time of the murders, according to the news release. Through Rose, she gained access to most of Michelles personal belongings and records, including a storage unit she shared with Michael. Catherine and George Peacock were stabbed to death at their home in 1989. Dinosaur bones of the basilosaurus, an extinct snake-whale animal, have been discovered in nearby Charlotte. She was quoted in the Brattleboro Reformer in 2007 as saying, I have no doubt in my mind [it was Nicholoau]. She identified the vehicle as a Jeep Wagoneer, the same one he drove at the time, and was able to remember three letters of the license plate. For example, evidence can range anywhere from DNA evidence, such as blood and saliva, to digital evidence, such as cell phone pings. In summary, there were only about 524 murders in Vermont from 1980 to 2019. She did not reach her destination and was subsequently reported missing. Victims were randomly targeted by an unknown serial killer who seemed to be targeting nurses, but none of the murders have been solved despite DNA and fingerprints on file. Owing to the condition of the body, the medical examiner was unable to determine a cause of death.[1][2]. The Connecticut River Valley Killer hated women and took whatever opportunity arose to abduct, kill, and dump their bodies. The crime scene suggested a fierce struggle had taken place. Because he was not yet 16, Vermont law prohibited any punishment other than his detention in a juvenile center until his 18th birthday. Death investigations are categorized through investigation. 1971 - Lynne Schulze, 18, - Middlebury, Vermont Lynne Schulze grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, and was an eighteen-year-old freshman at Middlebury College in Vermont when she disappeared on Friday, December 10, 1971. She was employed by a publishing company in New London. On February 20, 1980 a young woman picked up Towne hitchhiking on a toll bridge . The 1988 murder of Chantel Saurial, the 1993 murder of Angela Blouin, the 1984 murder of Maram Hanel, the 2005 murder of Kenneth Jerome, and the 2012 murder of Christopher Muir Davis, along with the well-known unsolved disappearance of Brianna Maitland, are a few of the remaining unsolved northern Vermont murders which can occasionally be found within Project: Cold Cases database as well as cold case lists produced by law enforcement agencies in Vermont. He was born Aug Edward Stafford, a career criminal and sex offender with who Michael lived for the first four years of his life. Copyright 2023 Empire Media Group, Inc. Front Page Detectives is a registered trademark. Specifically, the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report makes a great resource for examining exactly what kinds of crime in Vermont occur frequently across the state, in addition to revealing the crime rates for each area within the state. [4] On October 5, 1982, 76-year-old Sylvia Gray was found bludgeoned and stabbed to death in a wooded area, a few hundred yards from her home in Plainfield, New Hampshire, a day after having been reported missing. This area, named "The Bennington Triangle" by Joseph Citro still leaves people puzzled as to where these people went, since none were ever found. Telephone - 802-244-8727. That evening, a snowplow driver encountered her green BMW at a northbound I-91 rest stop in Hartford, Vermont. No sentencing date was set. In the mid 1980s, three young women disappeared around Claremont. When Moore was found by her husband around 4 p.m., it appeared the killer had broken into the house via the patio door. In February 2012, a skull was found on the side of the road in Danby. Along with this, New Hampshire's most famous missing persons case is the 2004 disappearance of Maura Murray, who vanished in rural North . Postmortem examination found evidence of knife wounds to Morse's chest and neck. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. He was seen skulking around the neighborhood near the Moore home. Boroski struggled, and the man accused her of beating up his girlfriend and asked if she had Massachusetts plates on her car. Vermonters' patience with crimes, even those committed by very young people, is gone. Mystery! Just kidding. However, this has not been confirmed. Adnan Syed, whose case was chronicled in the hit podcast "Serial," smiles and waves as he leaves the courthouse after a judge overturned Syed's 2000 murder conviction and ordered a new trial during a hearing at the Baltimore City Circuit Courthouse in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S., September 19, 2022. The vastmajority of both the recent and decades-old murdersin Montpelier, Vermont, have already been solved, as authorities continue to look into the statesremaining unsolvedcases. Westover provided the names of the three friends. The diary relates that when the writer returned to the community the following May, all the frozen old people were brought inside and placed in tubs of warm water with hemlock boughs until they revived, after which they went about their business rather refreshed by their long sleep of four months.. Miss Walbridge and her best friend, Meghan O'Rourke, now 13, were ambushed by two men as they took a wooded shortcut home from school. 3) The Murder of Dean Webster Savage Watch - Vermont's Cold Cases A friend found Dean in his backyard in Rochester on November 11, 2011 with a deadly gunshot wound. And because all these have not proved to be solutions to the rising crime, and rising fear, in a once-sheltered corner of the country, the ripples continue. Michael is tied geographically to the border between New Hampshire and Vermont and lived close to I-91. In 2018, the violent crime rate in Montpelier, Vermont, was roughly 94.16 per 100,000 residents, and the Montpelier, Vermont, murders rate was 0 per 100,000 residents in 2018. See Calhoun v. State, 397 So.2d 1152, 1153 (Fla.Dist.Ct.App.1981) (because decision regarding which court should prosecute juvenile does not create a new element of the crime or have . Found guilty of firstdegree murder, he was sentenced Thursday to 45 years-to-life, a term attorneys on both sides have called the harshest in recent Vermont history. Advances in forensic technology over the past decades allowed investigators to match the blood to George, police said. She fled, running toward the dark road, but he caught up and continued stabbing her. Love Vermont? If youhave any interest in true crime, youre probably interested in cold cases as well as solved cases, which may be a part of anylist of all murdersinVermont. His name is James Savage. Those four killings were committed with a .22 caliber sawed-off rifle, which led to the nickname .22-Caliber Killer. Boroski finally reached her friend's home at which the occupants immediately came to her aid. Hamlin faces a mandatory life sentence, but could be eligible for parole. April 28 (UPI) -- A South Carolina woman won a $300,000 prize from a scratch-off lottery ticket just three years after winning a $250,000 lottery jackpot. Published Her corpse was found where she was last seen, a day later. 4:04 AM EDT, Sat October 15, 2022. However, Minnon felt that authorities were not interested in his information. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime communitytogether we can do better. Her disappearance came a day after the blond-haired teen had started working as a lifeguard at a pond in her hometown. April 28 (UPI) -- A British piercing enthusiast broke his own Guinness World Record when the number of flesh tunnels in his face increased to 17. The case continues to frustrate investigators and victims families and is especially difficult for Boroski, the lone survivor. On April 25, 1986, Morse's remains were found by loggers about 500 feet (150m) from where Critchley's body had been discovered in 1981. Her attacker apparently performed a U-turn and slowly passed by the house as Boroski was tended to before speeding away into the night. Here's why. 'In the end, you have a body twitching,' he said. The unit assists federal agencies, municipal police agencies and county sheriff's offices upon request. Another great example is Project: Cold Case, which not only maintains a public database of nearly 25,000 unsolved cases, but also provides statistics and other information on the number of unsolved murders in every state in the United States, as well as the homicide clearance rate for each state. S.C. woman wins $300,000 lottery prize -- her second jackpot in 3 years. Moore lived in quiet Saxtons River, Vermont, and one calm, sunny spring day was working in her front yard. He seemed to lose interest as Boroski gave up the fight. The paintings included worksby Vermeer, Rembrandt, Degas,and Manet. On the road she was stuck behind a vehicle she soon realized was her attacker, but she made it to her destination, later getting life-saving care at the hospital. . Crime Prevention; Licensing, Permits & Safety Programs; Search Submit. In Saxtons River, Vermont, the killer changed tactics to murder Lynda Moore during a home invasion in April 1986. Her reasons for pulling into the rest stop have puzzled investigators.[8]. The crime scene revealed Agnew had been repeatedly stabbed in the skull. Nick Nicholaou was a teenager when he discovered his adopted family stepmom Aileen and older stepsister Terrin were dead. 1 killed in shooting at Massachusetts house party, Biden shows support for free press at White House Correspondents' dinner, Google Doodle pays tribute to late actor Alan Rickman, Heavy shelling in Kherson, Kharkiv destroys residences, Cuba postpones International Workers' Day parade over fuel shortages. The evidence, which is often cited in Washington County homicide trials, is entirely dependent on characteristics of the crime itself. Baltimore prosecutors drop all charges against Adnan Syed, 'Serial' podcast subject. The diary goes on to describe how, during that evening, the drugged people were stripped of all clothing except a single garment, carried outside into the bitter-cold air, and placed on logs. Intrigue! People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. [4][15], Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of fugitives from justice who disappeared, List of serial killers in the United States, "New England Unsolved: The Valley Killer, part 1", "Mary Elizabeth Critchey (Cold Case Unit: NH Department of Justice)", "New interest in Connecticut River Valley serial killings", "Savage Watch - Massachusett's Cold Cases Page 3", "MA MA - Warwick, WhtFem, dismembered, at Route 78 rest area, Jun '89", "Skeleton is identified as missing N.H. girl", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Connecticut_River_Valley_Killer&oldid=1148184093, This page was last edited on 4 April 2023, at 15:40. Critchley was 37 years old and a student at the University of Vermont. Authorities announce theyve solved 1972 murder of Massachusetts woman, but suspect won't be charged. DisasterCenter.com developed the following table to rank the rates of crime in Vermont over time in relation to the rates of crime of other States . Most, if not all, unsolved Vermont murders can generally be found on the websites of various local and county law enforcement agencies. Homicides investigated by the Vermont State Police are assigned to our Major Crime Unit. If you enjoy true crime, you might be at leastsomewhat fascinated by serial killersas well. Many of the victims were nurses. At the time of the murders,he was working at the fishing docks in Portsmouth. After speaking for a few minutes longer, Fried concluded the call. Only $20, people! The prosecutor likened the attack to a little boy who catches a fly, pulls off its wings and then pulls out its legs, one by one. While Vermont can be a very quiet and tranquil place where youd think nothing could happen, unfortunately some strange things have been known to occur that simply cannot be explained.