After more than four decades, authorities in New Hampshire have identified the final victim in the Bear Brook murders, bringing an end to one of the state’s longest-running mysteries.
New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella and Colonel Mark B. Hall of the New Hampshire State Police announced on Sunday that the last unidentified victim has been confirmed as Rea Rasmussen, the biological daughter of convicted murderer Terry Peder Rasmussen and a woman named Pepper Reed, who has been missing since the late 1970s.
“This case has weighed on New Hampshire and the nation for decades,” Formella said in a statement. With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back.”
Why It Matters
The identification of Rasmussen highlights the role of forensic genealogy in solving cold cases and underscores law enforcement’s persistence in seeking justice long after a perpetrator’s death.
While the finding closes one chapter in New Hampshire’s most infamous homicide investigation, unanswered questions remain about Rasmussen’s missing mother and the full scope of killer Terry Rasmussen’s crimes.
What To Know
The case, known as the Bear Brook murders, began in 1985 when hunters discovered a barrel containing the remains of an adult woman and a young girl in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. A second barrel with the remains of two more children was found nearby in 2000.
Investigators determined that the victims had been killed in the late 1970s or early 1980s. For years, the victims went unidentified.
In 2017, DNA evidence linked the deaths to Terry Rasmussen, who was known to use aliases including “Bob Evans” and “Curtis Kimball.”
Rasmussen was convicted in California of killing his girlfriend, Eunsoon Jun, and died in prison in 2010 while serving a sentence of 15 years to life.
Authorities believe he may have killed as many as six people.
By 2019, three of the Bear Brook victims were identified as Marlyse Honeychurch and her daughters, Marie Vaughn and Sarah McWaters, who were last seen in California in 1978.
The identity of the fourth victim—Rasmussen’s biological daughter—remained unknown.
That changed after investigators renewed their efforts in early 2024. The New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project to apply advanced forensic genealogy techniques. Using DNA analysis and genealogical records, they identified the child as Rea Rasmussen, born in 1976 in Orange County, California.
Officials said Rasmussen’s mother, Pepper Reed, born in 1952 and originally from Texas, has not been seen since the late 1970s. Authorities continue to investigate her disappearance and believe she may have also been a victim of Rasmussen.
What People Are Saying
New Hampshire State Police Detective Sergeant Christopher N. Elphick, in a statement on Sunday: “This case has passed through the hands of many investigators, all of whom felt the weight of speaking for those who no longer could. Naming [Rea Rasmussen] brings a sense of justice but also reminds us of the unanswered questions that remain.”
New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General Benjamin J. Agati, chief of the state Department of Justice Homicide Unit, said the breakthrough was: “a testament to science, persistence, and teamwork.” He added, “It means a great deal—to all of us who have been part of this journey.”
New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, head of the Cold Case Unit, said the Bear Brook case helped demonstrate the potential of genetic genealogy: “We hope this final identification provides a measure of closure, even as the investigation into Rasmussen’s full scope of crimes continues.”
What Happens Next
With the final Bear Brook victim identified, investigators will shift their focus to unanswered questions—chief among them the fate of her mother, Pepper Reed, missing since the late 1970s, and the full extent of Terry Rasmussen’s crimes across several states.
Although the identification closes one chapter, investigators continue to seek information about Rasmussen’s movements between 1974 and 1985, particularly in New Hampshire, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and Virginia.
Anyone with information about the disappearance of Pepper Reed or Rasmussen’s activities is urged to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
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