After 47 Years, NH Cold Case Team begins new search into Cathy Millican’s 1978 homicide
27-year-old Catherine “Cathy” Millican was murdered in New London in 1978. Now, a new search for answers is underway.
On October 29, New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall and Attorney General John M. Formella announced that the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit would be conducting a new search in connection to the unsolved murder of Catherine Millican. Cathy, as she was known, was killed in New London’s Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area in 1978. The crime remains unsolved.
Hall and Formella noted that the Cold Case Unit would be working alongside the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department to help locate any physical evidence that may have been preserved in the area over the last 47 years. New photos of Cathy have also been released, which can be viewed here, in an effort to prompt previously undiscovered leads.
The attorney general’s office emphasized that “The search poses no danger to the public and is focused on locating physical evidence.” As of writing, additional details will not be released to ensure that the investigation’s integrity remains intact while the Cold Case Unit continues to comb for answers.
Following the announcement of the new search, Cathay’s family released a statement, saying, “It has been 47 years since Cathy was taken from us. She was an artist, a photographer, an ornithologist, and a national sailing champion. We remain ever hopeful that her case will be solved and that closure will ease the pain of everyone who knew her. We are encouraged to know that her case has not been abandoned but continues to be worked.”
What happened to Cathy Millican?
On October 24, 1978, 27-year-old Cathy Millican decided to go birdwatching in New London. It was a Tuesday afternoon, and she reportedly told several people about her plans before setting out. Numerous witnesses at the entrance of what is now known as the Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area reported seeing her brown Volkswagen Rabbit near the wetlands’s entrance.
At around 11:30 p.m. the next day, Wednesday, October 25, Cathy’s body was discovered in the woods. An autopsy was performed, and her official cause of death was reported as multiple stab wounds. No arrests were ever made in connection to her case, though some believed she may have been one of the earliest victims of the Connecticut River Valley Killer who murdered seven women in a similar manner between 1978 and 1987.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office has never officially connected Cathy’s death with the other River Valley Killings. Chris Knowles, the Senior Assistant Attorney General, spoke with WMUR and said of the potential connection, “It [Cathy’s murder] is a killing that occurred in the Connecticut River Valley, and beyond that, investigators are exploring all potential leads. All avenues of investigation are being explored and considered, and they’re certainly not foreclosing any possibilities.”
The New Hampshire Cold Case Unit is asking for the public’s assistance in its renewed search for answers. If you or someone you know saw Cathy Millican, or her brown Volkswagen Rabbit, on the last day she was seen alive, October 24, 1978, or even the following day, October 25, you’re encouraged to contact the Cold Case Unit directly at (603) 271-2663. The Unit stressed that any details, big or small, are helpful to its investigation.
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