For decades, she was known only as Jane Allenstown Doe 2000, a nameless child found inside a rusted barrel near Bear Brook State Park in New Hampshire. Now, the final unidentified victim of the notorious Bear Brook murders has been identified as Rea Rasmussen, a two- to four-year-old girl murdered between 1978 and 1981.
The New Hampshire Attorney General's Office and State Police announced the breakthrough on Sunday, following advanced DNA and genealogical research. Rea was born in 1976 in Orange County, California, to Pepper Reed and Terry Rasmussen—the serial killer later revealed to be responsible for the Bear Brook murders. Her mother, Pepper Reed, vanished in the late 1970s and has never been found.
The Bear Brook case began in 1985 when hunters discovered a barrel containing the remains of an adult woman and a child. Fifteen years later, a second barrel was found nearby with the remains of two more girls. In 2017, investigators linked the killings to Terry Rasmussen, known as 'the Chameleon Killer' for his many aliases. He died in prison in 2010 while serving a sentence for murdering his girlfriend.
By 2019, three victims had been identified: Marlyse Honeychurch and her daughters, Marie Vaughn and Sarah McWaters. Marlyse and Marie died of blunt force trauma and were partially dismembered. The cause of death for Rea and Sarah could not be determined. The final identification came after the New Hampshire State Police Cold Case Unit partnered with the nonprofit DNA Doe Project in 2024.
Attorney General John Formella said, 'With Rea Rasmussen’s identification, all four victims now have their names back.' Officials continue to investigate the disappearance of Pepper Reed and urge anyone with information to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit.
