Salem's Unsolved Murders

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There are five Salem cases on the state Attorney General’s cold case list:

• William Dobens, 2006

William Dobens, age 55, was found dead in his home at 7 South Policy Street in Salem, NH, on May 5, 2006. An autopsy revealed that he died as a result of a stab wound to the chest. Circumstances surrounding the case indicate that William’s death was suspicious, although the medical examiner has not yet reached a conclusion about the manner of death.

• Hai Bo (Paul) Lei, 1995

The body of Hai Bo (Paul) Lei, age 26, of Boston, MA, was found on the side of Hampstead Road in Salem, NH, on March 30, 1995. The victim was shot several times and strangled.

• Melodie Stankiewicz, 1975

On June 30, 1975 Melodie Stankiewicz, age 27, of Cambridge, MA, was found stabbed to death and floating in Captain’s Pond in Salem, NH.

• Henry Travers, 1980

On August 30, 1980 Henry Travers, Jr. of Derry, NH, was working as the night clerk at the Fireside Motel on Route 28 in Salem, NH (now the site of Home Depot). He was found shot to death. Henry was 73 years old at the time of his death.

• Unidentified male, 1969

Sketch:

An unidentified white male was found on the side of I-93 between the Pelham Road exit ramp and Rockingham Boulevard in Salem, NH, on August 7, 1969. The victim was shot four times, twice in the head, once in the torso and once in the neck. The victim was between 28 and 40 years old, 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighed about 225 pounds. The victim was in a state of decomposition when he was discovered by a road work crew in a water-filled pit on the side of the road.