The Connecticut River Valley Killer's Suspected Victims

The Composite Sketch of the Possible Serial Killer

From 1978 to 1986 there were several women violently murdered along the New Hampshire and Vermont border in the Connecticut River Valley near Route 91. There are at least 6 connected murders that are believed to have been done by the same person. It's been noted that there are similar M.O.'s, often used dumpsites, and wound patterns that linked the murders. He seemed to include the attempted murder of a pregnant woman. All the victims were stabbed to death and their throats were slit. It's believed that the women listed here are possible victims of the same killer.

Cathy Millican

On October 24, 1978, 26-year-old Cathrine, "Cathy" Millican was taking photographs of birds at the Chandler Brook Wetland Preserve in New London, New Hampshire. She was found where she was last seen and had been stabbed over 20 times. 

Mary Elizabeth Critchley

On July 25, 1981, a friend of 37-year-old Mary Elizabeth Critchley was dropped off near exit 13 of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Framingham,  Massachusetts. She was planning to hitchhike to Waterbury Vermont where she lived. On August 9, 1981, her body was found in the woods off of Unity Stage Rd. in Unity New Hampshire. It's unknown how she had died. She is currently seen as a possible victim of the Connecticut River Valley Killer though.

At the time Mary was attending classes at the University of Vermont. 

Bernice Courtemanche

On May 30, 1984, around 3:30 p.m. Bernice Courtemanche was last seen in Claremont, New Hampshire trying to hitchhike to Newport to see her boyfriend. She was reported missing and two years later on April 19, 1986, her skeletal remains were found just off Cat Hole Hill Road in Newport, New Hampshire. She had knife wounds to her neck and a head injury.

 At the time of her disappearance, Bernice was a high school student and part-time nurse's aide.

Ellen Fried 

On July 22, 1984, just after midnight 26-year-old, Ellen Ruth Fried was last seen talking on the payphone outside a convenience store in Claremont, New Hampshire. On September 19, 1985, her body was found in a wooded area next to the Sugar River in the Kellyville area of Newport, New Hampshire. The cause of death is undetermined, but the findings at the scene indicated she was sexually assaulted before her death. 

At the time of her death, she was a nurse at the Valley Regional Hospital.

Eva Morse

On July 10, 1985, 27-year old Eva Morse was hitchhiking on Route 12 in Charleston New Hampshire. Her body was found in West Unity, New Hampshire. It was determined she had stab wounds to the neck. Her body was found 500 feet from where Mary's was found.

Lynda Moore 

On April 15, 1986, around 3 p.m. a family member of 36-year-old Lynda Moore found her body inside her home in Westminster, Vermont. She was the only one home at her time of death. She was the only one of the possible victims to have died inside her home and not abandoned. 

Barbara Agnew 

On Jan. 6, 1987, 39-year-old Barbara Agnew went missing. Her vehicle was found in the northbound rest area in White River Junction. Her body was later found on March 28, 1987, in Hartland Vermont. Her body had been abandoned in a wooded area.  Barbara was a nurse at the time of her death. 

In 1988 Jane Boroski was seven months pregnant and was attacked outside of a closed convenience store. She was stabbed many times and was able to drive to a friend's home for help. She and the baby survived and she described him to the police and create a composite sketch. It's possible that she was a surviving victim of the Connecticut River Valley Killer.

SOURCES:
Unsolved Mysteries
Wikipedia
New Hampshire Department of Justice (Cathy)
New Hampshire Department of Justice (Mary)

New Hampshire Department of Justice (Bernice)

New Hampshire Department of Justice (Ellen)

New Hampshire Department of Justice (Eva)
Vermont State Police (Lynda)
Serial Killer Podcast