Found Deceased NH - Ashley Turcotte, 31, last seen at home, her car found at the town hall with her phone & backpack, Barnstead, 4 Jan 2024

[aggiekel2005]

Huh, so it was table salt. Maybe she just. . . remembered that she ran out of salt?

I kind of wonder if she was waiting for someone, had to use the restroom, and felt the need to purchase something as a result? I know a lot of people that feel like they need to buy something if they use a store's bathroom and some stores reserve their bathrooms for "customers only". If I have to buy something, I usually err on the side of something I know I will use even if I don't necessarily need it at that moment.

Or she was waiting and remembered she needed salt for something she had planned later- either food or art project- and went back for it to kill time.

 

[STLBlues]

I kind of wonder if she was waiting for someone, had to use the restroom, and felt the need to purchase something as a result? I know a lot of people that feel like they need to buy something if they use a store's bathroom and some stores reserve their bathrooms for "customers only". If I have to buy something, I usually err on the side of something I know I will use even if I don't necessarily need it at that moment.

Or she was waiting and remembered she needed salt for something she had planned later- either food or art project- and went back for it to kill time.

That's a really good point. I'm the same way, I won't use a store's restroom without purchasing something.

 

[carbuff]

That's a really good point. I'm the same way, I won't use a store's restroom without purchasing something.

Yeah me three. It does sound like the kind of thing I might grab under the same circumstances. Doesn't cost much, doesn't take up much space to carry, isn't going to spoil, will eventually be used.

It does make it seem like she was waiting for somebody for long enough to require two bathroom trips though.

 

[Dotta]

Were her purchases (sweets/salt) found in the car?
Together with other things left behind?

 

[Hestia's Fire]

Happy birthday, Ashley. I hope you are at peace, wherever you are.

 

[Wallendo]

A couple of things bother me about this case.
1) She left home with a backpack but left it in her car. Possibly this was done to make her family think she would be gone awhile, giving herself more time before they came looking.
2) Why park at the courthouse when the only known sighting is a mile away at Dollar General? Again, this could be misdirection.

I personally doubt self-harm, as she could easily do that at home, or, if she wanted to spare her family, she could have driven well away from home to leave her car.

With the rapidly increased interest in try crime, it seems that LE releases much less information than 10 years ago. And families are much less inclined to speak to the press (families have been bullied online). What I would like to know is what, if anything other than AT, is missing? Is something missing from her home, car, or backpack? I also wonder if her car has GPS that can tell if she drove to dollar general or not.

It seems to me that in many recent cases I have followed, LE doesn't release enough information for me to make a reasonable deduction.

 

[IDK]

From the Barnstead Police Dept FB page:

“IMPORTANT PSA: MISSING PERSON SEARCH

The Barnstead Police has requested that the state place two reverse 911 calls to all Barnstead residents on Friday, March 15, 2024, with one call going out in the morning and a second call going out later that afternoon.

These phone calls are regarding Ashley Turcotte the young woman who has been missing since January 2024. The calls are to inform residents that on the morning of Saturday, March 16, 2024, there will be a coordinated search by local, state, county and federal agencies. Authorities will be searching wooded areas throughout town and we want to advise the public that if you see individuals walking through the woods, on your property or multiple cars parked in unusual locations not to be alarmed as this may be members of the search teams. We do ask that if you are concerned or see people in the woods and feel that these individuals are not part of a search team, that you call us at (603) 269-8100 and we will send a patrol unit to check it out.

Also, we are asking the public again to check any sheds, outer buildings, vehicles or areas of shelter that they may have on their property for any evidence that could help us lead to finding Ashley Turcotte.

We know that many people want to help in these type of situations but tomorrow, we will have a planned search and we are strongly suggesting that citizens do not gather or form their own search teams while we are out doing ours. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this coordinated effort.”


Edited— removed link as i can’t seem to unlink from my FB account. You can google it or search on FB.

 

[lightofmine99]

Umm...well that is interesting.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

From the Barnstead Police Dept FB page:

“IMPORTANT PSA: MISSING PERSON SEARCH

The Barnstead Police has requested that the state place two reverse 911 calls to all Barnstead residents on Friday, March 15, 2024, with one call going out in the morning and a second call going out later that afternoon.

These phone calls are regarding Ashley Turcotte the young woman who has been missing since January 2024. The calls are to inform residents that on the morning of Saturday, March 16, 2024, there will be a coordinated search by local, state, county and federal agencies. Authorities will be searching wooded areas throughout town and we want to advise the public that if you see individuals walking through the woods, on your property or multiple cars parked in unusual locations not to be alarmed as this may be members of the search teams. We do ask that if you are concerned or see people in the woods and feel that these individuals are not part of a search team, that you call us at (603) 269-8100 and we will send a patrol unit to check it out.

Also, we are asking the public again to check any sheds, outer buildings, vehicles or areas of shelter that they may have on their property for any evidence that could help us lead to finding Ashley Turcotte.

We know that many people want to help in these type of situations but tomorrow, we will have a planned search and we are strongly suggesting that citizens do not gather or form their own search teams while we are out doing ours. We thank you in advance for your cooperation in this coordinated effort.”


Edited— removed link as i can’t seem to unlink from my FB account. You can google it or search on FB.

Thank you for that update. I hope this means they got a new valid tip. Prayers for Ashley's recovery.

 

[mst]

I think table salt can be sprinkled on a frozen door lock or similar

 

[pavlovsdaughter]

I’m really surprised that no one here has mentioned the possibility of drugs. Opiates especially fentanyl are a big issue in rural NH (Understanding the Increase in Opioid Overdoses in New Hampshire: A Rapid Epidemiologic Assessment) and, IMO, she looks high in the Dollar General photos, really out of it. Could she have nodded off in the woods somewhere?

There are known homeless camps in the woods in surrounding areas Laconia and Concord, I couldn’t find anything about one in Barnstead. I’ve been to Barnstead and it’s a lot more rural than either of those places so I imagine it would be much harder to be homeless there.

The purchases are interesting. There is some evidence linking salt cravings to opioid use (How opioids drive our salt consumption), and sugar cravings are also common with people in addictions (Recovery - Why Are Sugar Cravings Common in Addiction Recovery?). Of course this is reaching - candy and salt are very benign and ordinary purchases that 9 times out of 10 you wouldn’t blink at, just trying to make some connections.

I wondered if salt was a common agent used in cutting drugs but from my brief research it does not appear to be.

I like what someone said up thread about how maybe she was waiting for someone so went in for a second purchase to justify hanging around. Makes a drug deal angle seem more plausible, IMO.

 

[ch_13]

I’m really surprised that no one here has mentioned the possibility of drugs. Opiates especially fentanyl are a big issue in rural NH (Understanding the Increase in Opioid Overdoses in New Hampshire: A Rapid Epidemiologic Assessment) and, IMO, she looks high in the Dollar General photos, really out of it. Could she have nodded off in the woods somewhere?

I would hesitate to read too much into a freeze-frame taken from a low-quality video camera, especially one with a fisheye lens that can heavily distort someone's appearance. Plus in the images we saw she's apparently looking down at the checkout kiosk screen, which makes her eyes seem heavy lidded.

In any case, if she did die from an OD her body would have to be somewhere nearby. It's hard to imagine that after 2 1/2 months no one has come across her remains, especially as the authorities have been conducting intense searches of the area.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Another article about the new search courtesy of WMUR:

"On Friday morning, a reverse 911 call and text alert went out to Barnstead residents to let them know there would be an increased police presence over the weekend and to not be alarmed.

The Fish and Game Department is leading the search efforts. Crews will be searching a wooded area investigators learned about in a new lead with the help of the National Guard using GPS tracking technology.

Police asked residents to check their yards, sheds and garages for any evidence of Turcotte and said no piece of information is too small.

The search is planned for Saturday and Sunday."

Wide-scale search planned in wooded area of Barnstead for missing woman

Barnstead residents were alerted Friday about a wide-scale search happening this weekend for a woman who hasn't been seen since the beginning of the year.

www.wmur.com

 

[imstilla.grandma]

New Hampshire State Police issued two reverse 911 calls to everyone in the area on Friday, reminding them that Turcotte is missing. Residents were also asked to search their properties.

Missing New Hampshire woman Ashley Turcotte found dead

Missing New Hampshire woman Ashley Turcotte was found dead during a renewed search over the weekend.

www.cbsnews.com

 

[bombardier]

ive never heard of a widespread reverse 911 call! i guess it only works with very small towns?

 

[SleutherGirl]

I didn't even know that was a thing. It's kind of cool.

 

[Hestia's Fire]

ive never heard of a widespread reverse 911 call! i guess it only works with very small towns?

Not at all! It has been used in Boston and Dallas for some emergencies as well. There are a list of well-known incidents in which it has been used on the Wikipedia page: Reverse 911 - Wikipedia

 

[Sh3rl0ck H0lm3s]

I hope the search goes well.

 

[Carol2019]

I believe they found her deceased.

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Oh so very sad - and yet another example of how someone can be overlooked in the immediate area, despite countless searches.

Ashley Turcotte, 31, was last seen Jan. 4. A wide-scale search started Saturday morning and Turcotte was found in the woods near where her car was parked, police said.

Woman last seen months ago in Barnstead found dead, police say

A woman who was last seen in January was found dead Saturday morning after a wide-scale search for her, police said.

www.wmur.com