Sketch Leads To Dozens Of Tips In Concord Couple Killings Case: Watch

CONCORD, NH — Hours after the release of a person of interest sketch connected to the deaths of a retired Concord couple last month, police received dozens of tips they hope will get them closer to solving the case.

Geoffrey Ward, a senior assistant attorney general, and Concord Police Chief Brad Osgood along with Deputy Chief John Thomas of the Concord Police Department, were peppered with questions by members of the media on Tuesday at the New Hampshire Incident Planning and Operations Center, looking for more information about the state of the investigation into the killings of Stephen and Djeswende Reid of Concord.

The person of interest was described as a white man, in his late 20s or early 30s, about 5 feet, 10 inches tall, with a medium build, short brown hair, and clean-shaven. He was wearing a dark blue jacket, possibly with a hood, and khaki-colored pants. The man was also carrying a black backpack. The man was seen in the vicinity of the homicides at the time the Reids were missing, Ward said.

A sketch of a person of interest in the Stephen and Djeswende Reid homicide case. Credit: New Hampshire Attorney General's Office

More than $33,000 worth of rewards, with various conditions, were also promoted by investigators.

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Ward offered limited specifics about how investigators came to getting information about the person of interest due to fears it might compromise the investigation. He would not offer a timeline about when police developed this part of the case either but did say, “it’s a depiction that we feel confident enough to bring to your attention.”

Ward defined a person of interest as someone who “police believe has information related to the crimes, as either a witness or a suspect.”

“That’s what we have, at this point,” he said.

Investigators have been requesting security and surveillance footage from businesses as part of the investigation as well as doorbell camera and dashcam footage from people who live miles from the Marsh Loop Trail where the Reids’ bodies were found. More than 170 tips have been submitted during the past four weeks — including “dozens more tips” since the release of the sketch, Ward said.

“Certainly,” Ward said, “there have been tips that have been helpful … that’s obviously a significant number. (But) it’s not unusual for tips to not lead anywhere.”

Ward would not comment on a motive in the case when asked about whether it may have been racially motivated due to the couple being biracial.

“Investigators are pursuing all possible angles,” he said.

When asked about safety in the area of the trail or the East Concord neighborhood, Ward said investigators did not believe the public was in danger but continued to encourage vigilance.

“Lock your doors and report anything unusual to the police,” Ward added.

Ward was asked about the black backpack the person of interest was carrying and whether it was small or large, and he said it was a small, school-like knapsack, and not a large mountaineering or hiking bag. When asked if police had circulated the sketch to any of the homeless population in the city — including the half-dozen or so camps immediately around the area where the Reids were killed, Ward said Tuesday was the first time the sketch was released to the public.

Ward would not speculate on whether the crime was random or the Reids were targeted, the make of the gun used in the killings, where along the trail the bodies were found, why the sketch was only a profile, whether the person of interest was in the area or was armed and dangerous, and whether the person of interest or a suspect was released from the state hospital or state prison.

“We feel like we are making progress, generally speaking,” he said. “That’s something to protect … the integrity of the investigation … what that means is, at this stage, it’s important that there is information that is only known to investigators and the killer. That allows us to consider the credibility and evaluate the credibility of information that comes in and prevent any witness tampering that may occur.”

When asked about tips about gunshots heard in the area at the time of the killings or other things residents and neighbors may have seen or heard, Ward said, “people certainly did hear things that are of value in the investigation but I don’t want to add additional details with respect to that.”

Osgood was asked how the investigators were handling the traumatic and gruesome case as well as all the extra hours they were putting in trying to find leads. He said it was the department’s “highest priority” and he was proud of the work detectives and officers were putting into the case and keeping the community safe, too.

“It’s an exhausting investigation but we have a really good staff,” he said.

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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 Reids' murders. All tips remain anonymous.

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