Over 50 Years Later, This New Hampshire Homicide Victim Has Finally Been Identified: Now, Investigators Are Seeking The Public’s Help In Finding Her Killer

On October 6, 1971, the body of a decomposing woman was discovered off Kilton Road in Bedford, New Hampshire– close to the Route 101 bypass.

After undergoing forensic analysis, it was found that the victim had been dead for about one to three months before discovery.

The unidentified woman was also believed to be between twenty-five and thirty-five years old, between sixty-one and sixty-five inches tall, and had brown hair.

Additionally, she was found wearing short dungaree-like shorts, a maroon blouse with lace, and size seven sandals. What was missing, though, was any form of identification.

The victim’s exact cause of death could not be determined, either. Still, investigators declared that the manner of her death was a homicide and set out to work the case.

And as of this month, after over fifty years, the victim was finally identified as Katherine Ann Alston of Boston, Massachusetts.

This breakthrough was the result of a forensic testing effort made possible by genetic genealogists at the DNA Doe Project.

“Today’s announcement by our Cold Case Unit is very important, and I am proud of their difficult and very diligent work. It demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of justice for Ms. Alston, her family, and all New Hampshire crime victims,” Attorney General Formella said.

In 1945, Katharine, also known as “Kathy,” was originally born in Chelsea, Massachusetts. She had attended Dorchester High School before graduating in 1963 and going on to take classes at Boston University.

New Hampshire Department of Justice – pictured above is Kathy in November of 1967

At just twenty-two years old, Kathy also fell in love with a peer– named Ralph Lawson Garrett, Jr.– and the pair got married in November of 1967.

Their honeymoon took place in Jamaica, and they moved out to Cambridge, Massachusetts, following the trip. Later, though, Kathy and Ralph ended up getting a divorce.

Then, by 1971, Kathy’s parents and siblings relocated from Massachusetts to Texas in order to be closer to her father’s family. So, one day, Kathy was supposed to meet her siblings at Logan Airport to catch their flight to Texas.

She never showed up at the airport, though, and was never seen by her family again. Now, investigators know it was because she had been killed in Bedford.

Back in 1993, as well as in 2006, the New Hampshire State Police and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner consulted with clay facial reconstruction experts in order to create an impression of the victim’s appearance.

Three years ago, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit also sought out the help of forensic anthropologists and digital facial reconstruction experts to create an updated impression of Kathy’s appearance.

Then, from 2020 to 2022, the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit partnered with the DNA Doe Project– a non-profit initiative– in hopes of using genetic genealogy to uncover a familial link based on Kathy’s DNA.

They ultimately found a likely genetic match between Kathy’s DNA profile and a family member in Texas who had used a direct-to-consumer DNA test. Then, after contacting the Alston family, the match was confirmed.

Moreover, investigators learned that Kathy’s siblings never heard from or saw Kathy again after moving to Texas.

Equipped with this finding, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit is now asking for the public’s assistance in finding the person who murdered Kathy.

At the time of her death, she was reportedly living in Boston, Massachusetts– on 36 Beacon Street– with a male roommate named David Cormier.

Investigators are seeking information from anyone who knew Kathy or her former roommate, David Cormier.

The people most likely to have known Kathy or David include Dorchester, Boston, and Sommerville, Massachusetts, residents who lived in the area between 1963 and the fall of 1971. Additionally, students who attended Boston University between 1963 and 1967 may remember Kathy from campus.

If you have any information regarding Kathy’s case, you are urged to contact New Hampshire Cold Case Unit investigators by phone at (603) 271-2663 or by emailing [email protected].

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Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek

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