New Hampshire investigators use DNA testing to determine identity of woman found dead in 1974
By KC Downey, Imani Fleming
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MANCHESTER, N.H. (WMUR) — After more than 50 years, New Hampshire investigators on Wednesday announced the identity of a woman found dead in Marlborough.
According to the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, Nancy Gale Erickson, of Tampa, Florida, and Brattleboro, Vermont, was found dead on April 16, 1974, in a wooded area off Route 124 in Marlborough.
According to investigators, an analysis showed she died in the late fall of 1973. The cause and manner of her death are unknown.
“This was the first step, but we now have to answer what happened to Nancy and why she wound up where she did,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General Chris Knowles.
Her body was discovered without identification. According to officials, she was wearing a light brown corduroy coat with white fleece lining, a blue-gray zippered warm-up jacket, a blue, white and red plaid flannel shirt, off-white work trousers, low-cut work shoes, mismatched socks and insulated underwear.
Investigators estimated her age to be between 18 and 48. They said she was between 5 feet, 2 inches and 5 feet, 6 inches tall. They added she had reddish brown hair.
Erickson, who was 21 when she died, was reported missing by her family to Brattleboro police in 2021, 48 years after she vanished. The family had previously reported her missing out of state.
According to officials, forensic testing confirmed the unidentified remains matched the DNA of Erickson’s siblings.
Officials with the attorney general’s office said Erickson was born in Bay Shore, New York, in 1951, and grew up in Elmira, New York. She earned a nursing degree from Corning Community College, and from 1972 to 1973, she moved to Tampa, Florida, to be near her mother and siblings.
Officials said Erickson worked as a nurse at Tampa General Hospital.
In 1973, investigators said Erickson “abruptly left” Tampa with a duffel bag and “no known destination.”
Officials said her siblings believe the emotional toll of her work as a nurse could have contributed to her leaving the area suddenly.
Erickson was arrested Oct. 2, 1973, in connection with the theft of a car in Putney, Vermont. Investigators said news coverage at the time indicated Erickson told the judge she was headed to visit friends in White River Junction when the car ran out of gas. She received probation in that case.
After the arrest, investigators said she remained in Brattleboro and worked at the Brattleboro Retreat while living at the Community House. On Oct. 30, she abruptly left her job and home and was never heard from again.
Investigators are looking to connect with anyone who knew Erickson in the last years of her life, including:
Employees of the Brattleboro Retreat in 1973 Residents of the Community House in 1973 Students at Corning Community College from 1971 to 1972 Staff at Tampa General Hospital from 1972 to 1973
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