MEDIA AVAILABILITY: Bear Brook-- Further Closure in Decades-old New Hampshire Murders

CONCORD, N.H., June 7, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- 

BACKGROUND: In 1985, a hunter discovered a barrel containing two unidentified bodies near Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire. In 2000, the discovery of a second barrel with two more unidentified bodies opened up more questions and renewed interest in the investigation. Years passed before the killer of the four mystery victims was finally revealed through the help of a powerful investigative technique based on genetic genealogy. Now, law enforcement authorities in the case have revealed the identities of three of the four victims - as well as background information on their lives - helping resolve a longtime quest for answers surrounding the 1980s-era murders.

PODCAST INFO: New Hampshire Public Radio's Bear Brook podcast took an in-depth look at the four unsolved murders; how genetic genealogy is revolutionizing police work; and the key players surrounding the ongoing mystery. Since making its debut in October 2018, Bear Brook has been downloaded more than five million times. The podcast has been named to numerous "Best Of" lists, including The Verge, the San Jose Mercury-News, BuzzFeed, and Vulture; it also earned a Top 10 citation as one of the "Best Podcasts of 2018" from The New Yorker. Indeed, investigators and victims' advocates who have closely tracked the case credit Jason's work as a key factor in helping advance the case.  

REPORTER INFO: Bear Brook Host and Reporter Jason Moon began his journey with this complex story in 2015, when he attended a news conference where State of New Hampshire authorities announced new information regarding the decades-old murder investigation. The central question - how could a murdered family go missing and unidentified for so long? – intrigued him enough to continue to pursue the story. Moon took on the task of investigating the case further, spending nights and weekends working on the podcast while continuing to cover his daily beat. Jason is available to discuss:

• How his painstaking investigation took shape
• Perspective on the dozens of hours of interviews he conducted with key players surrounding the case:
• Law enforcement authorities in New Hampshire and California
• Family and friends of those impacted by the killer
• Residents and former residents of Allenstown
• Amateur sleuths who tirelessly pursued the case on their own time for their own varied reasons
• Experts in forensic technology and genetic genealogy – and the science and ethics of both
• Perspective on various sites relevant to the case in New Hampshire:
• the area where the bodies were found
• the gravesites of the first two victims
• local sites that played a role in the case
• What's Next?

CONTACT:
Media interested in learning more about Bear Brook or interviewing Jason Moon, Podcast Producer Taylor Quimby, or NHPR News Director Dan Barrick should contact the Communications Office at New Hampshire Public Radio: [email protected]

www.bearbrookpodcast.org

SOURCE New Hampshire Public Radio

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