Families, Friends Of NH Cold Case Victims Call For Reforms At Attorney General’s Office

CONCORD, NH — Years, and decades, actually, of frustration concerning missing persons and murder victims in New Hampshire, without prosecutions or even proper communication from officials or advocacy, boiled over in front of the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office in Concord Tuesday.

Families and friends of several unsolved homicide cases gathered with advocates, activists, true crime enthusiasts, and the media, pressing two officials from the state on the lack of accountability with their cases. The families, friends, and advocates began communicating earlier this year and found they had common frustrations with the lack of transparency and justice in their cases. There are more than 130 cold cases and unsolved murders in New Hampshire.

The victims’ families included Trish Haynes, who was found dismembered inside a washing machineat Grant’s Pond in Grafton in September 2018; Maura Murray, the UMass-Amherst student who went missing in the North Country in February 2004; and Jane Boroski, who was stabbed 27 times in August 1988 and survived at the hands of the Connecticut River Valley serial killer, responsible for several deaths in both New Hampshire and Vermont. The family of Carrie Moss, a teenager from New Boston who went missing in July 1989 and whose body was found two years later, was also in attendance, as was the brother of Roberta “Bobbie” Miller, who was found killed inside her Gilford home in October 2010. Two sisters spoke on behalf of their brother, Jason Upton, who was found dead in the Merrimack River near the Suncook Village in August 2009. There were also advocates for several other unsolved killings, including Lorne Boulet of Chichester, who was missing for nearly five years before being found in Concord; Denise Robert of Bedford, who was killed in Manchester in August 2015; and David and Deborah Carreau, who were shot and killed in their Goffstown home in May 1993.

All of their cases are unsolved.

Advocates pointed to the lack of communication about their cases, tips they received from others that were ignored, disrespectful treatment, and other issues inside the agency and with police departments.

Attendees met before the event with Michael Garrity, the public information officer for the Department of Justice, and Myles Matteson, a deputy general counsel, and were disappointed John Formella, the attorney general, was not in attendance.

Emotions ran high as several stated they felt as if they were ignored.

Boroski said she had been getting the runaround for years from police and the department, even with something as simple as obtaining a copy of her case file.

“How is that right?,” she asked. “I think that’s a major issue.”

Dionne countered, “Every one of us here has the same story. You guys are all smoke and mirrors.”

At least one advocate for Haynes, Chloe French, got into a back-and-forth with a member of the press, Ray Duckler, a columnist from the Concord Monitor, about inaccuracy in the newspaper’s prior reporting. Duckler apologized for one mistake but requested other examples and challenged French when she refused to rattle off past issues or his questions.

“We’re not here to discuss your inabilities,” she said. “I can (answer your question), but I’m not wasting my time. This is not the Ray Duckler show.”

Others told Duckler to stop badgering French so she could finish speaking with state officials, and he did.

Several dozen attendees marched along Capitol Street for one block before offering speeches and requesting accountability.

Speaking on behalf of Maura Murray’s family, Julie Murray said the family had been waiting for nearly two decades for some resolution to the case. She said the family was told to give the investigators time, which they had done — for 19 years. What they feared, she said, was the case would languish “in the bowels of that building, collecting dust,” while pointing to the NH DOJ on Capitol Street. Maura Murray’s case file has been kept secret all during that time despite repeated requests and two lawsuits. Recent tips, she said, were sent to the detective working on the case for more than a decade but went unanswered. Later, she found out the investigator had retired — but no one bothered to tell the family.

“It’s unacceptable,” she said.

French said it had been 2,035 days since Haynes’ body was found, with limited-to-no follow-up. The only people, she said, who had been investigating the case, were family members. French said they were given the same script every time advocates or the family reached out to Formella and Gov. Chris Sununu. She’s heard it so many times she had it memorized. French said the family even had evidence, including a cell phone, and yet New Hampshire State Police had not made the time to come pick it up to investigate it.

“We were told to keep our mouths shut, to not botch the investigation, and we have done that, and look where we are now,” she said. “The state of New Hampshire’s justice system is a joke and their victims’ advocacy program is insulting.”

Valorie Haynes Alverez, Haynes’ aunt, said the family had so much evidence, and no one was trying to solve the case. She said her niece was chopped up, put in a washing machine, and dumped in a pond two miles from where she was last seen.

“If that case cannot be solved in the state of New Hampshire,” she said, “then I don’t give any hope for them solving any of the other cases.”

Annette Moss Brendle, the older sister of Moss, spoke on behalf of the family. Her cause of death was not determined, but the state believed it was a homicide. When the Cold Case Unit was founded, the family was told they believed her case could be solved. And yet, decades later, even after repeatedly briefing new detectives over and over again, nothing happens — even after receiving a solid tip from someone with declining health who was never interviewed. The family was told later there was no time or resources to interview the source.

“It feels like the information just falls into a black hole,” she said. “We are not OK with this.”

Boroski related feelings of frustration and being demeaned by past agency employees who seemed to say she should be thankful to be alive instead of trying to find the serial killer suspected of killing nearly a dozen women in both New Hampshire and Vermont. She read their names and said she was their advocate, too. Upon being involved with the group, she was shocked by all of the cases — including so many with legitimate suspects who never seemed to be tried for their alleged crimes.

“Why?,” she asked. “It doesn’t make sense. Why is there always not enough evidence to charge these people? Get these monsters off the streets.”

Boroski said there was a running joke, “If you wanna commit murder and get away with it, come to New Hampshire … how disturbing is that? … the AG’s Office should find that extremely disturbing and sad. It angers me very much.”

Tracy Shaheen and her sister, Kelly Holden, who came from Tennessee, said someone somewhere knows what happened to Upton, their brother, and they should come forward and help with the investigation. The women said they never had an advocate and did not even know advocates were available until that day. They said police involved in investigating the case had moved away or retired, leaving them hanging.

Ken Dionne, the brother of Miller, said he had been to advocate meetings with Sununu and former AG Gordon MacDonald, now a state supreme court justice. He was asked to testify about increased Cold Case Unit funding before the House and Senate. After doing so, he became even more frustrated and began to speak out. After 13 years, he said, the family’s victim advocate stopped communicating with him, possibly due to his criticism of the handling of Miller’s case. Dionne said he would be working with the org to get national media attention to the lack of resources and action in the state connected to all the unsolved cases.

In a statement after the event, Garrity said the department would meet in small groups or one-on-one in the future.

After the protest, Sununu said the state remained committed to ensuring justice for victims and their families.

“I know the attorney general and his team are committed to do everything possible to solve these heartbreaking cases and help bring closure to families,” he said.

Podcaster Anngelle Wood, the team from Murder, She Told, and the Charley Project blog were also in attendance.

The organization, the New Hampshire Coalition of the Missing and Murdered, is working on a website that is not live yet. Anyone interested in more information can email NHunsolved@gmail.com to be included in a future email newsletter.

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