New Hampshire authorities are renewing their investigation into the 1968 murder of a 15-year-old girl whose body was found strangled on a dirt road more than five decades ago in Unity.
Attorney General John M. Formella announced Wednesday that the state’s Cold Case Unit and State Police Major Crime Unit are reexamining evidence, conducting new interviews and pursuing additional leads in the death of Joanne Dunham of Charlestown.
Joanne Dunham
Joanne Dunham
Dunham was last seen the morning of June 11, 1968, walking from her home at Raiche Mobile Homes to catch her school bus. She never arrived at school. Her body was discovered the next day on a roped-off remote dirt road along Quaker City Road in Unity, about 5½ miles from where she was last seen. An autopsy determined she died of asphyxiation.
“More than five decades later, the Cold Case Unit remains committed to solving this crime,” a news release said. “New Hampshire Department of Justice Deputy Chief Investigator Todd Flanagan, currently assigned to the case, recently visited Joanne’s burial site and was deeply saddened to find her grave remained unmarked.”
In coordination with the Office of Victim/Witness Assistance and Victim’s Compensation Program, steps were taken to assist the Dunham family in placing a headstone at her gravesite, they said. Perry Brothers Monument Company and St. Mary’s Cemetery in Claremont donated services to complete and install the headstone in time for the anniversary of her death.
“These investigations are not just mechanical exercises — they are commitments of the heart,” Flanagan said. “This case is not just about solving a crime. It’s about standing with Joanne’s family and honoring her memory. She was only 15 years old.”
Authorities are asking anyone with information, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, to contact the Cold Case Unit at 800-525-5555 or coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov. The Cold Case Unit is led by Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles.