NH - Djeswende ‘Wendy’, 66, & Stephen Reid, 67, Shot on Hiking Trail, Concord, Apr 2022 *Logan Clegg Arrested*

[Maggie05]

@Curious_in_NC Thank you for your kind welcome and follow-up to my post.

I check the local media daily for any news on this case as well as the double homicide in Gorham that happened about 10 days later. Let's hope for a break soon!

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I check for updates in Steve and Wende’s case daily, hoping to see an arrest made.

 

[sds71]

Celebration of life planned for husband, wife who were found shot to death in NH

A celebration of life ceremony has been planned for a husband and wife who were found shot to death in New Hampshire.

www.boston25news.com

 

[Maggie05]

It's been over two months since this couple's murder. No arrest but the tips are rolling in and officers are working overtime.

This local article gives an update and a good overview of the case:
Investigators Eyeing 400+ Tips In Retired Concord Couple Homicide Case

 

[WingsOverTX]

It's been over two months since this couple's murder. No arrest but the tips are rolling in and officers are working overtime.

This local article gives an update and a good overview of the case:
Investigators Eyeing 400+ Tips In Retired Concord Couple Homicide Case

10 Weeks Later

Finding out who killed Stephen and Djeswende Reid remains a top priority for both the Concord Police Department and the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, officials said, despite the lack of an arrest in the case. Their bodies were found on April 21 in the Broken Ground Trail system off Portsmouth Street, specifically, off of the Marsh Loop Trail. They died due to multiple gunshot wounds. They were last seen alive three days before.

Looking forward to justice for Stephen & Wendy.

MOO

 

[annpats]

To be honest, I think the window of opportunity has gone, and the perpetrator will remain at large.

MOO.

 

[black_squirrel]

I am still cautiously optimistic. It was clear that this was a hard case from the start, because there were no obvious suspects as far as I could tell. From the many tips police may have gotten some leads, but it takes time to check these out. We don't know what police knows, but at least this seems still a very active investigation.

 

[black_squirrel]

A week or so ago I went on a little hike in the area. For what it's worth, here are some observations:

There is a short-cut from Alton Woods apartments to the trail. From the apartments one can cut across the cleared area,
go under the highway and get to the trailhead of the Marsh loop trail. So I think it may not have taken very long for the Reids to get to the trail. I think the distance may be 1500-2000ft. So it probably does not take more than 10 minutes to get
to beginning of the the trail and they left at approximately 2:20pm. I don't know in which direction they walked the trail.
Depending on the direction, it may take 5-10 minutes if they walked clockwise. Perhaps 30 minutes if counterclockwise. But they may have not been following the Marsh loop trial exactly, even though they were found near this trail.

I wondered before if there is a quick way by motorized vehicle or by foot from the power station to the location the Reids were found. Although one can easily get to the power station from the road, it is difficult to go from the power station to the marsh loop trail, because the area is, well, marshy. I got wet shoes trying to do so (but fortunately shoes were water proof.) The perpetrator probably went on the trail.


The terrain isn't flat, as I expected. Also, overall there are a lot of bushes. In June at least it is easy to hide a body somewhere, so I am not surprised that it took several days to find them. In April, the area is more open, but still.

During my hike I did not see a single person. This is not a popular trail, even though there are residential areas nearby.
Again, it may not be a surprise that it took a while to find the bodies.

 

[annpats]

A week or so ago I went on a little hike in the area. For what it's worth, here are some observations:

There is a short-cut from Alton Woods apartments to the trail. From the apartments one can cut across the cleared area,
go under the highway and get to the trailhead of the Marsh loop trail. So I think it may not have taken very long for the Reids to get to the trail. I think the distance may be 1500-2000ft. So it probably does not take more than 10 minutes to get
to beginning of the the trail and they left at approximately 2:20pm. I don't know in which direction they walked the trail.
Depending on the direction, it may take 5-10 minutes if they walked clockwise. Perhaps 30 minutes if counterclockwise. But they may have not been following the Marsh loop trial exactly, even though they were found near this trail.

I wondered before if there is a quick way by motorized vehicle or by foot from the power station to the location the Reids were found. Although one can easily get to the power station from the road, it is difficult to go from the power station to the marsh loop trail, because the area is, well, marshy. I got wet shoes trying to do so (but fortunately shoes were water proof.) The perpetrator probably went on the trail.


The terrain isn't flat, as I expected. Also, overall there are a lot of bushes. In June at least it is easy to hide a body somewhere, so I am not surprised that it took several days to find them. In April, the area is more open, but still.

During my hike I did not see a single person. This is not a popular trail, even though there are residential areas nearby.
Again, it may not be a surprise that it took a while to find the bodies.

Well done. Good sleuthing and very brave of you to go there.

 

[black_squirrel]

Well done. Good sleuthing and very brave of you to go there.

The possiblity of a racist motive or a random killing is scary. But such hateful crimes could in principle happen anywhere. In my experience, nature areas are generally quite safe. I still feel save being in nature, and still enjoy it with my interracial family. But there is a rise in extremism and white supremacy and this concerns me. People who are in the spotlight and are vocal about the rights of minorities are at a certain risk and always have been.

 

[moslym3]

I have absolutely no evidence of this but this couple gives me vibes of CIA -ish assets. Maybe their international development work was more serious than we know and someone wanted to settle a score. From the surface, the set up is so cliche. Started in the Peace Corps. worked in international development in Africa while wife worked with refugees. Retired in sleepy New Hampshire.... taking a walk and brutally executed in the middle of the day. I'm not normally much of a conspiracy theorist but there feels like there is more to this story.
All my opinions.

 

[WingsOverTX]

I have absolutely no evidence of this but this couple gives me vibes of CIA -ish assets. Maybe their international development work was more serious than we know and someone wanted to settle a score. From the surface, the set up is so cliche. Started in the Peace Corps. worked in international development in Africa while wife worked with refugees. Retired in sleepy New Hampshire.... taking a walk and brutally executed in the middle of the day. I'm not normally much of a conspiracy theorist but there feels like there is more to this story.
All my opinions.

Issues such as competition for scarce affordable housing for refugees in NH might filter down to individual conflicts. Existing residents have the same trouble finding affordable housing. It may have no impact on what happened to the Reids but it is a community stressor they would have been familiar with since WR was involved in resettlement. And refugees no doubt bring other challenges into these traditional New England towns. Vermont also has these challenges.

Rebuilding a life: The first months of resettling Afghan refugees in New Hampshire

When Safiya Wazir arrived in New Hampshire 15 years ago, she was fleeing the Taliban in Afghanistan. Although her circumstances were different than those of the new Afghan evacuees now resettling in the state, there are some similarities in their...

www.concordmonitor.com

 

[Maggie05]

I have absolutely no evidence of this but this couple gives me vibes of CIA -ish assets. Maybe their international development work was more serious than we know and someone wanted to settle a score. From the surface, the set up is so cliche. Started in the Peace Corps. worked in international development in Africa while wife worked with refugees. Retired in sleepy New Hampshire.... taking a walk and brutally executed in the middle of the day. I'm not normally much of a conspiracy theorist but there feels like there is more to this story.
All my opinions.

I have thought about this @moslym3. To me, this appears to be targetted and personal. But it was reported the Reids didn't own any firearms. Wouldn't a former CIA asset be more concerned for the couple's security and be trained to use a gun? Also, this couple was living in what appears to be a low-security apartment complex.

All my opinions.

 

[black_squirrel]

I have absolutely no evidence of this but this couple gives me vibes of CIA -ish assets. Maybe their international development work was more serious than we know and someone wanted to settle a score. From the surface, the set up is so cliche. Started in the Peace Corps. worked in international development in Africa while wife worked with refugees. Retired in sleepy New Hampshire.... taking a walk and brutally executed in the middle of the day. I'm not normally much of a conspiracy theorist but there feels like there is more to this story.
All my opinions.

In the article:

Every Motive Being Eyed In Concord Double Homicide Case: Investigators

the daugher Lindsay reponds to rumors that her parents were involved with the CIA:

Last month, Lindsay Reid also chastised some in the community online for spreading “ridiculous rumors” that her parents worked for the CIA or “people who don't understand what USAID is are saying that it was a hit for USAID.”

She makes the case that her parents weren't the kind of people that would get involved in sketchy things like that. But the article continues to discuss that there sometimes are blurry lines between USAID and CIA:

Democracy Now!, a nationally broadcast program heard daily on WNHN-FM, the city’s low-powered FM radio station, has broadcast many critical stories about the agency, its contractors, and their work overseas. In one report, the writer asked if USAID had become “the new CIA,” after a Twitter account was used to create unrest in Cuba during the Obama Administration.

In an exchange with Brian Reid, one commenter wrote that while the couple’s professional careers were a “less likely scenario,” news articles mentioned locations where the aid organizations “ended up involved in some rather nasty business at various points in time. Some of those resulted in the kind of grudges people take to the grave.”

The Reids have worked a lot in African countries. Some of these countries politically unstable. I imagine that in their work they had to deal with local politicians and other leaders. I imagine that there are risks to do this kind of work, although it seems unlikely that it would get you killed within the US borders. I think that US intelligence agencies would be interested to learn from experiences of people that work on local projects in countries that are in turmoil. But this doesn't mean that the Reids worked for the CIA, or were in anyway involved with the CIA.

What also may have added to the CIA rumors is Stephen Reid's work for Tetra Tech. We know very little about the work he did there. This is a big company that is involved in many projects, ranging from aid to developing countries to defense projects. Could anyone in the company, or who interacted with Stephen Reid representing Tetra Tech hold a grudge against the Reids?

There are few plausible motives for the murder. I think a hate crime is possible, but I cannot discount the possibility that the murders are related to the work that Steve and Wendy were involved with. We don't know enough about this work to understand what could have led to a murderous grudge.

 

[WingsOverTX]

In the article:

Every Motive Being Eyed In Concord Double Homicide Case: Investigators

the daugher Lindsay reponds to rumors that her parents were involved with the CIA:


She makes the case that her parents weren't the kind of people that would get involved in sketchy things like that. But the article continues to discuss that there sometimes are blurry lines between USAID and CIA:



The Reids have worked a lot in African countries. Some of these countries politically unstable. I imagine that in their work they had to deal with local politicians and other leaders. I imagine that there are risks to do this kind of work, although it seems unlikely that it would get you killed within the US borders. I think that US intelligence agencies would be interested to learn from experiences of people that work on local projects in countries that are in turmoil. But this doesn't mean that the Reids worked for the CIA, or were in anyway involved with the CIA.

What also may have added to the CIA rumors is Stephen Reid's work for Tetra Tech. We know very little about the work he did there. This is a big company that is involved in many projects, ranging from aid to developing countries to defense projects. Could anyone in the company, or who interacted with Stephen Reid representing Tetra Tech hold a grudge against the Reids?

There are few plausible motives for the murder. I think a hate crime is possible, but I cannot discount the possibility that the murders are related to the work that Steve and Wendy were involved with. We don't know enough about this work to understand what could have led to a murderous grudge.

Great post! So want this one solved soon.

 

[waldojabba]

A week or so ago I went on a little hike in the area. For what it's worth, here are some observations:

There is a short-cut from Alton Woods apartments to the trail. From the apartments one can cut across the cleared area,
go under the highway and get to the trailhead of the Marsh loop trail. So I think it may not have taken very long for the Reids to get to the trail. I think the distance may be 1500-2000ft. So it probably does not take more than 10 minutes to get
to beginning of the the trail and they left at approximately 2:20pm. I don't know in which direction they walked the trail.
Depending on the direction, it may take 5-10 minutes if they walked clockwise. Perhaps 30 minutes if counterclockwise. But they may have not been following the Marsh loop trial exactly, even though they were found near this trail.

I wondered before if there is a quick way by motorized vehicle or by foot from the power station to the location the Reids were found. Although one can easily get to the power station from the road, it is difficult to go from the power station to the marsh loop trail, because the area is, well, marshy. I got wet shoes trying to do so (but fortunately shoes were water proof.) The perpetrator probably went on the trail.


The terrain isn't flat, as I expected. Also, overall there are a lot of bushes. In June at least it is easy to hide a body somewhere, so I am not surprised that it took several days to find them. In April, the area is more open, but still.

During my hike I did not see a single person. This is not a popular trail, even though there are residential areas nearby.
Again, it may not be a surprise that it took a while to find the bodies.

Great info thanks for sharing. The trail they were killed on may not be popular right now with residents bc of the murder. I can see why people might be hesitant. Just imo.

 

[minneolo]

In the article:

Every Motive Being Eyed In Concord Double Homicide Case: Investigators

the daugher Lindsay reponds to rumors that her parents were involved with the CIA:


She makes the case that her parents weren't the kind of people that would get involved in sketchy things like that. But the article continues to discuss that there sometimes are blurry lines between USAID and CIA:



The Reids have worked a lot in African countries. Some of these countries politically unstable. I imagine that in their work they had to deal with local politicians and other leaders. I imagine that there are risks to do this kind of work, although it seems unlikely that it would get you killed within the US borders. I think that US intelligence agencies would be interested to learn from experiences of people that work on local projects in countries that are in turmoil. But this doesn't mean that the Reids worked for the CIA, or were in anyway involved with the CIA.

What also may have added to the CIA rumors is Stephen Reid's work for Tetra Tech. We know very little about the work he did there. This is a big company that is involved in many projects, ranging from aid to developing countries to defense projects. Could anyone in the company, or who interacted with Stephen Reid representing Tetra Tech hold a grudge against the Reids?

There are few plausible motives for the murder. I think a hate crime is possible, but I cannot discount the possibility that the murders are related to the work that Steve and Wendy were involved with. We don't know enough about this work to understand what could have led to a murderous grudge.

I totally agree with your analysis here. One thing I’d add: (IMO) lots of folks in the international development industry (including but not limited to USAID) have plenty of interaction with CIA-types. It would be very normal for USAID folks to have lots of interaction with Embassy employees. They may have been aware or unaware that some of their colleagues were CIA analysts or case officers. (Source: several friends in USAID)

That said, it feels like a far leap (to me) for this kind of interaction to result in a hit on the couple, in NH, during their retirement.

 

[black_squirrel]

Here is an old article which I do not recall seeing before. It talks more about Alton Woods apartments and the Broken ground trails.

From Alton Woods to Broken Ground Trails, retracing the last movements of slain Concord couple

The direct route from Alton Woods to the trailhead is about a 30-minute walk, a mile-and-a-half long. Brian Reid, the couple’s son, said in an email to the Monitor last week that his parents had left their phones at home when they disappeared. Steve Reid’s wallet was still inside the apartment on Wednesday, when the family reported the couple missing to police.

I disagree that the 1.5mi/30min walk is the direct route from Alton Woods to the trailhead. There is a shortcut that is about 0.3 miles or less. Here is a map:



The blue dots mark the path from Alton woods to Marsh Loop Trail if you use google maps or a similar website. This path is approximately 1.5mi/30min, just like Brian said. However, there is a shortcut, the red path that may only be 0.3 mi.
I am not sure in which building of Alton Woods the Reids were living. But in the worst case, it would still be 1.3 mi versus 0.5 mi for the short cut, say. I presume that if the Reids went to the Broken Ground trails regularly, they probably would have found this shortcut. Here is where the two paths meet:





Also, the walking route suggested by google maps isn't a nice walk. There are no side walks, so you would be walking on the shoulder of the road with cars passing (probably at high speed). You would have to walk behind each other in many places:




I strongly believe that the Reids would have taken a shortcut. This matters, because this means that the murder could have taken place as early as 2:40pm (they left around 2:30pm) instead of 3pm.

 

[black_squirrel]

One more comment on the article:
From Alton Woods to Broken Ground Trails, retracing the last movements of slain Concord couple

Police left behind blue, orange and pink tape delineating areas for gathering evidence. Some of the trees are tagged right along the trail, which passes through an open space under power lines before turning into a wooded area. Flags continue into a marshy area near the power substation and farther into another patch of trees.

As I walked on the trail not too long ago, there were still trees that were tagged. However, I believe that these tags are not from the police, but rather markings for the protected wetlands.

 

[acutename]

A week or so ago I went on a little hike in the area. For what it's worth, here are some observations:

There is a short-cut from Alton Woods apartments to the trail. From the apartments one can cut across the cleared area,
go under the highway and get to the trailhead of the Marsh loop trail. So I think it may not have taken very long for the Reids to get to the trail. I think the distance may be 1500-2000ft. So it probably does not take more than 10 minutes to get
to beginning of the the trail and they left at approximately 2:20pm. I don't know in which direction they walked the trail.
Depending on the direction, it may take 5-10 minutes if they walked clockwise. Perhaps 30 minutes if counterclockwise. But they may have not been following the Marsh loop trial exactly, even though they were found near this trail.

I wondered before if there is a quick way by motorized vehicle or by foot from the power station to the location the Reids were found. Although one can easily get to the power station from the road, it is difficult to go from the power station to the marsh loop trail, because the area is, well, marshy. I got wet shoes trying to do so (but fortunately shoes were water proof.) The perpetrator probably went on the trail.


The terrain isn't flat, as I expected. Also, overall there are a lot of bushes. In June at least it is easy to hide a body somewhere, so I am not surprised that it took several days to find them. In April, the area is more open, but still.

During my hike I did not see a single person. This is not a popular trail, even though there are residential areas nearby.
Again, it may not be a surprise that it took a while to find the bodies.

curious- did you think that the trail was not popular because it was noisy or boring? I keep thinking of a rail trail I hiked on that was really monotonous... Also, were there any tracks from bikes or ATVs? Have been on many trails where bikes/ATVs are "not allowed" but people, esp. "locals" go on them anyway because they can, or they always have. Having an ATV would make moving around and leaving much quicker, IMO.