NH NH - Connecticut River Valley Killer (1980s)

[Pettibon Junction]

I took a break from looking at this during the holidays and amidst a job search, but I'm back!

Are there any other girls/women who went missing during the murders from the radius of where the other connected victims were kidnapped (and their bodies dumped)--but none of whom have still been located?

Rachel Garden and Laureen Rahn went missing from Manchester, but that's a bit outside the range. Carrie Moss went missing from New Boston in 1989 and was found in Goffstown, which was within the range.

Oh, and Louise Chaput's murder in 2001 was VERY similar to that of Cathy Millican in 1978.

 

[JnRyan]

Wasn't Michael Nicholau living in Virginia during the time 3 of CRV killer's were believed to be murdered? (Courtemanche, Fried and Morse) I believe some suspect him to be responsible for the Colonial Parkway Murders. Another serial killer case. Of course, Carty also suspects him of this.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Wasn't Michael Nicholau living in Virginia during the time 3 of CRV killer's were believed to be murdered? (Courtemanche, Fried and Morse) I believe some suspect him to be responsible for the Colonial Parkway Murders. Another serial killer case. Of course, Carty also suspects him of this.

He owned and ran a business in VA at the time, yes.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[evillano]

Do we have a (better) rough idea of where Critchley was last seen?

I know she was hitchhiking-- the cold case file on NH's website says the last place was around Exit 13 from Rt 90 in MA, where she was dropped off by her friend. But...this is a bit far.

Either way, I decided to expand the "search" range and parameters for where, how long, and in what way our killer may have been active...especially if they may have been going up and down I-91 or I-89. They knew the area well enough to have put the bodies in the remote locations that they did, and operated cleverly enough to seem to have avoided any trace of being identified. As such, I've been wondering if there may have been more victims that either haven't been found, or that were found and just weren't linked due to lack of evidence or because they were out of the original suspected range.

I've been scouring through all the cold case files in NH, and may go through VT and MA. I'm eyeing for similarities in disappearances, the time period, age and gender (if those even might have been part of the pattern to begin with, the ages are a bit scattered), and if the bodies were found...in what condition and how (if determined) they were killed.

I obviously don't want to get ahead of myself and just start pinning any similar murder on the same person haha, but I figure it's worth it to leave no stone unturned, especially at this point. I'll post my progress, hypotheticals (as that's what most of this is anyways), and potential further questions once I've finished digging...and digging.

I've already found a couple that might be related...and a couple that more than likely aren't but caught my intrigue as separate cases to work on. xD

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Do we have a (better) rough idea of where Critchley was last seen?

I know she was hitchhiking-- the cold case file on NH's website says the last place was around Exit 13 from Rt 90 in MA, where she was dropped off by her friend. But...this is a bit far.

Either way, I decided to expand the "search" range and parameters for where, how long, and in what way our killer may have been active...especially if they may have been going up and down I-91 or I-89. They knew the area well enough to have put the bodies in the remote locations that they did, and operated cleverly enough to seem to have avoided any trace of being identified. As such, I've been wondering if there may have been more victims that either haven't been found, or that were found and just weren't linked due to lack of evidence or because they were out of the original suspected range.

I've been scouring through all the cold case files in NH, and may go through VT and MA. I'm eyeing for similarities in disappearances, the time period, age and gender (if those even might have been part of the pattern to begin with, the ages are a bit scattered), and if the bodies were found...in what condition and how (if determined) they were killed.

I obviously don't want to get ahead of myself and just start pinning any similar murder on the same person haha, but I figure it's worth it to leave no stone unturned, especially at this point. I'll post my progress, hypotheticals (as that's what most of this is anyways), and potential further questions once I've finished digging...and digging.

I've already found a couple that might be related...and a couple that more than likely aren't but caught my intrigue as separate cases to work on. xD

If you scroll up further, you'll see that local profiler and consultant on the VT-side investigation John Philpin believes there are a lot more cases in this series. I've been critical of his work before, but I don't think he's wrong in this regard.

Would you mind PMing me? I'd love to compare notes.

 

[evillano]

As others have said in other threads, there may have been up to three or four active serial killers all in the same area, at the same time. Trying to pin which case to which killer is mind-boggling at first glance; hard to do without all the details of each case.

That said, I'd be happy to message you when I get the chance, and I'll check out John's work.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

As others have said in other threads, there may have been up to three or four active serial killers all in the same area, at the same time. Trying to pin which case to which killer is mind-boggling at first glance; hard to do without all the details of each case.

That said, I'd be happy to message you when I get the chance, and I'll check out John's work.

To be clear, when I talk about the CT River Valley Killer, I mean the man who killed Fried, Critchley, and Morse as well as Cathy Millican. I don't believe Lynda Moore is a victim of the same killer, nor is Barbara Agnew. (I refer you to Ginsburg's 'Shadow of Death' regarding the former and the Westover confession for the latter.)

The Boroski attack is the wild card for me; it's so disorganized and bizarre, but I can't rule it out entirely. However, the Kellyville Three definitely share a common killer. Of that I'm certain.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Since I can't edit the above, I meant to write Courtemanche, Fried, and Morse.

 

[folieadeuxnola]

New Hampshire unsolved case file: Killing of Bernice Courtemanche

Bernice Courtemanche, 17, was last seen alive about 3:30 p.m. on May 30, 1984.

Courtemanche, a nurse's aide, was reported missing the following day.

At the time, it was believed Courtemanche was hitchhiking before her disappearance.

Authorities said her skeletal remains were found nearly two years later on April 19, 1986, just off Cat Hole Road in Newport.

An autopsy revealed Courtemanche had been stabbed to death.

No one has ever been arrested in this case.

 

[outlawcountry911]

As someone who has lived in NH All of there's life I had hear some of talks of those cases and I THINK i been fishing where the Valley killer has been. No it was not me seeing I was not born yet
I think the idea of Michael Nicholau being the CT Valley killer has been been over hyped by folks. Hell just go on the unsolved mysteries and they just fellowing the idea of Michael Nicholau being this big time killer. I put Michael Nicholau in the same boat as Edward Edwards where someone take a idea of what type killer they're and overblown it trying to tied them every cases they're can with out any real proof. It has sound like the NHSP had rule out Michael Nicholau as the valley killer.

I Wonder what ever happen with the guy's dad who Jane Boroski id as her attacker on Dark Minds I mean by the sound of it was not Michael Nicholau

Right now I think oakhillresearch has done a better job than other folks putting thoughter a list of folks to look at in the valley killings. Serial killer Edward Mayrand I think has been look at in this case also they look at Robert Durst and FL Serial killer John Brewer in this case too. It has to be ask if Jane Boroski was attack the CVSK or someone else

 

[jaejae]

Just giving a bump to this thread about a secretive Serial Killer as I would like to see some resolution for his victims relatives. I have always felt he is worth looking at in the cases of Maura Murray and Brianna Maitland as well. Of course you need to identify him first.

 

[evillano]

(Back from a hiatus)

Throwing back to a previous comment by Pettibon--who were police eyeing as Lynda Moore's murderer?

 

[Pettibon Junction]

(Back from a hiatus)

Throwing back to a previous comment by Pettibon--who were police eyeing as Lynda Moore's murderer?

His real name has never been disclosed as far as I know, but he was a local teenager who joined the military and was seen jogging near the Moore home that day. He was interviewed multiple times by police and was very hostile. He was known to talk about the murder out of the blue and I'm not sure but I think he refused a polygraph as well.

 

[evillano]

Was the teenager who they got the composite sketch of? Shame they couldn't get enough on him, but it would explain why the name hasn't been disclosed to the public.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Was the teenager who they got the composite sketch of? Shame they couldn't get enough on him, but it would explain why the name hasn't been disclosed to the public.

Yes, the composite in the Moore case was of a young man seen walking along the road near the house. This person may or may not have been involved in the murder but the description was of a much younger man than the person who attacked Jane Boroski in Swanzey, NH.

 

[jaejae]

Yes, the composite in the Moore case was of a young man seen walking along the road near the house. This person may or may not have been involved in the murder but the description was of a much younger man than the person who attacked Jane Boroski in Swanzey, NH.

Good post the difference in the description of the Moore murder suspect and the Jane Boroski attacker is interesting. My feeling is they were still the same man. Glad to see interest in these cases here as to me they often appear forgotten ones to a degree and I would like to see the victims relatives get some answers.

 

[Pettibon Junction]

Good post the difference in the description of the Moore murder suspect and the Jane Boroski attacker is interesting. My feeling is they were still the same man. Glad to see interest in these cases here as to me they often appear forgotten ones to a degree and I would like to see the victims relatives get some answers.

The case against the two cases sharing a common attacker is that if Moore's killer was indeed the young military cadet, he couldn't have been Boroski's assailant, as the victim there clearly described her would-be killer as driving a vehicle with New Hampshire plates. (The Moore suspect lived in Vermont.)

I'm still inclined to believe the Moore murder and Boroski attempt were unrelated, which is frightening due to how incredibly savage both crimes were, but stranger things have happened.

 

[jaejae]

The case against the two cases sharing a common attacker is that if Moore's killer was indeed the young military cadet, he couldn't have been Boroski's assailant, as the victim there clearly described her would-be killer as driving a vehicle with New Hampshire plates. (The Moore suspect lived in Vermont.)

I'm still inclined to believe the Moore murder and Boroski attempt were unrelated, which is frightening due to how incredibly savage both crimes were, but stranger things have happened.

You may well be right one thing for certain at the moment they are all very cold cases.

 

[evillano]

I saved a picture at one point of the sketch police came up with for Moore's hypothesized killer...it wasn't the same as the sketch they came up with after the Boroski incident. It was definitely a younger guy than the one drawn there!

I'll find it...somewhere....

 

[outlawcountry911]

I live in New Hampshire all ny life and want to know how many serial killers NH had has. The two big names are Sheila LaBarre and Terrence Peder Rasmussen but how many how serial killers have been in NH.I know HH Homes was from NH and Rodney Alcala work also work and live in NH. Also Chris Wilder was killed in New Hampshire

Anyone else other NH serial killers