The Allenstown Four case: a series of murders that took 40 years to solve (8 photos)

The American law enforcement system operates differently than ours: investigators rarely give up on solving a case. Currently, there are approximately 200,000 unsolved murders in the United States, some of which occurred 50 or even 80 years ago. However, these cases are not hopeless. Modern technology makes it possible to solve crimes committed as far back as the last century. While it's true that the perpetrator isn't always punished, such successes are of enormous significance to the victims' families. Investigations have even solved the most unusual cases, such as the Allenstown Four. What makes this case unique is that the killer was identified, while some of his victims remain unknown.





Scary Finds in Barrels

In 1985, a hunter made a grisly discovery in the woods near Bear Brook, which is located in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. While chasing deer through the undergrowth, he came across a rusty metal barrel containing the skeletal remains of two people, wrapped in plastic bags. Forensic experts determined that the deceased were a woman aged 23-33 and a girl aged 5-11.



Barrel with remains in the forest near Medvezhyi Stream

Police were unable to determine the exact time and cause of death. Investigators believe the woman and girl died between 1979 and 1985 from blunt force trauma. No evidence or witnesses were found, so the case was soon closed. However, in 2000, police discovered another barrel in the same area.

The remains of two girls were found inside – one aged between 1 and 3 years old, the other between 2 and 4 years old. The case, closed 15 years ago, had to be reopened and merged with a new investigation. This time, even establishing their approximate ages and date of death proved extremely difficult. But it was clear that the children died around the same time as the woman and girl found in 1985.

A Problem with Many Unknowns

DNA analysis revealed that two of the three children were related to the woman. However, the exact relationship could not be determined. She could have been the children's mother, sister, or even aunt. Police suspected that the murder occurred within the family, and that the perpetrator was a close relative of the victims. He was likely the woman's husband and the children's father.





Facial reconstruction of the woman and children from Bear Creek

After these disappointing findings, the case was closed again, as further progress was impossible. However, several years later, advances in forensic technology made it possible to continue the investigation. Detailed bone tissue analysis revealed that the victims either lived in the Allenstown area or spent at least three months there. Computer modeling was used to reconstruct the victims' portraits. But even this failed to yield a breakthrough, and the case stalled once again.

In 2017, a hopeful article appeared in the press: the Allenstown Four case had finally broken ground. This time, technology didn't play a key role. The breakthrough came after a woman from California contacted police. She told a story that pointed the investigation in the right direction and helped solve the crime.

A Key Witness

A woman abandoned by her father as a child revealed that her mother, Denise Boden, disappeared in 1981 along with her youngest daughter. At the time, Denise was dating Bob Evans, a man with a dark past. After her mother's disappearance, Evans babysat her eldest daughter for several years, but in 1985, he abandoned her in a trailer park and disappeared. He was later arrested, and investigators determined he was involved in child molestation. As a result, he was convicted and sent to prison.



Bob Evans, aka Terry Rasmussen, in 1973

In 1990, Bob Evans was released, but soon found himself back in prison, receiving a lengthy sentence for the murder of his new common-law wife, Yunsun June. By then, he had already changed his name and was calling himself Larry Vanner. He never returned to prison and died in 2010.



Terry Rasmussen in prison in 2002

The Chameleon Killer

By comparing the facts, investigators were able to reconstruct the general pattern of Evans' criminal activity. He created a false identity, posing as a single father, to attract another victim. He most often targeted single women with children. He sexually abused the children and murdered their mothers. In some cases, he even killed the children themselves. His crimes spanned New Hampshire, California, and other regions.



Terry Rasmussen in 1969

Under the names Bob Evans, Larry Vanner, and at least a dozen other aliases, this master of disguise evaded justice for decades. His real name was Terry Peder Rasmussen. DNA samples from his family were found in the police database, which helped establish that he was the father of one of the girls found in the barrel. Rasmussen not only destroyed another family, but also murdered his own child.

The Victims Have Been Named

In 2019, thanks to the combined efforts of DNA specialists and enthusiasts who searched genealogy forums and archives, investigators were able to identify three of the four victims. They were Marliese Elizabeth Honeychurch and her daughters, Marie Elizabeth Vaughan and Sarah Lynn McWaters. The fourth victim, the young daughter of the killer himself, remains unidentified. Referred to simply as "The Middle Child," her identity remains the final mystery in the case.



Marlyse Honeychurch was last seen in late 1978 with her two daughters, Marie and Sarah.

Honeychurch, who was born in Connecticut in 1954, was married twice and had a daughter with each husband. Marlyse was last seen at her mother's home in La Puente, California, on Thanksgiving Day 1978. That's when she introduced the family to her new boyfriend, Terry Rasmussen.

The crime has been solved

According to investigators, Rasmussen had six victims, although there may have been more. Unfortunately, after the killer's death, it is no longer possible to determine how events unfolded more than 40 years ago. Therefore, law enforcement officials could only accept the fact that the criminal's identity and motives are now known.



The story of the "Allenstown Four" shows that even decades later, the truth can be found—thanks to technology, police persistence, and chance testimony. But does this inspire a sense of justice if the killer is already dead and the victims are only partially identified? Do you think it's worth continuing to investigate such cases—for the sake of memory, for the sake of family, or for the sake of principle?