The final of four victims in the Bear Brook murders is now identified. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and state police made the announcement Sunday afternoon. The victim, previously referred to as “The Middle Child,” has been identified as Rea Rasmussen, born in 1976 in Orange County, California.She was the biological daughter of Terry Peder Rasmussen, the man deemed responsible (but never convicted) for the murders, and Pepper Reed, who was born in 1952 in Texas and has not been seen since the late 1970s. Terry Rasmussen, who went by “Bob Evans” in New Hampshire, died in prison in 2010. Rasmussen was a serial offender, known to use many aliases. In 1985, the remains of an adult woman and a young girl were found in a barrel in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown. Fifteen years later, a second barrel containing the remains of two more girls was discovered nearby. In 2017, investigators linked one of the victims to Terry Rasmussen. By 2019, three of the victims had been identified as Marlyse Honeychurch, Terry Rasmussen’s former girlfriend, and her daughters, Sarah McWaters and Marie Vaughn. >> Timeline: Terry Rasmussen and the Bear Brook murdersFirebird Forensics was the first group to work with investigators on genetic analysis for the case. DNA testing first discovered connections through the case of Lisa Jensen, abducted by Rasmussen as an infant. The Bear Brook case proceeded to become a groundbreaking approach in genetic testing, utilizing the material from hair samples and reassembling the code. “Just getting to the point where (we) could actually use the technique to actually try build some (genetic) trees and identify somebody, all of that took forever,” said Firebird president and founder Barbara Rae-Venter.The hair samples proved to be a crucial part of the investigation, with the few remains of the victims containing a majority of bacterial DNA that prevented proper results. “We’re talking about a lot, not just hundreds, but thousands of hours,” Rae-Venter said. In January 2024, the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit then transitioned to partner with the DNA Doe Project, using further genetic genealogy testing to eventually identify Rea Rasmussen. Her identity was officially confirmed on Sept. 5. >> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <> Subscribe to WMUR’s YouTube channel <<
MANCHESTER, N.H. —
The final of four victims in the Bear Brook murders is now identified.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office and state police made the announcement Sunday afternoon. The victim, previously referred to as “The Middle Child,” has been identified as Rea Rasmussen, born in 1976 in Orange County, California.
She was the biological daughter of Terry Peder Rasmussen, the man deemed responsible (but never convicted) for the murders, and Pepper Reed, who was born in 1952 in Texas and has not been seen since the late 1970s.
Courtesy of National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
Terry Rasmussen, who went by “Bob Evans” in New Hampshire, died in prison in 2010. Rasmussen was a serial offender, known to use many aliases.
In 1985, the remains of an adult woman and a young girl were found in a barrel in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown. Fifteen years later, a second barrel containing the remains of two more girls was discovered nearby.
In 2017, investigators linked one of the victims to Terry Rasmussen. By 2019, three of the victims had been identified as Marlyse Honeychurch, Terry Rasmussen’s former girlfriend, and her daughters, Sarah McWaters and Marie Vaughn.
>> Timeline: Terry Rasmussen and the Bear Brook murders
Firebird Forensics was the first group to work with investigators on genetic analysis for the case. DNA testing first discovered connections through the case of Lisa Jensen, abducted by Rasmussen as an infant.
The Bear Brook case proceeded to become a groundbreaking approach in genetic testing, utilizing the material from hair samples and reassembling the code.
“Just getting to the point where (we) could actually use the technique to actually try build some (genetic) trees and identify somebody, all of that took forever,” said Firebird president and founder Barbara Rae-Venter.
The hair samples proved to be a crucial part of the investigation, with the few remains of the victims containing a majority of bacterial DNA that prevented proper results.
“We’re talking about a lot, not just hundreds, but thousands of hours,” Rae-Venter said.
In January 2024, the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit then transitioned to partner with the DNA Doe Project, using further genetic genealogy testing to eventually identify Rea Rasmussen. Her identity was officially confirmed on Sept. 5.
>> Download the free WMUR app to get updates on the go: Apple | Google Play <<
While all four Bear Brook victims have been identified, the investigation into the disappearance of Pepper Reed remains active. Authorities believe she may also have been a victim of Terry Rasmussen.
“It’s important to the family to know who their little sister was, so they can do whatever they need to do in terms of putting it all back together,” Rae-Venter said.
Part of that family consists of Diane Kloepfer, the estranged daughter of Terry Rassmussen. She said he left her family when she was just 6 years old, and barely has memories of the man her mother said was abusive to them all.
“My mother and my father fought a lot when we were little,” she said. “Those are really the only memories I have of the two of them together, are violent and argumentative.”
For years, she and her siblings tried to find out their father’s true identity before discovering it on an online message board community. By this point, Kloepfer was in her 40s.
After the identities of the first three victims were confirmed, she began a campaign to discover who her half-sister really was.
“That’s really the only reason I spoke out about it at all, in the hopes of doing the right thing and getting her name back,” she said of her various media appearances in the years following.
Now that she’s accomplished her mission, Kloepfer says her emotions on the subject are mixed.
While all four Bear Brook victims have been identified, the investigation into the disappearance of Pepper Reed remains active. Authorities believe she may also have been a victim of Terry Rasmussen.
For her, the story of the killings won’t end until Pepper receives her own conclusion. Until then, she encourages armchair sleuths and those following the case closely to allow family and friends connected directly to have their long-awaited peace.
“They will tell their story when they’re ready. Let them be.”
New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office
Pepper Reed
In a statement, New Hampshire Attorney General John Formella said:
“This case has weighed on New Hampshire and the nation for decades. With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back. This development is the result of extraordinary perseverance by law enforcement, forensic experts and our cold case unit. Our commitment to uncovering the truth, no matter how long it takes, remains unwavering. We continue to seek answers about the disappearance of Pepper Reed.”
The Attorney General’s Office said a news conference to discuss the recent identification will be held on Monday at 11 a.m.
More details and victim impact statements are expected to be provided to the public.