Missing Concord Couple’s Deaths Ruled Homicides; Police Seek Tips

CONCORD, NH — The state’s medical examiner has ruled the deaths of a missing Concord couple, whose bodies were discovered on a trail in the eastern part of the city, to be a double homicide.

Stephen Reid, 67, and Djeswende Reid, 66, both of Alton Woods Drive in Concord, died due to “multiple gunshot wounds.” Their deaths were deemed homicides.

Investigators said late Friday, the couple left their apartment at the Alton Woods complex just after 2:15 p.m. on Monday for a walk. That walk led them to the Broken Ground Trails.

Family and friends did not hear from them after that. The Reids were reported missing on Wednesday. Concord police released a missing person notice on Thursday.

Police, New Hampshire State Troopers, and the Central NH Special Operations Unit, the capital region's SWAT team, spent many hours searching for the couple around the Concord Heights on Thursday.

In the early evening, police were led from Alton Woods, where a command center had been set up, to the Marsh Loop Trail and, later, to the discovery of the couple's bodies.

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On Friday, Concord police and at least two New Hampshire Fish and Game Department K-9 units were scouring the area for evidence after spending 18 hours in the area. Several officers, armed with rifles, were seen around the parcel Friday morning. In the late morning and early afternoon, detectives and K-9s searched the area.

Unlike police K-9s, which are trained to focus on finding people, drugs, weapons, and other items, Fish and Game K-9s are trained to focus on ballistics.

A third K-9, "Niko," from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Department, was called in Friday afternoon. Niko is a specially trained K-9 that searches for electronics — storage devices including hard drives, SD cards, hidden cameras with storage devices, and cell phones.

Investigators were seen focused on an area around an Eversource electric substation a little less than half a mile from Portsmouth Street after police and conservation officers were seen walking around the area.

Trail walkers and others were allowed to access part of the western trail leg along the powerline corridor but were requested to stay away from the eastern part due to the K-9s searching for clues.

Djeswende and Stephen Reid. Credit: NH AG's Office

“Concord Police are seeking the public’s assistance with the investigation,” Geoffrey W.R. Ward, a senior assistant attorney general, said. “Anyone who saw the Reids on Monday, April 18, 2022, or who has any information related to their disappearance and deaths is asked to contact the Concord Police Department.”

Anyone in the area where the Reids walked, who may have a home or business security or video surveillance system, is being asked to review recordings to determine if the Reids were captured on video, Ward said.

“In the meantime,” Ward said, “residents of the area are encouraged to be vigilant and take normal precautions as they go about their daily lives. Any suspicious behavior or activity encountered should be reported to the Concord Police Department.”

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The Concord Police Department can be reached at 603-225-8600, or tips can be submitted anonymously by contacting the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100. Tips can also be submitted online through the Crimeline website at concordregionalcrimeline.com, or text message TIP234 and your message to CRIMES (274637).

Crimeline awards cash to anyone whose information directly leads to information concerning the Reid's murders. All tips remain anonymous.

Got a news tip? Send it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella's YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel.