Found Deceased NH - Ashley Turcotte, 31, last seen at home, her car found at the town hall with her phone & backpack, Barnstead, 4 Jan 2024

[carbuff]

Yes .... It is 90 miles or so away.... But not knowing the families name at that time didn't report what the family's name was . I probably should of waited till after it was released. But so many are looking for answers as to what happened to Ashley, myself included, having the same age 31 yrs old, I kinda jumpted the gun. I also did see that Boston Globe article that mentioned the 31 yr olds name Samatha Willard .

Sorry, I didn't mean to sound like I was putting you down. It was just my opinion at the time. There were certainly enough coincidences to make it worth looking into.

Because the town hall opens up at 8:30 am and closes at 4:30 PM Monday - Friday all I'm really comfortable saying is that someone arriving at the town hall or leaving at the end of the day 4:30pm or arriving at 8:30 am probably noticed a vehicle already in or still in the parking lot. But the vehicle was not found until 6:30 32 hours after she was seen at 10:44 AM on the 4th at Dollar General. And their statement about canvassed private video surveillance systems, have been checked with negative results. leaning on assumption vehicle was parked there after 4:30 PM and between 6:30 PM.

This is a very good point. I think you're right.

 

[Hestia's Fire]

I made a little Google map showing where Ashley's car was found and where she was last spotted at the Dollar General. When she was first reported missing I saw quite a few people comment that it was strange she was never spotted walking between the two locations since it's not really a pedestrian-friendly area and someone on foot walking along the road would stand out. What I noticed when I zoomed in on Google was that there seems to be some paths through the wooded area behind and between the town hall and the Dollar General. Even though it's densely wooded you can see a bit of the path peeking through the trees in some spots and you can see a little footbridge over the Suncook River. This may explain how she was able to get from her car (if, indeed, she did park it there herself) to the Dollar General without being spotted by anyone.

And if she was sadly intent on self-harm, I would expect to find her somewhere in these woods. She may have returned to them after getting what she needed from the store and carried out her plans.

I added some arrows to my map so you can see the little bridge and footpath better.

 

[Stephen2016]

I made a little Google map showing where Ashley's car was found and where she was last spotted at the Dollar General. When she was first reported missing I saw quite a few people comment that it was strange she was never spotted walking between the two locations since it's not really a pedestrian-friendly area and someone on foot walking along the road would stand out. What I noticed when I zoomed in on Google was that there seems to be some paths through the wooded area behind and between the town hall and the Dollar General. Even though it's densely wooded you can see a bit of the path peeking through the trees in some spots and you can see a little footbridge over the Suncook River. This may explain how she was able to get from her car (if, indeed, she did park it there herself) to the Dollar General without being spotted by anyone.

And if she was sadly intent on self-harm, I would expect to find her somewhere in these woods. She may have returned to them after getting what she needed from the store and carried out her plans.

I added some arrows to my map so you can see the little bridge and footpath better.View attachment 486366

Yes, I saw that too. I also noticed next to the Police Station and the Cemetary what looked like the start of a path as well. The distance by road from Dollar General is 6/10 of a mile from Sun River Campground. There seems to be a path after that "foot bridge" and to a road that leads to the campground. . The Distance from the Town Lot is nearly a mile going up Maple Street. ... by the way across the street from where the town hall lot is Heading south I think there is trail into the woods not far from the lot, that has I guess walking trails and or posted cross country skiing. attached picture of that foot bridge you stated. I also thought that it was a bridge of some sort.

 

[Hestia's Fire]

Fantastic article in the Laconia Daily Sun about the continuing search for Ashley. I really feel for the law enforcement officers who knew and liked her and haven't been able to find her. They really seem to be taking it to heart that they haven't been able to bring her home yet.

Ashley Turcotte of Barnstead still missing, investigation progress slow

BARNSTEAD — A nearly two-month-long search for Ashley Turcotte, missing since early January, is still underway but has yielded little success even with police collaborating with regional law enforcement agencies

www.laconiadailysun.com

New info:

• Barnstead police have put out calls to area residents instructing them to look for such articles of clothing and personal items which might be connected to Turcotte’s disappearance.
• Town Hall didn’t have any surveillance cameras at the time of Turcotte’s disappearance, but officials installed cameras this week, Chief Paul Poirier said Tuesday.
• Turcotte's vital biological information including dental records have been listed with the National Crime Information Center
• Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter.
• Surveillance footage from a nearby Dollar General store captured images of Turcotte making two purchases within two hours the morning she went missing. The contents of her purchase have been identified as table salt and a bag of candy, Cheney said Monday.
• A former law enforcement officer who now owns a gunsmith and a drone company has been assisting police in the search for Turcotte every weekend since she went missing.

I was perplexed by the information that her final purchases were table salt and a bag of candy. I was honestly expecting something like cold medicine or something that might be used to self-harm. Would you buy a container of table salt before going off into the woods to end your life? Candy I could maybe see if you wanted some kind of comfort item, like a bag of your favorite candy, as a kind of last treat before the end. But salt?

I just did a quick Google search and apparently you can die from ingesting too much salt (and now Google is inundating me with helpline information and I shudder to think what anyone would make of my search history...) So maybe that was it? Maybe she thought she could overdose on table salt to end her life, and the candy was a way to keep from gagging from the taste? It would make sense why the two purchases were separate: buy salt, go into the woods to make the attempt, realize the taste is too awful to make it work, go back to the store and buy a bag of candy to make it easier?

 

[Dotta]

Fantastic article in the Laconia Daily Sun about the continuing search for Ashley. I really feel for the law enforcement officers who knew and liked her and haven't been able to find her. They really seem to be taking it to heart that they haven't been able to bring her home yet.

Ashley Turcotte of Barnstead still missing, investigation progress slow

BARNSTEAD — A nearly two-month-long search for Ashley Turcotte, missing since early January, is still underway but has yielded little success even with police collaborating with regional law enforcement agencies

www.laconiadailysun.com

New info:

• Barnstead police have put out calls to area residents instructing them to look for such articles of clothing and personal items which might be connected to Turcotte’s disappearance.
• Town Hall didn’t have any surveillance cameras at the time of Turcotte’s disappearance, but officials installed cameras this week, Chief Paul Poirier said Tuesday.
• Turcotte's vital biological information including dental records have been listed with the National Crime Information Center
• Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter.
• Surveillance footage from a nearby Dollar General store captured images of Turcotte making two purchases within two hours the morning she went missing. The contents of her purchase have been identified as table salt and a bag of candy, Cheney said Monday.
• A former law enforcement officer who now owns a gunsmith and a drone company has been assisting police in the search for Turcotte every weekend since she went missing.

I was perplexed by the information that her final purchases were table salt and a bag of candy. I was honestly expecting something like cold medicine or something that might be used to self-harm. Would you buy a container of table salt before going off into the woods to end your life? Candy I could maybe see if you wanted some kind of comfort item, like a bag of your favorite candy, as a kind of last treat before the end. But salt?

I just did a quick Google search and apparently you can die from ingesting too much salt (and now Google is inundating me with helpline information and I shudder to think what anyone would make of my search history...) So maybe that was it? Maybe she thought she could overdose on table salt to end her life, and the candy was a way to keep from gagging from the taste? It would make sense why the two purchases were separate: buy salt, go into the woods to make the attempt, realize the taste is too awful to make it work, go back to the store and buy a bag of candy to make it easier?

Arthur LH's murderous stepmother fed the poor boy with salt

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

Oh gosh, table salt as a potential way to die… I’d never heard of that until now. It doesn’t sound pleasant or quick. I still wonder about that river…

 

[Hestia's Fire]

Oh gosh, table salt as a potential way to die… I’d never heard of that until now. It doesn’t sound pleasant or quick. I still wonder about that river…

Per the Laconia Daily Sun article:

"But officials have cleared the “whole river from South Barnstead Road down to the dam,” Cheney said. They’ve employed the use of both scuba divers, who search the deepest and darkest areas of the waterways, and snorkelers, who are able to spot objects closer to the surface."

Of course, divers have missed things before, so anything is possible. I hate that she's still out there somewhere.

 

[Spider92]

Per the Laconia Daily Sun article:

"But officials have cleared the “whole river from South Barnstead Road down to the dam,” Cheney said. They’ve employed the use of both scuba divers, who search the deepest and darkest areas of the waterways, and snorkelers, who are able to spot objects closer to the surface."

Of course, divers have missed things before, so anything is possible. I hate that she's still out there somewhere.

"Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter"
So the weather is suitable for snorkeling but not for a helicopter ride?

 

[ch_13]

"Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter"
So the weather is suitable for snorkeling but not for a helicopter ride?

With the proper wetsuit you can scuba/snorkel in freezing cold water temperatures.

But helicopters can be grounded by low clouds, high winds and other conditions which wouldn't necessarily affect someone in the water.

 

[acutename]

Fantastic article in the Laconia Daily Sun about the continuing search for Ashley. I really feel for the law enforcement officers who knew and liked her and haven't been able to find her. They really seem to be taking it to heart that they haven't been able to bring her home yet.

Ashley Turcotte of Barnstead still missing, investigation progress slow

BARNSTEAD — A nearly two-month-long search for Ashley Turcotte, missing since early January, is still underway but has yielded little success even with police collaborating with regional law enforcement agencies

www.laconiadailysun.com

New info:

• Barnstead police have put out calls to area residents instructing them to look for such articles of clothing and personal items which might be connected to Turcotte’s disappearance.
• Town Hall didn’t have any surveillance cameras at the time of Turcotte’s disappearance, but officials installed cameras this week, Chief Paul Poirier said Tuesday.
• Turcotte's vital biological information including dental records have been listed with the National Crime Information Center
• Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter.
• Surveillance footage from a nearby Dollar General store captured images of Turcotte making two purchases within two hours the morning she went missing. The contents of her purchase have been identified as table salt and a bag of candy, Cheney said Monday.
• A former law enforcement officer who now owns a gunsmith and a drone company has been assisting police in the search for Turcotte every weekend since she went missing.

I was perplexed by the information that her final purchases were table salt and a bag of candy. I was honestly expecting something like cold medicine or something that might be used to self-harm. Would you buy a container of table salt before going off into the woods to end your life? Candy I could maybe see if you wanted some kind of comfort item, like a bag of your favorite candy, as a kind of last treat before the end. But salt?

I just did a quick Google search and apparently you can die from ingesting too much salt (and now Google is inundating me with helpline information and I shudder to think what anyone would make of my search history...) So maybe that was it? Maybe she thought she could overdose on table salt to end her life, and the candy was a way to keep from gagging from the taste? It would make sense why the two purchases were separate: buy salt, go into the woods to make the attempt, realize the taste is too awful to make it work, go back to the store and buy a bag of candy to make it easier?

If she just hiked into nearby woods, LE and dogs would have found her IMO

 

[haggis]

Oh gosh, table salt as a potential way to die… I’d never heard of that until now. It doesn’t sound pleasant or quick. I still wonder about that river…

Maybe she was worried about ice at home and wanted to salt the path?

 

[ch_13]

Maybe she was worried about ice at home and wanted to salt the path?

You wouldn't use table salt for that. You would use rock salt. I would expect any New Englander would be familiar with the difference.

 

[CuriousCricket]

If she just hiked into nearby woods, LE and dogs would have found her IMO

yes, I agree. However, if she met someone back at the Dollar Store, or near the Dollar Store . . . I'm not positive I have the timing right in my head, but . . . did she not stop at Dollar Store, make a purchase, then drive to park her car at Town Hall? Then, she's back in the Dollar Store for another purchase?

Maybe she and a "friend" were planning a discreet little adventure? Doesn't even have to be romantic. A long cold gray winter day broken up with a little adventure. There was a plausible reason to keep it quiet.

By deliberately parking her car at Town Hall - IF she is the one who placed it there - I get the feeling it was a safe location for vehicle while she went somewhere else.

Because the trails through the woods have been pointed out, I was thinking she met said adventurous friend at Dollar Store, but really, could have been anywhere once she put her vehicle in a safe place where she'd pick it up later. Then, as they started off, Ashley ran back into Dollar Store for second purchase. Do we know which one was first?

If the search has been around Town Hall, an off-the-road accident in a different area might have been missed.

 

[maine2016]

You wouldn't use table salt for that. You would use rock salt. I would expect any New Englander would be familiar with the difference.

FWIW, I use table salt to salt my paths and steps bc it is safer on my dogs' paws than CaCl

 

[CuriousCricket]

FWIW, I use table salt to salt my paths and steps bc it is safer on my dogs' paws than CaCl

Since we don't know the type salt purchased (or do we?), I'm guessing we don't know how much either -- which would perhaps point toward a usage -- picnic, restock a low supply at home, or to thaw something frozen.

 

[Stephen2016]

Fantastic article in the Laconia Daily Sun about the continuing search for Ashley. I really feel for the law enforcement officers who knew and liked her and haven't been able to find her. They really seem to be taking it to heart that they haven't been able to bring her home yet.

Ashley Turcotte of Barnstead still missing, investigation progress slow

BARNSTEAD — A nearly two-month-long search for Ashley Turcotte, missing since early January, is still underway but has yielded little success even with police collaborating with regional law enforcement agencies

www.laconiadailysun.com

New info:

• Barnstead police have put out calls to area residents instructing them to look for such articles of clothing and personal items which might be connected to Turcotte’s disappearance.
• Town Hall didn’t have any surveillance cameras at the time of Turcotte’s disappearance, but officials installed cameras this week, Chief Paul Poirier said Tuesday.
• Turcotte's vital biological information including dental records have been listed with the National Crime Information Center
• Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter.
• Surveillance footage from a nearby Dollar General store captured images of Turcotte making two purchases within two hours the morning she went missing. The contents of her purchase have been identified as table salt and a bag of candy, Cheney said Monday.
• A former law enforcement officer who now owns a gunsmith and a drone company has been assisting police in the search for Turcotte every weekend since she went missing.

I was perplexed by the information that her final purchases were table salt and a bag of candy. I was honestly expecting something like cold medicine or something that might be used to self-harm. Would you buy a container of table salt before going off into the woods to end your life? Candy I could maybe see if you wanted some kind of comfort item, like a bag of your favorite candy, as a kind of last treat before the end. But salt?

I just did a quick Google search and apparently you can die from ingesting too much salt (and now Google is inundating me with helpline information and I shudder to think what anyone would make of my search history...) So maybe that was it? Maybe she thought she could overdose on table salt to end her life, and the candy was a way to keep from gagging from the taste? It would make sense why the two purchases were separate: buy salt, go into the woods to make the attempt, realize the taste is too awful to make it work, go back to the store and buy a bag of candy to make it easier?

there are many other things salt can be used for. I did a search too and 1st one came up with 19 different things. One of which is clean stains. One stain happened to be blood another stain red wine. There were some pretty interesting things to do, like make an air freshener, from a hollowed out orange and putting salt in place of.

60 Clever Uses for Salt—That Don't Involve Cooking​

Fantastic article in the Laconia Daily Sun about the continuing search for Ashley. I really feel for the law enforcement officers who knew and liked her and haven't been able to find her. They really seem to be taking it to heart that they haven't been able to bring her home yet.
[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.laconiadailysun.com/news/local/ashley-turcotte-of-barnstead-still-missing-investigation-progress-slow/article_9e508498-d5ab-11ee-9fae-d38d9b8d3e6f.html

New info:

• Barnstead police have put out calls to area residents instructing them to look for such articles of clothing and personal items which might be connected to Turcotte’s disappearance.
• Town Hall didn’t have any surveillance cameras at the time of Turcotte’s disappearance, but officials installed cameras this week, Chief Paul Poirier said Tuesday.
• Turcotte's vital biological information including dental records have been listed with the National Crime Information Center
• Once weather conditions improve, Poirier plans to organize search efforts using a State Police helicopter.
• Surveillance footage from a nearby Dollar General store captured images of Turcotte making two purchases within two hours the morning she went missing. The contents of her purchase have been identified as table salt and a bag of candy, Cheney said Monday.
• A former law enforcement officer who now owns a gunsmith and a drone company has been assisting police in the search for Turcotte every weekend since she went missing.

I was perplexed by the information that her final purchases were table salt and a bag of candy. I was honestly expecting something like cold medicine or something that might be used to self-harm. Would you buy a container of table salt before going off into the woods to end your life? Candy I could maybe see if you wanted some kind of comfort item, like a bag of your favorite candy, as a kind of last treat before the end. But salt?

I just did a quick Google search and apparently you can die from ingesting too much salt (and now Google is inundating me with helpline information and I shudder to think what anyone would make of my search history...) So maybe that was it? Maybe she thought she could overdose on table salt to end her life, and the candy was a way to keep from gagging from the taste? It would make sense why the two purchases were separate: buy salt, go into the woods to make the attempt, realize the taste is too awful to make it work, go back to the store and buy a bag of candy to make it easier?

Reader's Digest
Reader’s Digest: Official Site to Subscribe & Find Great Reads › list › clever-uses-for-salt[/URL]
Oct 10, 2019 — From relieving rashes to removing stains to restoring household items to their original luster, salt does more than just season food.

That article also mentioned she was reported missing on January 3rd. This makes me wonder how long had she been missing and what could she have done until her vehicle was found at 6:30 pm on January 5th. And wonder about the accuracy of that article. There is much speculation out there so I've limited it to what the Barnstead PD has verified and stated. Reason I don't understand how no one working at or going to the town hall office didn't notice a vehicle parked there especially if it was the last person to leave or the 1st person to open up at 8:30 in the morning. Town Hall Offices are open from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. So assuming that is accurate information all I can guess is the vehicle was most likely put there between the hours of 8:30 and 4:30. Probably after 4:30 then not found until 6:30 pm 32 or so hours after the 10:44 AM sighting at Dollar Store on January 4th. I can't imagine someone seeing a vehicle still in the lot wouldn't recall that. It's not a very big lot and there is only one way out of that lot that people entering or leaving would have to go. Either way would be past the lone vehicle. The Dollar store is only 1 mile away basically and would only take between 15 and 22 minutes to walk there. My thoughts on this align pretty well with what CuriousCricket has said.

Hypothermia can set in in about 30 minutes or so. If she left her car and the average speed of walking is between 15 and 22 minutes a mile, Maybe the radius they might want to look at is 2 miles. "..There is no suspected criminal element in this case and there are no suspects related to Turcotte’s disappearance, Poirier said..."

On the other hand "...A tablespoon of salt weighs about 15 grams, in case you’re wondering, and between 0.75g and 3g per kilogram of body weight is the estimated lethal dose of salt. The average body weight of a healthy adult is 75kg, which means a minimum of 56g of salt or about 10 teaspoons, taken all at once, will kill you..."
56g is 1.97534 oz There are 26 ounces in a Morton container of Salt. 1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons, So 3.1/3 teaspoons might kill you. That is not much salt.
there is actually a term for it:
hypernatremia in hospital records indicates salt overdose is relatively common, consideration could be given to placing warning labels on salt containers and shakers. Such warning labels can have the added advantage of reducing dietary salt consumption.
Keywords: salt, sodium, overdose, warning labels, hypertension, hypernatremia. A Systematic Review of Fatalities Related to Acute Ingestion of Salt. A Need for Warning Labels?

 

[NoSpoonFeeding]

If she just hiked into nearby woods, LE and dogs would have found her IMO

This claim is made in many, many cases, has been disproven just as many times.
MOO

 

[AmandaSkis]

How does someone even learn that a lot of salt can kill you?? It is not a suicide method I would have ever thought of. Is this true??

 

[Hestia's Fire]

How does someone even learn that a lot of salt can kill you?? It is not a suicide method I would have ever thought of. Is this true??

I don't know about table salt, but if you search for death by sodium, there are tons of articles about people using sodium nitrite to self-harm, lots of them in the past year. Possibly someone in a suicidal state of mind could see those articles and start thinking about other types of sodium that are more easily obtainable?

 

[JerseyWasHome2]

How does someone even learn that a lot of salt can kill you?? It is not a suicide method I would have ever thought of. Is this true??

I know. I hope they've been able to search the digital history on her phone and/or devices, even if they were possibly deleted, to see if she'd ever looked up anything like that.