Ashley Turcotte: New Hampshire woman missing for months found dead in woods

BARNSTEAD, NEW HAMPSHIRE: The body of a woman who has been missing since January was discovered in a wooded area in Barnstead, New Hampshire, on Saturday, March 16.  

Ashley Turcotte, 31, who vanished on January 4, was last seen at a Dollar General in Barnstead, a town with around 5,000 residents situated approximately 20 miles south of Lake Winnipesaukee.

Turcotte's car, a silver Hyundai Elantra, containing her backpack and cell phone, was found at the city's town hall.

Turcotte, known for painting pumpkins for police and town departments, stood at a height of 5 ft 5 in (165 cm) and had brown eyes and brown hair, according to the Barnsted Police Department.

Discovery of Ashley Turcotte's body was described as a 'very unfortunate outcome' by Barnstead police chief

A large-scale search commenced on Saturday morning and Turcotte's body was found in the woods off New Road shortly before 11 am, approximately a half-mile away from where her car was discovered abandoned with some of her personal belongings inside, according to police.

Barnstead Police Chief Paul Poirier expressed, "It's a very unfortunate outcome, but at least we've got some closure for the family, and really, that's what we've been looking for at this point," as per WMUR.

He added, "There's no reason to believe that there is any criminal element to this. We want the public to know there is no reason for concern." 

Police shared surveillance photos during the search for Ashley Turcotte

To aid the search, the Barnstead Police Department shared surveillance images of Turcotte taken at a Dollar General store in Barnstead on January 4, the day she disappeared.

According to authorities, she made purchases at the store at 9.18 am and 10.44 am that morning. Police noted that there were no security cameras to monitor the exterior of the store.

Since her disappearance, police have conducted extensive searches of both land and waterways.

They also mentioned that the neighborhood where her car was located was thoroughly searched, and all known private video surveillance systems were checked, yielding no significant findings.