New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Renews Appeal In 1977 Killing Of Shari Roth

CONCORD, NH — New Hampshire's Cold Case Unit has renewed its public appeal in the 1977 homicide of Shari Roth, a 22-year-old North Conway woman who was killed after hiking in Livermore.

The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office, on the 49th anniversary of her death, also released photographs of Roth.

According to investigators, Roth left her home alone in North Conway on Aug. 21, 1977, to hike on the Sawyer Brook Trail in Livermore, an area between Bartlett and Lincoln. When she did not return home in the evening, her friends reported her missing. After a multi-day search, her body was found on Aug. 24, 1977.

An autopsy later determined she had been strangled to death. The incident was considered a possible sexual assault due to her body being found unclothed, according to press reports. Her body was found in a wooded area, away from the popular hiking trail. Her Saab, reportedly adorned with bumper stickers, was found off Route 302 in Crawford Notch, near one of the trail entrances.

Roth was originally from Saugus, Massachusetts, and attended the University of Massachusetts to become a social worker. Roth worked at the Women's Health Clinic at Memorial Hospital, a local abortion and health counseling service, according to press reports. She and one of her roommates helped start a drop-in center at the Conway Recreation Center, where teenagers could socialize.

The Cold Case Unit said it is releasing the photos in hopes they may trigger memories from people who were in the area at the time. Investigators said they want to hear from anyone who hiked the Sawyer Brook Trail or visited Livermore, Bartlett, or Lincoln during the weekend of Aug. 20 to 24, 1977. The unit is also seeking information from people who lived or worked in the North Conway area that summer and may remember seeing Roth or anything unusual.

Investigators are also trying to identify the owner of a red Volkswagen Bug believed to have been parked at the entrance to the Sawyer Pond Trail on Sunday, Aug. 21, 1977. The owner of the vehicle is not considered a suspect, but investigators believe they may have helpful information. The Cold Case Unit is also seeking personal hiking logs or journals from people who were in the Sawyer Pond Trail or Mount Carrigain areas during that time.

“Shari was a gentle flower, just waiting for the sunrise,” Roth's family said in a statement. “She lived by the words, ‘You can’t change the world, but you can change your corner.’ All we can ask is that if someone reads this and has information about who killed her, please come forward. Change your corner of the world by doing the right thing. Your information could help bring answers, justice, and resolution to our family and friends who love and miss her every day.”

Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, chief of the Cold Case Unit, said, “Shari was a dedicated social worker with a bright future who was simply enjoying the natural beauty of our state when her life was violently taken. By releasing these previously unseen photographs, we are asking the public to look closely. We hope these images might jog the memory of a hiker, a local resident, or a visitor who was in the North Conway or Livermore areas in August 1977. Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.”

How to Provide a Tip

No detail is too small to be relevant. Anyone with information regarding the murder of Shari Roth is urged to contact authorities:

• Cold Case Unit Tip Line: 603-271-2663
• Email: coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov
• Online: Submit a tip at www.doj.nh.gov/criminal/cold-case
• Victim Page: www.doj.nh.gov/bureaus/cold-case-unit/victim-list/shari-roth

Roth's family maintains a website dedicated to her memory and the case at www.shariroth.com.