Identified! NH - Allenstown, Adult Female, 23-33, & 3 Children, Marlyse Honeychurch, Marie Vaughn, Sarah McWaters, Rea Rasmussen

[Angelcat13]

In 2023: After 27 years, "Lady in the Fridge" is Identified

I remember reading about this victim (I don’t remember where, but it was also about Terry Rasmussen because I remember something about there being electrical tape found that they were able to link to a military base and TR had been working as an electrician in the area at that time. I’ll see if I can find the article but if anyone remembers this before I do please post it.

 

[jennytrevor]

Considering we know many of his aliases and locations at this point, I think there needs to be some searching of birth certificates in states he was known to be. In the new Bear Brook podcast episode, it was mentioned that the police can allegedly search through birth certificates with a court order (in CA, not sure about other states).

 

[summergirl1]

This is "The Lady in the Fridge's" thread on here-, I don't think it sounds like Rasmussen killed her, IMO. Identified! - CA - San Joaquin Co., WhtFem 320UFCA, 29-41, Gorilla hiking boots, Mar'95 - Amanda Lynn Schumann Deza

 

[summergirl1]

I think Terry Rasmussen almost seemed to be (or was) running from himself/his issues, through multiple locations, lives, and families until he was finally caught for murdering Eunsoon Jun. Just some thoughts that have occurred to me recently about him/ his life. He certainly fooled multiple women, although he doesn't really seem to have been much of a winner.

 

[summergirl1]

This a interesting, though older, article: 'I don’t remember my dad being violent or angry': Daughter of alleged Bear Brook serial killer speaks

 

[summergirl1]

Another interesting older article. It mentions her unidentified half sister, now known to be Rea. Daughter of suspected serial killer says she changed life after learning about father

 

[OddOneOut]

Another interesting older article. It mentions her unidentified half sister, now known to be Rea. Daughter of suspected serial killer says she changed life after learning about father

I'm relieved to see Rea has family that wants to claim her and see she gets a decent burial.

 

[phantomstrider]

I’m glad Rea has been identified. It looked like it would be hard for her to be identified due to her mother likely being a victim and her being possible not being documented at birth.

 

[jennytrevor]

Was anything ever found regarding Marie being enrolled in school? I assume they searched for pictures in yearbooks before her ID, but now that her name is known, I wonder if they could find signatures in a yearbook or something. Or just interview people who were her age to see if they remember her.

 

[Alleykins]

Was anything ever found regarding Marie being enrolled in school? I assume they searched for pictures in yearbooks before her ID, but now that her name is known, I wonder if they could find signatures in a yearbook or something. Or just interview people who were her age to see if they remember her.

Before she was identified, I recall hearing investigators scoured school records and put the feelers out to educators and people in the area to see if they recalled a little girl suddenly not showing up for school. They came up empty handed. I can't recall they were going to revisit that angle after she was identified. In my area, we didn't have yearbooks in elementary school, but we did starting in junior high school.

 

[jennytrevor]

Before she was identified, I recall hearing investigators scoured school records and put the feelers out to educators and people in the area to see if they recalled a little girl suddenly not showing up for school. They came up empty handed. I can't recall they were going to revisit that angle after she was identified. In my area, we didn't have yearbooks in elementary school, but we did starting in junior high school.

Yes I was wondering if yearbooks were even a thing for young children then. For such a small town though, I would imagine at this point they could go to something like a school reunion for her class and ask everyone in attendance. Granted I know that these details are not of huge importance to the investigation, but could be helpful for establishing a timeline or understanding if Rasmussen even allowed his victims to do things like attend school or if they were completely isolated.

 

[Alleykins]

Yes I was wondering if yearbooks were even a thing for young children then. For such a small town though, I would imagine at this point they could go to something like a school reunion for her class and ask everyone in attendance. Granted I know that these details are not of huge importance to the investigation, but could be helpful for establishing a timeline or understanding if Rasmussen even allowed his victims to do things like attend school or if they were completely isolated.

They may have had yearbooks, but our elementary schools didn't.
It may have been Marlyse who would have made the decision of whether or not Marie attended school. From what I recall, Marie's father had custody of her, and I don't think Marlyse leaving with her indefinitely was part of the arrangement. So she may have had her own reasons for putting Marie in school or not, if that were the case.
Also, Rea would have been school aged in the fall of 1981. Depending on when they were killed, there's a slight chance she may have attended pre-K or kindergarten, so it may very well be worth looking for her amongst headstart and school records now that they have her name, as it would help narrow down the timeline. Maybe now she has her name back, it will spark someone's memory. Or maybe someone hears her name, recalls her, and has an old class photo.

 

[summergirl1]

It is true that Rasmussen had issues with alcohol as one of his daughters points out in the above articles. But, I don't think there is any evidence he was in rehab in the same area of CA, at the same time, as Amanda Deza, who was the lady found in the fridge. She also doesn't seem his type.

 

[LucyOso]

Middle child identified as Rea Rasmussen!

Bear Brook Jane Doe

RIP Rea. This is so heart breaking.

The Honeychurches were last seen Nov of 1978, I would assume Pepper would've disappeared before TR met them

It is very possible. It seems for he did use the single father angle to gain trust and lure women into his life.

I see him as a repetitive family annihilator. It’s like he was obsessed with building new families and then murdering them. Maybe a way of taking out his anger on the situation with his first family. Never seen anyone like it before.

I see this as well. Almost like building the family, or "obtaining a prebuilt family" so he could destroy it, as a way to gain control over his wife divorcing him and losing the first family. He destroys it first, he leaves them first, eliminates the potential loss, sick role playing.

Most likely, over time, the women had the same concerns or "complaints" about behaviors. You drink too much, we live in poverty and you promised great things, you flirt with other woman, etc. and these "complaints" recreated the toxic rage/shame from the initial divorce resulting in violence. Then needing to "start over" to rebuild. There is a huge possibility much of his identity was tied to his first wife holding everything together so long. So he lost a huge sense of "self" and obviously could not recreate that. As children age, they also push boundaries. Older children might ask about their dads, causing an insult to his ego.

I do not believe he was "inactive" during gaps in the timeline. I am sure there are others. I do think as Lisa got older 5-6 her "efficacy" at being the lure to attract more females diminished his single father with a young child angle to build trust. And of course, that she could recall things and kids do say random things.

 

[Susikatze]

I’m glad Rea has been identified. It looked like it would be hard for her to be identified due to her mother likely being a victim and her being possible not being documented at birth.

Rea was documented at birth. Just her records were hard to find until they found her mom’s identity

 

[Susikatze]

RIP Rea. This is so heart breaking.



It is very possible. It seems for he did use the single father angle to gain trust and lure women into his life.


I see this as well. Almost like building the family, or "obtaining a prebuilt family" so he could destroy it, as a way to gain control over his wife divorcing him and losing the first family. He destroys it first, he leaves them first, eliminates the potential loss, sick role playing.

Most likely, over time, the women had the same concerns or "complaints" about behaviors. You drink too much, we live in poverty and you promised great things, you flirt with other woman, etc. and these "complaints" recreated the toxic rage/shame from the initial divorce resulting in violence. Then needing to "start over" to rebuild. There is a huge possibility much of his identity was tied to his first wife holding everything together so long. So he lost a huge sense of "self" and obviously could not recreate that. As children age, they also push boundaries. Older children might ask about their dads, causing an insult to his ego.

I do not believe he was "inactive" during gaps in the timeline. I am sure there are others. I do think as Lisa got older 5-6 her "efficacy" at being the lure to attract more females diminished his single father with a young child angle to build trust. And of course, that she could recall things and kids do say random things.

Agree. Psychologically obsession with power and control. It might not have been the actual act of murder that motivated TPR to continue killing but the element of control - building a life, settling down and then once it is inconvenient, destroying it.

it is possible he had real breaks - most serial killers have them at some point. Some continued killing after, others didnt. But it is also possible he took another alias and killed somebody we have no clue about yet.

jmoo

 

[SHolm3s]

While reviewing the case, I observed that there’s one crucial fact that remains unexplored thoroughly: Motive. What is the motive behind murdering three girls and one woman? Since this is an unusual and challenging case, pinning down the motive can be a big step towards solving it. If we take a step back and ask if there’s anyone among the four victims who was the killer’s specific target, what do we find?

Suppose the woman was the primary target of the killer. Why kill the others then? If the killer wanted to kill one person specifically, he/she would plan for it. And the most rational and convenient approach would be to find a time and place where the victim would be most vulnerable and alone. That would be rational despite the consideration of whether the killer was an amateur or a professional. An amateur would want to do it with as few hassles as possible, and a professional would always find a way to finish the job most conveniently. But that’s not what happened here. So, it can be deduced reasonably, considering the killer’s perspective, that the targeted victim was more than one. Or was it?

Let’s consider. Why would anyone want to kill those children? What harm could they have done to anyone at that age? Or what could someone stand to achieve by killing them? All these questions lead to an assumption that the murder was not pre-planned. Besides the lack of motive, there is another subject to consider in this case. The choice of weapon: blunt instrument. If it were a preplanned murder, would the killer choose a weapon that would require him/her to use repeatedly on the victims? Wouldn’t it be more convenient to select something less complex and less messy? This point would be trivial if it were not aligned with the previous questions; then it could be said that the killer chose it due to the lack of options and because of knowing how the system works. But because of the other points and the choice of weapon, it is a fair point to say that the murder was spontaneous; a decision that was taken instantaneously and used the weapon that was available at hand at that moment. Also, the fact that one of the children was not blood-related to the other three, strikes the possibility that she was just a kind of unfortunate bystander, in a way.

Therefore, if the killings are spontaneous, there are several options. One of them is robbery. Still, I ask myself, why would the robbers hide the bodies in the woods? And what about the other injuries on the body, igniting the possibility of domestic violence?

What are the possibilities of making it look like a Bear Brooke killing, and the possibility of being an original Bear Brooke killing?

I would like to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.

 

[MarziPanda]

I would like to hear everyone’s thoughts on this.

RSBM

We already know Terry Rasmussen killed them. He was known to all the victims, and the father of the unrelated child Rea. I think the chances of it being anyone else, considering Rasmussen was a known serial killer, are slim to none.

 

[ssarahbg]

I see him as a repetitive family annihilator. It’s like he was obsessed with building new families and then murdering them. Maybe a way of taking out his anger on the situation with his first family. Never seen anyone like it before.

I believe he was an opportunist killer. He was always looking for opportunities to take advantage of victims (particularly single mothers). IMO-During his drinking binges, he frequently lost control of himself which led to repeated murders and later disposal of victims. There are multiple reports of DUI’s and incidents during drinking binges. Maybe he looked for opportunities of control or financial gain. Possibly he was motivated as a sexual predator of children as well. We know there are reports of sexual abuse of Lisa. Were the children used to attract more mothers as a way to feel sorry for him? Was his motivation to find other children to abuse or just to find others to manipulate for some kind financial gain? These are the questions I have always had.

He was truly a narcissistic abuser. They are true chameleons who can transform into characters that fit the needs of their victims. Most devalue and discard after they feel their victims no longer serve the purpose originally intended for. I believe he literally devalued and discarded. I don’t know that murder was always a true motive for starting the relationships, just his own sick “means to an end”.

 

[PuzzlinEvidence]

While reviewing the case, I observed that there’s one crucial fact that remains unexplored thoroughly: Motive. What is the motive behind murdering three girls and one woman?

Motive will always be somewhat unclear in a case like this but if you look at recent pages in the thread I think there are some pretty good explanations that can be inferred from the known facts.

Rasmussen had a family in the late 60s and early 70s. He was abusive, so his wife left him and took the kids. He then had a series of relationships with other women. He seemed to favour single women with young children who appeared vulnerable. He moved frequently and he quickly isolated them from their families, he was known to be sexually abusive to children. Not a lot is known about the relationships, but everything that is known is consistent with patterns of domestic violence.

Why did he kill them? Imo everything about Rasmussen suggests that he was a control freak. He could not stand losing his own family, and he created situations where he was in complete control by isolating women with young kids who were then likely financially and emotionally dependent on him (having been removed from any support networks). Like with other 'family annihilators', a loss of control or a feeling of it could potentially have resulted in him killing them and starting over. I wouldn't be surprised if the mother's discovery of child sexual abuse precipitated one or more murders, as this kind of situation would threaten his control. But it may have been even less... just a feeling that the relationship had failed/was not going the way he wanted, or it was inconvenient somehow.

In a way he was a unique serial killer, but in another way, he's just a family annihilator who managed to do it a bunch of times. He reminds me a bit of Robert Spangler (Robert Spangler - Wikipedia) who killed at least two of his wives (probably three) when the relationships weren't going the way he wanted. Except that Rasmussen somehow managed to be much worse.