New Hampshire State Police say the final unidentified victim in the 1985/2000 Allenstown homicide case -- or the Bear Brook Murders -- has been identified. 

The final unidentified victim, previously known as the “middle child” has been identified a Rea Rasmussen. 

Rasmussen was born in 1976 in Orange County, California. 

She was the biological daughter of Terry Peder Rasmussen, the man responsible for the murders and who died in prison in 2010, and Pepper Reed, who has not been seen since the late 1970s. 

New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the DNA Doe Project in 2024 to reinvestigate the unidentified child using advanced genetic genealogy. Through extensive DNA analysis and genealogical research, she was identified as Rea Rasmussen. 

This identification wraps up a more than 40-year search to give names to all four victims found in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire.

“This case has weighed on New Hampshire and the nation for decades. With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back. This development is the result of extraordinary perseverance by law enforcement, forensic experts, and our Cold Case Unit,” N.H. Attorney General John Formella said in a press release. “Our commitment to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes, remains unwavering. We continue to seek answers about the disappearance of Pepper Reed.”

In 1985, the remains of an adult woman and a young girl were discovered in a barrel in Bear Brook State Park. In 2000, a second barrel containing the remains of two more girls was found nearby. The victims were determined to have been killed in the late 1970s or early 1980s.

The case was unsolved until 2017 when investigators linked a genetic genealogist’s clues to Terry Rasmussen, also known as Bob Evans, a serial killer who died in a California prison years earlier.

In 2019, three of the victims were identified as Marlyse Honeychurch and her daughters, Marie Vaughn and Sarah McWaters, last seen in California in 1978. The fourth victim, Rasmussen’s biological daughter, remained unidentified until now.

New Hampshire State Police say though all four Bear Brook victims have now been identified, the investigation into the disappearance of Pepper Reed, Rea’s mother, remains active. Authorities believe she may have also been one of Rasmussen’s victims. 

Investigators are asking for any information about the whereabouts and fate of Pepper Reed, who was last seen in the 1970s, and Teddy Rasmussen’s movements between 1974 and 1985, particularly in New Hampshire, California, Arizona, Texas, Oregon and Virginia.

Anyone with relevant information is encouraged to contact:

• New Hampshire Cold Case UnitPhone: (800) 525-5555 / (603) 271-2663Email: coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC)Phone: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)Email: ncmectips@ncmec.org