A weathered, wooden barrel half-buried in dense New Hampshire forest foliage, signifying the hidden evidence that eventually exposed serial killer Terry Peder Rasmussen through DNA analysis.

The Bear Brook Murders: førom barrel find to killer revealed

AuthorSusanne Sperling
Published

The Bear Brook Murders: From barrel find to Rasmussen revealed

A cold November day in 1985 in [Internal Link Placeholder] turned fateful when a hunter in Bear Brook State Park found a rusty barrel. The discovery contained the remains of some of the most enigmatic victims in American criminal history and marked the beginning of the Bear Brook [Internal Link Placeholder], a cold case that spanned decades. The [Internal Link Placeholder] eventually led to the unmasking of a [Internal Link Placeholder], Terry Peder Rasmussen, whose true identity was long hidden behind aliases like "Bob Evans." It wasn't until 2017 that Rasmussen was identified as the perpetrator, thanks to groundbreaking [Internal Link Placeholder] and advanced technology. However, the victims' identities – a mother and her three [Internal Link Placeholder], victims of a brutal [Internal Link Placeholder][Internal Link Placeholder] unknown until a combination of genetic genealogy and persistent investigation finally restored their names in 2019.

First barrel (1985): Two victims and a mystery

On November 10, 1985, a routine hunt in Bear Brook State Park became a landmark event in [Internal Link Placeholder] criminal annals. Deep in the woods, at the later infamous [Internal Link Placeholder], lay a dented metal barrel. It contained the partially skeletonized remains of an adult woman and a girl aged 8-10. The subsequent forensic examination determined that both victims had died from massive [Internal Link Placeholder] to the head. Despite intensive investigation by the New Hampshire State Police, the victims could not be identified, and there were no leads on the perpetrator. The two were buried under a tombstone inscribed: "Here lie the mortal remains of a woman and a female child, known only to God." In the following years, extensive attempts at identification were made, with dental records compared to missing persons from across the [Internal Link Placeholder], and anthropologists created facial reconstructions. However, nothing led to a breakthrough in this increasingly enigmatic [Internal Link Placeholder]. A police inspector later stated that it was as if these two people had fallen from the sky, emphasizing the complete lack of leads.

Second barrel (2000): Two more girls and a methodical killer

Fifteen years later, on May 9, 2000, the [Internal Link Placeholder] of the Bear Brook [Internal Link Placeholder] escalated when police made another gruesome discovery in Bear Brook State Park. During a routine search near the original [Internal Link Placeholder], an officer found another barrel, just 100 meters from the first. This barrel contained the remains of two more girls – one aged 2-4 years and another aged 5-11 years. Again, the forensic examination indicated death by [Internal Link Placeholder]. Estimates of time of death indicated that all four victims of these barrel murders were likely killed around the same time, probably between 1978 and 1981. Although the discovery strengthened suspicions of a connection, investigators faced a logistical puzzle: How could a murderer [Internal Link Placeholder] and conceal four victims in this manner? The conclusion was that the victims had likely been stored elsewhere for an extended period. This suggested a methodical perpetrator, whose actions bore the hallmarks of planning often seen in [Internal Link Placeholder].

Terry Peder Rasmussen revealed: Double life and DNA clue

It wasn't until 2017 that the pieces of the decades-old cold case began to fall into place. A combination of traditional investigation and groundbreaking [Internal Link Placeholder] led authorities to Terry Peder Rasmussen as the prime suspect [Internal Link Placeholder]. Rasmussen, who died in prison in 2010 for another [Internal Link Placeholder], had lived a complex double life under at least six different aliases, including "Bob Evans" and "Gordon Jensen." His criminal career spanned three decades and included the murder of his wife, Eunsoon Jun, in 2002, as well as the still-mysterious disappearance of Denise Beaudin in 1981. Rasmussen's ability to change identities and evade authorities was key to why the Bear Brook Murders [Internal Link Placeholder] unsolved for so long. Under the alias "Bob Evans," he lived in a [Internal Link Placeholder] trailer park with a young girl he called Lisa. When he abandoned her in 1986, it secured a crucial DNA sample that later linked him to one of the victims in the Bear Brook barrels. Rasmussen's manipulative abilities and suspected [Internal Link Placeholder] were evident; in 1985, while his victims already lay hidden in [Internal Link Placeholder], he was working as a handyman in that very state.

Genetic genealogy (2019): Honeychurch family's identification

The breakthrough in identifying the victims came with the use of commercial DNA databases and genetic genealogy. In 2017, researchers succeeded in extracting usable autosomal [Internal Link Placeholder] from the victims' [Internal Link Placeholder] – a technological feat. This opened the door to building family trees, which in 2019 led to the identification of three of the victims. The adult woman in the first barrel was Marlyse Elizabeth [Internal Link Placeholder] (born 1954 in [Internal Link Placeholder]). Her two daughters, Marie Elizabeth Vaughn (born 1971) and Sarah Lynn McWaters (born 1977), were found in the first and second barrels, respectively. It is believed that Marlyse began a relationship with Rasmussen (then "Bob Evans"), possibly through [Internal Link Placeholder] or personal ads, around the time of her divorce in 1978. This provides a likely timeframe for these horrifying [Internal Link Placeholder]. The fourth and youngest girl, found in the barrel from 2000, is still unidentified, but DNA tests have confirmed she was Terry Peder Rasmussen's biological daughter. Despite several facial reconstructions, her identity remains a [Internal Link Placeholder], leaving a part of this [Internal Link Placeholder] open.

Aftermath: Impact of the Bear Brook case and reburials

The Bear Brook [Internal Link Placeholder] have left a lasting impact and changed practices in both forensic science and cold case investigations. The success of combining genetic genealogy with traditional police work has inspired similar cases across the United States. In 2019, Marlyse [Internal Link Placeholder] and Marie Vaughn received a new tombstone with their names, while Sarah McWaters' remains were reunited with her family. The unidentified girl, Terry Peder Rasmussen's daughter, remains a silent [Internal Link Placeholder] to his brutality and a central part of the [Internal Link Placeholder] within the larger complex of the Bear Brook Murders. Her fate underscores the ongoing investigation. The case's significance extends beyond the specific murders; it demonstrates the potential of new technology and the importance of perseverance. As Jason Moon, host of the acclaimed [Internal Link Placeholder] "Bear Brook" from NHPR, has articulated, this is not just a story of [Internal Link Placeholder] and murder, but about how truth, even after decades in darkness, can be found.

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