NH - Djeswende ‘Wendy’, 66, & Stephen Reid, 67, Shot on Hiking Trail, Concord, Apr 2022 *Logan Clegg Arrested*

[MassGuy]

Questions:

Can't speculate if random or not. Won't answer if there are multiple killers.

Investigators found them.

No specific threat to public. Be vigilant.

Can people be safe on trails? Be vigilant (so no direct answer).

Won't comment if there is a suspect.

Chief says this is a very safe place. It's a tragedy that came out of nowhere.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Questions:

Can't speculate if random or not. Won't answer if there are multiple killers.

Investigators found them.

No specific threat to public. Be vigilant.

Can people be safe on trails? Be vigilant (so no direct answer).

Won't comment if there is a suspect.

Chief says this is a very safe place. It's a tragedy that came out of nowhere.

It sounds like they don’t really have any more information than we do at this point. I’d feel more confident if they said “we are confident there is no threat to the public” but “be vigilant” makes it sound like they have no suspects at this time.

ETA: Do we know if the victims had any social media? I haven’t been able to find any so far, but since they are on the older side they may not have any and/or aren’t active on it.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Update: New Hampshire couple shot to death in Concord woods; investigation underway — Boston 25 News
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A New Hampshire couple was found shot to death in the woods just outside of Concord, New Hampshire late Thursday night, after reports of their disappearance.

The bodies of 67-year-old Stephen Reid and his wife, 66-year-old Djeswende Reid, were found with multiple gunshot wounds in the area of the Broken Ground Trails, just off of Portsmouth Street.

 

[OddOneOut]

What little information there is implies that they walked from their apartment to the trails. Otherwise, someone would have to have driven their cars back to the apartments. Does anyone know for sure? Also, if they don't know whether the shootings were random, then I would not want to be on those trails or near them until they solve this.

 

[MassGuy]

What little information there is implies that they walked from their apartment to the trails. Otherwise, someone would have to have driven their cars back to the apartments. Does anyone know for sure? Also, if they don't know whether the shootings were random, then I would not want to be on those trails or near them until they solve this.

It sounds like they walked from their apartment to the trails. And yes, no way would I risk venturing anywhere like that, at least in the immediate area.

Most killings aren't random, but you never know.

 

[MsLGinNC]

It doesn't sound random. Close to home in a place they probably felt was comfortable and safe. Poor people.

 

[tigerteeth]

“"We have no specific information that would lead us to believe that the public in general is at any risk," Ward said.”
(Concord couple died of multiple gunshots)

I don’t take that as no threat to the public. Just not a known threat yet.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Here is a map of the Broken Ground Trails. And a map showing where their apartment was in relation to the Marsh Loop trailhead.

 

[MsLGinNC]

Questions:

Can't speculate if random or not. Won't answer if there are multiple killers.

Investigators found them.

No specific threat to public. Be vigilant.

Can people be safe on trails? Be vigilant (so no direct answer).

Won't comment if there is a suspect.

Chief says this is a very safe place. It's a tragedy that came out of nowhere.

To me, if there's a constant evasion, they have next to no idea if there's danger. Unless, of course, they think there's a pattern in there that they've seen elsewhere and that's why they want to hear if anyone sees anything that might point to it.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

So unfortunately the street view images on Google are over 10 years old so things may have changed since then, but from what I can see they likely would have taken the East Sugar Ball Road trail to get to the trailhead for the Marsh Loop trail. The "walking route" that Google suggests doesn't have sidewalks most of the way, so unless they walked along the shoulder they probably would have taken this E. Sugar Ball Rd. trail to "cut thru" to get to the Marsh Loop trailhead, which unfortunately means they probably weren't picked up on security cameras outside of any that might have been in their apartment complex.

I know LE is asking people in the area to review their security camera footage but it's unclear what exactly they want people to be reviewing it for. The went for a walk around 2:20PM so it's not like they left at a weird hour (like 3AM) where it would be weird to see people driving/walking around. Are they hoping cameras caught someone who followed them to the trail? There don't see to be any cameras in the vicinity of the trailhead and there are definitely not cameras on the trail itself (at least I highly, highly doubt it) so I'm not sure what LE thinks people might have captured on cameras.

Below is a screen grab from the street view showing the E. Sugar Ball Rd. trail on the left and in the distance on the right you can see the Marsh Loop trailhead.

 

[MsLGinNC]

So unfortunately the street view images on Google are over 10 years old so things may have changed since then, but from what I can see they likely would have taken the East Sugar Ball Road trail to get to the trailhead for the Marsh Loop trail. The "walking route" that Google suggests doesn't have sidewalks most of the way, so unless they walked along the shoulder they probably would have taken this E. Sugar Ball Rd. trail to "cut thru" to get to the Marsh Loop trailhead, which unfortunately means they probably weren't picked up on security cameras outside of any that might have been in their apartment complex.

I know LE is asking people in the area to review their security camera footage but it's unclear what exactly they want people to be reviewing it for. The went for a walk around 2:20PM so it's not like they left at a weird hour (like 3AM) where it would be weird to see people driving/walking around. Are they hoping cameras caught someone who followed them to the trail? There don't see to be any cameras in the vicinity of the trailhead and there are definitely not cameras on the trail itself (at least I highly, highly doubt it) so I'm not sure what LE thinks people might have captured on cameras.

Below is a screen grab from the street view showing the E. Sugar Ball Rd. trail on the left and in the distance on the right you can see the Marsh Loop trailhead.
View attachment 340846

I get the feeling they have specifics in mind, and they want confirmation of whether those specifics were circulating in the area at that time. Even if they took an alternate route, if the person(s) who killed them drove...that might be on camera.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

The family, presumably one of the children, emailed a statement to WMUR9 which provides additional context to Wende and Stephen's disappearance and murder (BBM):

"The last contact anyone in my family had with them was on Monday, April 18th, at 11:24 A.M., via text." And the email goes on to say, "When Dad did not show up to his weekly tennis game and didn't call to cancel, our family knew that something was wrong."

 

[MsLGinNC]

The family, presumably one of the children, emailed a statement to WMUR9 which provides additional context to Wende and Stephen's disappearance and murder (BBM):

"The last contact anyone in my family had with them was on Monday, April 18th, at 11:24 A.M., via text." And the email goes on to say, "When Dad did not show up to his weekly tennis game and didn't call to cancel, our family knew that something was wrong."

Basically, they texted and then went out, didn't come back. Did someone see them leave alone for their walk?

 

[alexanicoluca]

wow! concord is one of the quaintest places i’ve ever visited! never ever felt a murder vibe there! i guess you just never know and there is no way TO know, that’s the scary fact of life.

 

[Bodhi]

The Reids lived fascinating lives, IMO. The couple were both "international development careerists from New Hampshire and Burkina Faso" and had lived both in North America and Africa.

Lindsay Wenkouni Reid - PCI Media

The 2014 obituary for Stephen's mother (linked above by @citizen_sleuth ) stated the couple lived in Concord and Niamey, Niger.

 

[airportwoman]

I can't be the only person who is wondering if the wrong person who didn't like interracial couples saw them?

 

[annpats]

Are there any animal hunters around those woods at this time of the year?

I'm wondering if they ran into an altercation with one.....

It'll be interesting to know what kind of gun/bullets they were *advertiser censored* with, and whether it is a typical hunting rifle or something else....

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Missing couple, Stephen and Djeswende Reid, found shot to death in wooded area in New Hampshire — CBS News
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"So, anyone who saw the Reids that Monday afternoon, anyone walking on those trails, anyone who has any information related to their disappearance or deaths are asked to contact the Concord Police Department about anything that they saw or heard that afternoon," said Geoffrey Ward, New Hampshire's senior assistant attorney general.

The community has been left shocked by the violence.

"It's a quiet, laid-back area," said neighbor RB. "It just seems hard to believe that something like that could've happened."

[…]

Police are looking for the public's assistance, asking residents and businesses in the area to check their surveillance systems. Anyone who saw the Reids on Monday April 18 is asked to contact Concord Police.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

So this is interesting. Probably unrelated but another man was shot and killed in the Alton Woods apartment complex back in October 2021.

As police investigate a new Concord homicide, January shooting death still unsolved – Concord Monitor
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Two weeks ago, Concord Police and the Attorney General’s Office opened an investigation into the death of 31-year-old Cody Tewell at the Alton Woods apartment complex off of Loudon Road. Tewell died of gunshot wounds, according to an autopsy released on October 3.

[...]

No new information has been released about the recent Concord shooting since an autopsy confirmed that Tewell’s death was caused by gunshot wounds to the neck and chin, and was ruled a homicide.

Gunshots To The Neck And Chin Killed Concord Man: Autopsy – Patch
<snipped & BBM>
Limited information is available about the case but according to police dispatch, Tewell was shot and killed by his wife during a domestic dispute around 3:30 a.m. on Oct. 2. She reportedly told dispatch Tewell was strangling her, she got her firearm, and shot him. Children were removed from the apartment and given to family members before the woman was taken to Concord Hospital for treatment.

The woman, a former career retention specialist and aviation safety mechanic for the U.S. Marines, who was previously stationed in Arizona before moving to New Hampshire, has not been charged.

 

[Cryptic]

I'm in Concord often. Lots of trails there. Hiked many and always felt safe. Concord has crime but not a lot of murders. That being said, I have no faith in the New Hampshire police solving anything.

Jeez, I live in the south and have always had a fuzzy positive stereotype of northern and west coast police as being better trained, better equipped and better motivated than southern police and thus more likely to solve crimes.