Manchester Home Searched In Connection With 1981 N.H. Cold Case
MANCHESTER, N.H. (CBS/AP) — Authorities are searching a home in Manchester, New Hampshire, in the case of a woman who once lived there and disappeared more than 35 years ago.
Tuesday's search is related to the missing person's case of Denise Beaudin.
Police say a residence on Hayward Street is where Beaudin lived with her boyfriend, Robert "Bob" Evans, when she went missing. Investigators have set up a large tent in the backyard.
Her family last saw her on Thanksgiving 1981, when she was 23, with Evans and her infant daughter.
When relatives went to visit her a few days later, the couple and baby were gone. At first, her family assumed Denise's financial troubles forced her to leave the area with her boyfriend.
The attorney general's office says the family didn't contact police at the time. It took more than 35 years for Beaudin's relatives to finally file an official missing person report last month.
Authorities have begun a criminal investigation based on new information and say this is their initial effort to search the Hayward Street house.
"That's, in general, what we're looking for is anything related to her disappearance. The home has never been searched by law enforcement, so this is our first time in there," Jeffrey Strelzin, New Hampshire Senior Assistant Attorney General, said.
The search, aided by the FBI, could last several days. A section of the street was expected to be closed off.
Federal, state, and Manchester investigators, some in hard hats and firefighting gear, went in and out of a green tent behind the home, surrounded by furniture and evidence bins. An exhaust hose ventilating the basement.
The home's current residents left, giving authorities room to operate, and leaving some neighbors wondering, what next?
"Just kind of nervous, and just kind of anxious to find out," Anne Cayford said.
The attorney general's office has been in touch with Beaudin's daughter, who has been able to shed some light, they say.
"She is safe. We know where she is, wishes to remain anonymous at this time," Strelzin added.
They also know where Evans is. He is now 72 years old.
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