Search Grid At Concord Homicide Scene Shows Sprawling Clues

CONCORD, NH — Investigators spent slightly more than 48 hours gathering evidence from the trail where a couple, missing for three days after going for a hike, was found killed.

Police and other assisting investigators Saturday finished gathering evidence at the scene of the deaths of Stephen and Djeswende Reid of Alton Woods Drive in Concord after dozens of police, fish and game officers, and others made a final sweep of the Marsh Loop Trail, Eversource power lines, and swamp near a substation and a homeless camp near Portsmouth Street.

On Sunday, a couple of people were in the area, walking the trail and examining search grid ribbons and markers that appeared to be left by investigators.

Update: Vermont Fugitive Logan Clegg Arrested On Concord Murder Charges

One neighbor on Sunday, who said he hiked the trails between Portsmouth Street and Curtisville Road regularly, said areas of the Marsh Loop Trail appeared to show that a struggle ensued and bodies may have been dragged from the trail.

During the course of a couple of hours, he was the only person to visit the area.

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On Monday, investigators were back at the trail for a short period of time, bringing a handful of people to view the area that was investigated. Those investigators cleared the area just before 3 p.m.

Ribbons left behind by investigators suggest most of the evidence was gathered from four sections of the trail and the surrounding area.

The first area, which appeared to have the most activity, was about 50 feet from where the trail turns from the power lines into the forest. Orange and pink search grid ribbons could be seen on the trail along with visible ground disturbance, including large grooved sections and areas that appeared to be dug up.

In another section, leading northwest toward the power line clearing, visible ground disturbance could be seen along with pink and orange ribbons.

In a third section, to the east of the trail, orange, pink, yellow, and blue ribbons tied to branches, as well as red flags on stems stuck in the ground, could be seen, leading toward the clearing by the Eversource substation. Ribbons then led from the clearing, through the forest to the west of the substation, to just east, and at the entrance of a homeless camp that appeared to be recently abandoned.

Michael Garrity, the director of communications for the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, said investigators were asking the public to come forward with tips. So far, more than 60 have been submitted. Investigators said anyone who may have been on the trails on the afternoon of April 18 to talk to the police.

“Anyone who may have seen anything out of the ordinary,” he said.

Family Releases Statement

The Reid-Forey family released a statement Sunday night saying Stephen and Djeswende Reid moved to Concord to retire a few years ago.

After college, Stephen Reid served in the Peace Corps in West Africa for four years. The family said the couple met when Djeswende Reid was studying in Washington, D.C., on an athletic scholarship. She was also from West Africa.

Stephen Reid worked for more than 30 years as an international development specialist with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Djeswende Reid also volunteered while assisting refugees in the city, and both were deeply wedded to their devout Christian faith.

According to his father’s obituary, Stephen Reid's moved to Concord in the early-1950s. Stephen Reid lived most of his life in Washington, D.C., according to online records. At some point, possibly around 2006, the couple moved to Burlington, Vermont. They also lived at the Concord Meadows apartment complex on Clinton Street before moving to Alton Woods.

According to his father’s obituary, the Reid family moved to Concord in the early-1950s.

According to friends and notes on Facebook, Stephen Reid grew up in Concord, spending most of his life in the South End, and attended public schools, graduating from Concord High School in the early 1970s. Later, he attended college at Notre Dame. Friends said, as a child, he enjoyed sports and hung out, like many kids at the time, in the city’s parks in Rollins, right near the family home.

Annette Aulton, a press officer with U.S. Agency for International Development, could not confirm or deny Stephen Reid’s employment with the agency.

The family also thanked police, state troopers, county sheriffs, Fish and Game, and the justice department for “their extraordinary efforts” working on the investigation to find the couple.

Analysis: Lingering Questions, Not A Lot Of Info

Any time a person is killed, whether by domestic violence or a traffic accident, it is a tragic occurrence.

But during nearly all of the recent killings in Concord during the last decade, the perpetrator and the victim were known to each other … and suspects were developed quickly.

The Reid murders are the first time, in as long as many people can remember, where the killings appear to be potentially both random or targeted — just not in the way previous suspects targeted their victims.

Some in the community, including former law enforcement officials, journalists, Patch readers, and others, are speculating about possible scenarios investigators may be facing as they try and figure out who killed Stephen and Djeswende Reid.

One possibility is the Reids were targeted due to being a biracial couple.

The New Hampshire Audubon reported “white supremacist vandalism” discovered on trail signs at the Silk Farm Preserve about 18 months ago. The stickers appeared to be an isolated incident. Officials reported them to the police, and no other similar situations have been reported since. The stickers were also on a trail that is miles from the Broken Ground Trails. But that does not mean that a white power gang member who lived in the neighborhood (or someone else) could or would not have targeted them if given a chance. Maybe they were neighbors with such a person at the complex or saw them on the trails that the couple frequented, according to the family.

An inspection of most of the Marsh Loop Trail on Sunday and Monday showed no signs of racist graffiti, stickers, markers, or anything else that might be connected to white supremacy or racist gangs.

Days after the couple went missing, police emphasized there was no history of domestic violence between the couple or medical history. The couple had been together a very long time — so a third party or jealous ex-partner was probably not a realistic angle.

Kristen Setera, who works in the press office of the FBI in Boston, confirmed the bureau had offered assistance to Concord police and the attorney general’s office but they had declined assistance at this time. She said the bureau would not necessarily get involved in an investigation of the murder of a former federal employee. Setera said the bureau would only get involved when asked or if there was a federal violation or inter-state activity with the case.

Setera added if New Hampshire investigators needed help, they would be available to assist immediately.

Interestingly, there was limited information about the Reids online — even with paid services used to perform background checks for landlords, employers, or other organizations.

While they had moved to Concord to retire before the family released a bit of their biographical history on Sunday, it was as if they kept to themselves and were very private — limited social media accounts, no retirement announcements, no letters to the editor or online commentary about politics or the state of the world despite humanitarian concerns in both their professional and private lives. Despite how many in society live today, with tens of millions of people sharing all kinds of things no one needs to know about online (or never knew two decades ago, in such a public manner), many people do choose to live their lives as privately as possible. Private lives should not be a surprise, even if it may be to some.

Some have wondered why the New Hampshire State Police Major Crimes Unit did not appear to be involved in the investigation since the department’s truck was nowhere near the scene during the gathering process. Garrity, however, said the unit was involved in the investigation.

There was also the vicious nature of the killings.

Both victims died of multiple gunshot wounds — meaning at least two shots, if not more, for each victim. Was there more than one person shooting at them? Did they use different caliber weapons?

Between 2:30 p.m. on April 18, when they left their apartment for a walk, and many hours afterward, there does not appear to be a single call for service to the area for a report of multiple gunshots fired, according to scanner audio. In the past, police have been sent to Curtisville Road due to hunters in the area or residents hearing gunshots.

According to the U.S. Census data for the area, about 500 to 600 people live within a half mile of the investigation area, including in the Cranmore Ridge complex, a few hundred feet away from the murder scene. How could so many residents not hear four or more gunshots in the middle of the afternoon?

Some are speculating that a silencer or sound suppressor may have been used during the incident, which might be one reason why no one heard anything, although there is no way to prove this.

A day before police sent out the missing couple notice, a family member sent out a Ring alert to users who live within a 3-mile radius of the area, along with a picture requesting assistance finding the couple.

“Parents haven’t been seen or heard from since Monday,” the alert stated. “They may have gone walking, no wallet or phone as far as we know (purse/wallet are still in the apartment) authorities have been notified. Please if anyone saw them walking or know anything please let us know.”

If the Reids left their wallet, purse, and phone, they obviously felt safe and confident enough to go hiking without them in their own neighborhood.

All kinds of K-9 units with specialized skills, including searching for ballistics and electronics, were sent to the area to search for clues.

And what, if any, conclusion or suspected determination do investigators have by the trail of ribbons leading from the clearing by the substation to the homeless camp? And there only being one color, too?

There are many questions to be answered which are leaving family, friends, and the public very concerned.

Garrity said the public could assist investigators in solving the case, especially if they knew the Reids or saw them on Monday.

“In addition, anyone in the areas where the Reids walked who has a home or business security or video surveillance system is asked to review the recordings to determine if the Reids were captured on video,” he said. “In the meantime, 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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• Missing Concord Couple's 'Disappearance Is Of Significant Concern'

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 convictions in homicide cases. 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.