Assassinations in New Hampshire: authorities identify three of four victims in the "cold" case

Authorities revealed Thursday that they had identified three of the four victims in the very cold case known as Murder in Bear Brook.

By the time she and her children were gone, she had a boyfriend, Terry Rasmussen, nicknamed "Bob Evans" in New Hampshire, who, according to authorities, reportedly killed the four victims before moving to California and was found dead. murder his wife decades later.

Evans died of natural causes in 2010 while he was serving time in California for the murder of his wife.

Graying discoveries, 15 years apart

During the deer season in November 1985, an Allenstown hunter found a steel drum containing the remains of a woman and a girl in Bear Brook National Park, famous for its peat bogs, lakes and its trails. It was thought that the woman was between 23 and 33, when she was between 9 and 10 years old.

The investigators examined the case but failed to resolve it.

Then, in 2000, a soldier who was examining the cold file encountered another barrel with two other bodies: a girl aged 3 or 4 and another about 2 or 3 years old.

Authorities determined that the woman, the eldest, and the youngest child were related.

DNA tests confirmed that Rasmussen was the biological father of the middle child, who had no biological connection with the other three victims. The identity of his mother is still unknown and investigators say they continue to search for answers about him.

How the victims were identified

Marlyse Honeychurch and her two daughters were identified through a combination of information from their family, DNA tests, genealogical research and the work of a librarian.

In late 2017, Rebekah Heath, a librarian who had a "hobby for missing persons," posted a message on a descent display board regarding a woman named Marlyse McWaters and her Sarah's daughter, according to the New Hampshire State Police Sgt. Matthew Koehler.

Heath responded by asking if both could be the victims found in Allenstown, but never heard back.

About a year later, Heath was listening to a podcast about the Bear Brook murders when she remembered an ancestry poster board posted in 2000 about Sarah McWaters, said Koehler. She contacted the person who wrote this message to ask him questions.

This person identified Terry Rasmussen as the last person to have had contact with Marylse. Although they were not aware of Rasmussen's criminal history, Heath was, said Koehler.

CNN reached out to Heath but had no answer.

The next day, California investigators alerted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of its potential role. Honeychurch and her two daughters were identified as having been last seen with Rasmussen towards Thanksgiving in 1978.

Investigators in New Hampshire began investigating Honeychurch's life, interviewing family and friends, and collecting DNA samples from relatives.

Thanks to advances in DNA technology, researchers have been able to obtain DNA profiles of degraded remains. Barbara Rae-Venter, a genealogical genealogist who also helped solve the Golden State Killer case, was able to confirm the identity of the victims by researching the DNA databases, according to Strelzin. This, coupled with information provided by another researcher and DNA samples from the family, allowed them to make the final decision.