State police seek tips in 1968 Charlestown homicide of Joanne Dunham

New Hampshire state police are asking Sullivan County families to look back through old memories, photographs and conversations for one more clue in the 1968 killing of Joanne Dunham. The cold case unit is taking tips by online form or email as investigators re-examine evidence, conduct new interviews and pursue additional leads in a case that has stayed open for more than five decades.

Attorney General John M. Formella announced the renewed investigation on June 11, 2025, saying the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit and the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit were taking another run at the unsolved homicide. The department has assigned Deputy Chief Investigator Todd Flanagan to the case, and officials say even a small detail from someone who knew the Dunham family, saw the school-bus route in Charlestown, or remembers the search in 1968 could still matter.

Joanne Dunham was 15 when she was last seen on the morning of June 11, 1968, walking from her home at Raiche Mobile Homes in Charlestown to catch her school bus. She never made it to school. Her body was found the next day on Quaker City Road in Unity, about 5½ miles from where she had disappeared. An autopsy determined she died of asphyxiation.

Local reports at the time said Joanne was found with her mouth taped shut and her hands tied, and that masking tape over her eyes, nose and mouth likely caused her suffocation. A local farmer found the body after an intensive search, with help from the farmer’s dog. Joanne was a sophomore at Fall Mountain Regional High School, where then-principal Edward Willis described her as “a lovely girl and a good student.”

The case has also taken on a new measure of dignity for the family. After a recent visit to Joanne Dunham’s burial site, Flanagan found that her grave remained unmarked. Working with the Office of Victim/Witness Assistance and the Victim’s Compensation Program, officials arranged for a headstone to be placed in June 2025, in time for the 57th anniversary of her death. Joanne now rests in a properly marked grave at St. Mary’s Cemetery in Claremont.

Joanne’s younger brother, Jim Dunham, has said the killing devastated the family and forced them to leave Charlestown quickly. He has also expressed hope that the renewed attention will prompt someone to come forward. State officials are urging anyone with information to call (800) 525-5555 or email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov. Nearly 58 years later, the investigation remains open, and a forgotten conversation or family recollection could still move it forward.