Dark Downeast - The Murder of Louise Chaput (New Hampshire)

Episode Date: June 12, 2023

NEW HAMPSHIRE, 2001: It was late fall of 2001 and Louise Chaput was looking forward to her weekend plans of hiking the White Mountains with friends. But when those plans fell through, Louise, who was eager to return to the majestic White Mountains that she’d hiked before, decided to do the trip on her own.She arrived at the Pinkham Notch Visitors Center in New Hampshire on the afternoon of Thursday, November 15, 2001. Before checking into her camp lodgings for the night, she set out on a short hike to stretch her legs after the car ride. But she never returned to check in for her reservation at the lodge. Three days later, she hadn’t returned home to Quebec, either.For three days, searchers fought dangerously cold temperatures and deep snow looking for any clues that would lead to her whereabouts. Then, a week after Louise had set off on what was supposed to be a short hike, her body was located just 200 feet from a popular trailhead.Louise Chaput did not freeze to death or fall from a cliff or suffer some sort of accident. Louise Chaput was murdered, and her killer has never been found.If you have information regarding this case, contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at [phone], [e-mail], or leave a tip. View source material and photos for this episode at darkdowneast.com/louisechaput Dark Downeast is an audiochuck and Kylie Media production hosted by Kylie Low.Follow @darkdowneast on Instagram, Facebook, and TikTokTo suggest a case visit darkdowneast.com/submit-case 

It was late fall of 2001, and Louise Chaput was looking forward to her weekend plans of hiking the White Mountains with friends. But when those plans fell through, Louise, who was eager to return to the majestic White Mountains that she'd hiked before, decided to do the trip on her own. She arrived at the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center in New Hampshire on the afternoon of Thursday, November 15, 2001. Before checking into her camp lodgings for the night, she set out on a short hike, just a little trek to stretch her legs after the car ride. But she never returned to check in for her reservation at the lodge. Three days later, she hadn't returned home to Quebec either. For three days, searchers fought dangerously cold temperatures

and deep snow looking for any clues that would lead to her whereabouts. Then, a week after Louise had set off on what was supposed to be a short hike, her body was located just 200 feet from a popular trailhead. The White Mountains are no stranger to death and disappearance, with some of the harshest conditions in the Northeast and even the world. The first death ever recorded on Mount Washington occurred in 1849, and since then more than 160 people have died on the mountain. Hikers have been killed in accidental falls or from exposure to the mountain's freezing cold. Except Louise Chaput did not freeze to death or fall from a cliff or suffer some sort of accident. Louise Chaput was murdered and her killer has never been found. I'm Kylie Lowe and

this is the case of Louise Chaput on Dark Down East. Dark Down East is powered by EveryPlate, America's best value meal kit. Get started for $1.49 per meal by going to everyplate.com slash podcast and entering code DOWNEAST49. She was a good Samaritan. She had a wonderful sense of humor. She was brave, independent, and adventurous. 52-year-old Louise Chaput was a mother of two daughters, and she worked as a psychologist, mainly specializing in family and marital counseling. But she had also started working at a local jail with inmates who had become police informants.

Because of this work, sometimes she was called upon as an expert witness in the youth court's criminal cases. Louise also volunteered her counseling services to families who otherwise could not afford them. She found fulfillment in helping others, yet she found her peace in the forests and in the mountains. Louise's friend and fellow psychologist Jocelyn Bourget told Graham Hamilton of the National Post, Louise adored nature and the outdoors. After plans for a group hike fell through in November of 2001, Louise decided to go to the White Mountains on her own. She packed her hiking gear into her silver Ford Focus station wagon, said goodbye to her husband, who is also referred to as her

longtime boyfriend in some sources, and she said goodbye to her two daughters and then made her way south to the Appalachian Mountain Club's Pinkham Notch Lodge, where she had a reservation. She left home on Thursday, November 15th, and planned to be back in three days after a series of day hikes around Mount Washington. Mount Washington, located in northern New Hampshire in the White Mountains Presidential Range, is the highest point in the northeastern United States at 6,288 feet high. However,

the Eagle Tribune said that, quote, when compared to taller peaks in Alaska, California, and Colorado, our Mount Washington is a relative pipsqueak, end quote. The relative low elevation does not have any bearing on its inherent dangers, however. More than 160 people have died on the mountain. In 2019, New Hampshire Magazine reported that the most common causes of death on Mount Washington were related to falls, often into ravines or off of ledges, or hypothermia due to exposure to the harsh elements. After all, Mount Washington is famous, or even infamous, for having what has been called the worst weather in the world. In 1934, a 231 mile per hour wind struck the summit, becoming the fastest non-tornadic

wind speed ever recorded by a person on land. And in February of 2023, Mount Washington experienced a windchill of 109 degrees below zero, the lowest windchill on record in the country. A quote-unquote pipsqueak, maybe, but Mount Washington is clearly not for the inexperienced or the unprepared. And Louise Chaput was neither of those things. The Boston Globe's David Arnold spoke to Louise's sister Colette, who said their whole family loved skiing and hiking, and Louise had grown up around outdoor adventures. She was often in the mountains, Colette explained, and she didn't mind hiking solo. Louise was familiar with many of the trails and had summited Mount Washington at least once before. And so, she set off for New Hampshire with her sleeping bag, a hiking backpack, water,

and chocolate, a hiking essential for Louise. It was time for another solo adventure in the White Mountains. Louise crossed into the United States from Canada at an entry point in Norton, Vermont, that Thursday just before noon. About an hour later, she stopped for gas at a convenience store in Colebrook, New Hampshire, before driving the final stretch to reach Pinkham Notch before dark. As reported by Barbara Turchault for the Valley News, a woman came into the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

around 3 p.m. and asked a clerk where she could take a short hike to stretch her legs after a long car ride. She wanted to be back before dark, so the clerk directed the woman to the Lost Pond Trail, just across the street from the lodge. Although the woman never gave the clerk her name, she is believed to have been Louise Chaput. Louise planned to be gone just a few days, back in time for work on Monday morning, November 19th.

But when the work week rolled around, the dedicated, enthusiastic Louise wasn't back from her trip yet. Graham Hamilton reported for Canadian publication The National Post that her office was eager to see her, but Louise never returned. That same day, Louise's boyfriend called the authorities in New Hampshire to report her missing. The search effort for Louise Chaput began swiftly, and the day after she was reported missing, her silver Ford Focus station wagon was found in the parking lot of the Deretissima Trailhead, just down the road from the Pinkham Notch Visitor Center

and across from the Lost Pond Trail. According to reporting by the Portland Press-Herald, that first day on the mountain, dozens of searchers from New Hampshire Fish and Game, Mountain Rescue Services, Androscoggin Valley Search and Rescue, and the U.S. Forest Service were confronted with high winds, which caused blowing snow and wind chills as low as

negative 16 degrees. That first day was fruitless. No sign of Louise other than her car. The second day, Wednesday, proved to be calmer in the weather department. A helicopter from the U.S. Army National Guard was able to be deployed to search the remote and heavily wooded area from above for any sign of Louise. Still, authorities found nothing. On day three, the search for Louise ended. On the afternoon of Thursday, November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day in the United States, members of New Hampshire Fish and Game discovered Louise Chapeau's body. According to a piece by the Portland Press-Herald, she was located not far from where her car was found parked at the trailhead. Stephanie Haynes reported for the Concord Monitor that Louise was found wearing black fleece pants, a red nylon jacket, and white Reeboks, not hiking boots, all of which indicated that

she was not planning on going for a long hike on the afternoon she arrived at Pinkham Notch Lodge. The first reports of Louise Chaput's death were scarce for other details. Reporters were directed to the office of the Attorney General, who gave no comments at the time. The medical examiner wasn't available for comment either, not at first. Two days later, though, Louise Chaput's cause of death was publicly released. She hadn't fallen or succumbed to the elements. Someone killed Louise Chaput. Her death was ruled a homicide. Investigators have kept details of the crime scene and any evidence they have close to their vest so as to protect the integrity

of the investigation. But in recent years, police have said that it was obvious Louise put up a fight. Her cause of death was multiple stab wounds, though it's unknown if police have ever recovered a murder weapon. The brazen, violent nature of her death sent the early investigation in two directions. Was Louise killed in a random, opportunistic attack? Or was this premeditated by someone who knew Louise? Someone who wanted her dead? During those first days of the investigation, New Hampshire law enforcement officials enlisted the help of the Quebec Provincial Police, also called the QPP. David Arnold explained in the Boston Globe that the QPP operates similarly to the New Hampshire State Police, in that their primary function is to enforce their own provincial laws, but also to assist other law enforcement

officials when needed. The QPP helped New Hampshire Police explore the theory that Louise might have been killed by someone who knew her. Because of Louise's work with police informants at a Sherbrooke detention center, there was a concern that a former inmate may have followed Louise to the Glen Boulder trailhead to carry out a premeditated attack. Kelly Ayotte, who was then New Hampshire's senior assistant attorney general, confirmed with the National Post that that theory was very much on the table and had not yet been ruled out. Louise's friend told the National Post, quote,

Maybe Louise touched on something that someone did not like. I don't know what else it could be. End quote. It was just a mere thread of a lead to follow, but police trudged forward to explore the possibility that a former client, maybe an inmate from Sherbrooke, could have stalked and killed Louise on the trail. Police interviewed the Border Patrol agents from the Norton, Vermont entry point and reviewed border crossing records to see if they could determine if she was followed into the United States. However, information obtained from the Valley News indicates that at the time,

police found nothing substantial tying Louise's murder to any of her former clients. Another angle of this known attacker theory had investigators also looking into Louise's husband-slash-long-term boyfriend. Friends of Louise told WMUR in 2022 that this man, who they referred to as her husband and who was the father of one of Louise's daughters, had a very difficult time after Louise was found murdered. He was not as active as

Louise's friends, who often traveled to New Hampshire to stay up to date on what was happening with the case, but he was cooperative. Louise's friends recall that this man did give a DNA sample, and he was ultimately ruled out as a suspect in her killing. And so the investigation pressed forward with the alternate theory that this was a random attack. Do you experience the same 3pm, what-am-I-going-to-make-for-dinner anxiety that I do? If I've had a busy weekend, the last thing I'm worrying about on a Sunday night is meal planning and grocery shopping, which inevitably leads to a Monday without a plan and another night of takeout when that anxiety hits. Thankfully, EveryPlate has been saving me from myself with their easy-to-cook, pre-planned dishes that cost less than a cup of coffee per meal. You can get started for $1.49 per meal by going to everyplate.com slash podcast and entering code DOWNEAST49. With EveryPlate, you'll take back your time and mental energy with fewer trips to the grocery store and meals ready in 30 minutes or less, including 15 minute or less dinners.

They plan the meals and deliver pre-portioned ingredients right to your door, so you don't even have to think about it beyond picking out your dishes from a rotating list of options, which is obviously the fun part because you get to scroll through photos and eat with your eyes. I'm making the sweet chili pork tacos for dinner tonight. Total prep time is about 20 minutes, so I'll pop on an episode of a new true crime podcast and dinner will be ready before the credits even roll. Try it for yourself for just $1.49 per meal by going to everyplate.com slash podcast and enter code DOWNEAST49. The hiking community was on high alert as the investigation into Louise Chaput's murder continued.

With no suspect in custody, a killer might still be lurking on the trails. Those venturing into the White Mountains were urged to let others know of their hiking plans and to not hike alone. Many female hikers especially considered their safety on solo tracks. One woman who preferred to hike with a group told Giselle Goodman of the Portland Press-Herald, quote, an image of a murder and an image of the White

Mountains, they just don't coincide. It's a complete haven. You go there to clear your mind, end quote. Another woman who preferred to hike on her own, but always left an itinerary with a friend said, quote, we have to be careful as women, which we hate, but it's such a pleasant experience to go at your own pace and to be out there alone, end quote. Though the safety of hiking in the White Mountains was called into question at the time, authorities asked that anyone who was on the trails to keep a lookout for a few items they believed were missing from Louise Chaput's car. According to reporting by the Concord Monitor, police were looking for a sleeping bag and a dark blue backpack that Louise often hiked with.

Her car keys were also missing. Police speculated that Louise's killer may have taken them. Advocates tried to quell the fears of hikers heading out on the trails at the time when a killer was still on the loose. Rob Burbank, a spokesperson for the Appalachian Mountain Club, told the Boston Globe that, statistically speaking, the White Mountain National Forest is safe. Around 6 million people visit the area every year, and according to Burbank,

not a single report of criminal activity had ever been recorded at the time. But Burbank appears to have been mistaken, because Louise Chaput's death is not the only murder to ever occur in the White Mountains, and her murder is not the only one that remains unsolved. In 1977, the body of 22-year-old Sherry Roth was discovered just off the Sawyer Brook Trail in Bartlett, New Hampshire. Sherry had been raised with her three younger siblings in Massachusetts and had recently graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and moved to North Conway, nearby Bartlett. According to the Boston

Globe, Sherry provided counseling services to women in the area and also helped to establish a youth center in North Conway. On August 24th, 1977, her nude body was found just off the trail. Stephanie Haynes reported for the Concord Monitor that investigators recovered little evidence near the crime scene, but they had found Sherry's camera near her body.

It was filled with nature photographs. An autopsy later showed that she had been strangled. She had been dead for at least three days before her body was found by another hiker. Sherry's case was still unsolved as police considered possible connections to Louise's case and others along the Appalachian Trail. In a 2019 online piece for Backpacker, Mary Beth Skyliss wrote that 12 people have been murdered while hiking the Appalachian Trail since it opened in 1937.

Of those killed, five individuals were men. Other victims had been hiking together in pairs. In one such attack on a pair of women in Pennsylvania in 1988, one of the victims survived. The AT extends for 2,198 miles through 14 states from Georgia to Maine, crossing through Pinkham Notch in New Hampshire as it winds its way through the White Mountains for 170 miles. The murder of Louise Chaput had investigators looking into any similarities between her death and those of other hikers who had been killed on the Appalachian Trail in the many different states it stretches through. But there's no indication that authorities have found any such connections. After several months of a baffling investigation, Louise Chaput's

murder was still unsolved, and authorities were tight-lipped on new information, if they had any at all. The case went nowhere that first year. And two years later, Leeds had all but dried up, and Louise Chaput's killer remained at large. In 2003, Louise's friend Mary Pinault and her husband Dennis Mason drove to New Hampshire with a stack of posters. They hung them up all over the trail where Louise's body was found two years earlier. The poster had two photos of Louise and a phone number to contact police with any information about her death. Marie told the Associated Press, quote, We just want to keep it alive. I'd like to know what happened, end quote.

For over 20 years, Louise's case has remained open and active, but a number of factors have made her case one of the more challenging ones for law enforcement officials to investigate. Louise was from another country, and she was hiking alone when she was killed. Not only did her body go undiscovered for an entire week, but no witnesses have ever surfaced to provide a substantial lead. Jeffrey Strelzin, a senior assistant attorney general at the time, told New Hampshire Public Radio in 2011, quote, this has been a difficult case from the beginning. First, just because of the area where the murder occurred, which is out in the woods. Second, there was a significant time lag

between the murder and the discovery of Louise's body. At least a week went by. Because of that, the killer or killers essentially had a week's head start on us. That meant we lost some potential evidence out there as well, end quote. At this point, police haven't said conclusively one way or another if they have any reason to believe Louise's murder was random or premeditated or if it has any connections with other cases along the Appalachian Trail. But Strelzin does appear to favor the theory that Louise's murder was a random killing, which could, unfortunately, make it even more difficult to solve. Over the years, law enforcement officials

continued to urge hikers to report if they came across her sleeping bag, her car keys, or that blue backpack, which was later reported to have a Canadian insignia on it. All this time later, none of these items have ever been recovered. Jeffrey Strelzin told NHPR, quote, we don't know if they were taken from her car or if they were taken off her person, end quote. It remains a possibility that her belongings were taken by the killer.

In a piece from the Cape Cod Times, state police encouraged hikers who were in the Glen Boulder Trail area on November 15, 2001, to contact law enforcement if they remembered seeing or hearing anything that may have seemed out of the ordinary. State Police Sergeant Kelly McClare said, quote, I'd ask the public not to assume that something is not important, end quote. Eventually, state trooper Michael Kokoski was assigned to Louise's case through New Hampshire's cold case unit. In 2001, trooper Kokoski told Barbara Turchault for the Valley News that police were still considering the remote possibility that Louise was killed by someone she knew from her professional life back home in Quebec.

But Kokoski also said, quote, it seems more than likely that whoever is responsible for this is someone she encountered here, end quote. That someone she encountered still has yet to be caught all these years later. The longer a case remains unsolved, the more challenging a case can become. But time can, and often does, work in the favor of investigators. Witnesses who were too afraid to talk to police all those years earlier might finally be willing to come forward now. Secrets once shared in confidence might someday become too heavy a burden to carry. Loyalties fade and people start to talk.

Sometimes even the killer. Constance Shapu Rabi, Louise's youngest daughter, believes someone knows what happened and is hopeful that new information will soon be uncovered. She told WMUR, quote, almost every murderer talks about it to someone. It's such a horrible secret to carry, end quote. Someone coming forward with information would be huge, but police aren't relying solely on the chance a witness finally wants to break their silence in this case. The Valley News covered the 10th anniversary of Louise Chaput's death. And State Police Trooper Michael Kokoski of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit told the reporter that they continue to review evidence

recovered from the scene, including DNA evidence. There's a chance that with every year that passes, new technology and genetic testing could reveal what has been so long concealed. Marie Pinault was a close friend of Louise's. She works tirelessly to keep Louise's memory alive and make sure her case stays at the forefront of investigators' minds. Marie was part of the WMUR documentary in 2022 called White Mountains Mystery,

The Killing of Louise Chaput. In it, she shared what it might be like to finally learn what happened to Louise that afternoon on the Glen Boulder Trail, and what justice might look like for Louise's friends and family. Marie said, quote, well, they call it closure. That's a nice word in English. I'm not sure we have it in French, but maybe it would bring closure. I don't want to hope for it too much. End quote. Marie, along with her husband, Dennis, and Louise's two now-grown daughters, try to visit Pinkham Notch every year on the anniversary of Louise's death to speak with police and update the media. They don't want Louise to be forgotten. Louise's youngest daughter, Constance,

was only 10 years old when her mother was killed, but she remembers her mom as a free spirit. Constance was also able to get to know her mother more closely through letters that Louise wrote to her beginning when she was pregnant with Constance. The letters were written to her baby girl as though she were already an adult. Friends of Louise told Graham Hamilton of the National Post that Louise lived, quote, to test her limits, to brave the elements, to be the hero of a private adventure, end quote.

Another friend simply said of Louise, she was a girl of the mountains. Louise Chaput's death remains unsolved, and her name is listed on the New Hampshire State Police Unsolved Homicide Victims list. If you have information about the 2001 murder of Louise Chaput, please leave a tip via the form linked in the show description of this episode or call the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 603-271-2663.

Thank you for listening to Dark Down East. This episode was researched and written by Dena Norman, with additional research, writing, and editing by me, Kylie Lowe. Sources cited and referenced for this episode are listed at darkdowneast.com. Please follow Dark Down East on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you're listening right now. The best way to support this show is to leave a review on Apple Podcasts and share this episode or any episode with your friends. If you have a personal connection to a case I should cover, please contact me at hello at darkdowneast.com. Thank you for supporting the show

and allowing me to do what I do. After almost three years, I remain honored to use this platform for the families and friends who have lost their loved ones and for those who are still searching for answers in cold missing persons and homicide cases. I'm not about to let those names or their stories get lost with time. I'm Kylie Lowe, and this is Dark Down East.