N.H. officials searching for ‘person of interest’ in murder of couple killed on walking trail
Prosecutors said the man was seen near the scene of the April 18 shooting.
Authorities in New Hampshire on Tuesday released a sketch in an attempt to identify and speak with a man they say is a “person of interest” in the murders of a Concord husband and wife killed on a walking trail last month.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office described the person in a statement as a “white male, in his late 20s or early 30s” who is approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall, “medium build, with short brown hair, and clean-shaven.”
“He was seen in the vicinity of the shooting incident on Monday, April 18, 2022, wearing a dark blue jacket (possibly with a hood), khaki-colored pants, and carrying a black backpack,” officials said.
Assistant Attorney General Geoff Ward told reporters at a press conference Tuesday afternoon the man depicted “may have information about these crimes as either a witness or suspect.”
He declined to say how investigators arrived at the depiction used for the sketch.
Anyone with information about the man depicted is being asked to contact the Concord Police Department at (603) 225-8600 or the Concord Regional Crimeline at (603) 226-3100.
Stephen Reid, 67, and Djeswende “Wendy” Reid, 66, were found dead from multiple gunshot wounds on April 21, according to investigators. The couple had left their Concord apartment three days earlier for a walk on the nearby Broken Ground Trails.
The murders have rocked the Reids’ hometown, but so far, few developments in the case have been made public.
“The investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released as it becomes available, while protecting the integrity of the investigation,” prosecutors said.
Ward declined to answer most questions asked at Tuesday’s press conference, citing the ongoing probe.
“We feel like we’re making progress in the investigation, generally speaking,” he said.
Stephen & Wendy Reid
Earlier this month, the Concord Regional Crimeline, a law enforcement nonprofit, offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to charges against anyone responsible for the homicides.
On Tuesday, the Attorney General’s Office announced the sum of reward cash has increased to up to $33,500.
Of the total, $20,000 was made available by an anonymous donor, “who has pledged the funds for only those who come forward with information within the next 60 days,” officials said.
Another $5,000 was also made available by a different anonymous donor.
In weeks since the Reids were last seen alive, Concord police have received over 130 tips and put out several calls to the public for information.
On May 5, police asked to speak with anyone with dashboard camera footage who was driving on Loudon Road or Portsmouth Street on April 18. Investigators also asked to speak with “anyone hiking or biking on the Broken Ground Trails area on Sunday, April 17, Monday, April 18, or Tuesday, April 19, especially on the Marsh Loop Trail or on any other trails in the Broken Ground Trails area.”
“The police continue to follow-up on each of these leads and continue to investigate every aspect of these murders,” the attorney general’s office said in a statement earlier this month. “It is crucial that any person who has any information regarding these murders report to the police what information is known to them, no matter how inconsequential the person believes the information may be.”
According to prosecutors, tips can be submitted anonymously and online through the Crimeline website or by text message by texting TIP234 to CRIMES (274637).