In the early morning hours of April 20, 2026, the quiet village of Woodsville, New Hampshire, was disturbed by the sound of violence that would leave a young man dead and a community in shock. Inside an apartment on Nelson Street, 22-year-old Demetrius White, a male from Springfield, Massachusetts, was found deceased by Haverhill police who were responding to multiple 911 calls that came in around 1:00 a.m.
An autopsy would later confirm the tragic reality: White’s life had been cut short by a gunshot wound to the chest and abdomen, and his death was ruled a homicide.
The investigation into the suspicious death quickly led to an arrest. Late in the evening on the same day of the discovery, authorities took 21-year-old Jayden McClanahan of Hartford, Connecticut, into custody. Initially, McClanahan was arrested on burglary charges in connection with the investigation into White's death. He was held on preventative detention pending an arraignment.
As the investigation progressed, more serious charges were brought against McClanahan, painting a grim picture of the events that transpired. He was charged with burglary, conspiracy to commit burglary, and felonious use of a firearm. According to reports, McClanahan and other, yet unidentified, individuals climbed an emergency fire escape to gain entry into the second-floor apartment. It was inside this apartment that they allegedly shot and killed Demetrius White. The violent encounter also resulted in the injury of a second adult male, whose identity has not been released. The circumstances surrounding the incident and a possible motive remain under active investigation by New Hampshire authorities, who have assured the public that there is no known ongoing threat.
