Connecticut River Valley Killer

Serial Killer

The Connecticut River Valley Killer

Overview

The Connecticut River Valley Killer is the name given to an unidentified murderer associated with a series of unsolved killings in New Hampshire and Vermont from the late 1970s through the 1980s. Despite the name, the crimes were not centered in the state of Connecticut. The name refers to the Connecticut River Valley, the region surrounding the river that forms much of the boundary between Vermont and New Hampshire. At least seven women have traditionally been grouped together as victims of the unidentified killer. Most disappeared or were attacked in rural communities along transportation corridors in western New Hampshire and eastern Vermont. Several were stabbed, several disappeared while traveling alone, and multiple victims were found in isolated wooded locations. Investigators noticed particularly troubling geographic similarities around Claremont, Newport, Unity, and the Connecticut River corridor. It is important to note that law enforcement has never conclusively proved that a single person committed every murder traditionally attributed to the Connecticut River Valley Killer. The individual cases remain separate unsolved investigations, and New Hampshire authorities have cautioned against assuming that every popularly linked homicide was committed by the same offender. Nevertheless, the similarities between the crimes led investigators, journalists, and the public to associate them with an unidentified serial murderer.

The Beginning of the Murders

The earliest murder generally associated with the series was the killing of Catherine "Cathy" Millican in New London, New Hampshire, in October 1978. Millican was an artist, photographer, ornithologist, and accomplished sailor who went into a wetland area to watch and photograph birds. She never returned home. Millican was last seen during the afternoon of October 24, 1978. Witnesses saw her brown Volkswagen Rabbit near the entrance to the wetlands off Route 11. At approximately 11:30 p.m. the following evening, October 25, her body was discovered several hundred yards into the wooded area. An autopsy determined that she died from multiple stab wounds. Because she was last seen alive on October 24 and discovered on October 25, the precise time of her death has not been publicly established. Three years later, another woman disappeared while trying to travel north toward Vermont. That case would eventually become another important part of the suspected Connecticut River Valley pattern. ...

Confirmed Victims: (7)

Cathy Millican Age: (27), Date of Death: October 24, 1978

Suspected Victims:

Joanne Dunham Age: (15), Date of Death: June 11, 1968

Sylvia Gray Age: (76), Date of Death: May 30, 1982

Steven Hill Age: (38), Date of Death: June 20, 1986

Heidi Lee Martin Age: (16), Date of Death: May 20, 1984

Jane Doe

Carrie Moss Age: (14), Date of Death: July 25, 1989

Survivors:

Jane Boroski Age: (22), Date of Attack: August 6, 1988

Surviving the Connecticut River Valley Killer: Jane Boroski tells her ...