Late on July 28, 2025, Newmarket police were sent to a Maple Street apartment for a welfare check just before midnight. Inside, officers found Kylie Fritz, 38, a woman, lying on the floor with what appeared to be a gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators with the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and State Police took over the case, establishing a tight timeline around the late-night call and the discovery inside her home.
The investigation quickly pointed to Stephen Field, 39, of North Hampton. Hours earlier he had crashed a vehicle in Exeter; statements he made after that crash led authorities to conduct the welfare check in Newmarket. Prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder, alleging he knowingly caused Fritz's death by shooting her, and with falsifying physical evidence. He was taken into custody and scheduled for arraignment in Brentwood District Court as detectives processed the apartment and collected evidence.
Officials later confirmed that Field and Fritz had been in a romantic relationship. Coverage from local outlets and an obituary published that week identified Fritz and situated her within the Seacoast community, as friends remembered her and neighbors grappled with the shock of a killing in a quiet town. Authorities described the charges as allegations and said the investigation remained active while they continued to develop the case against Field.
