On April 16, 1974, the stays of a younger lady have been present in a wooded space off Route 124 in Marlborough, New Hampshire. On the time, she had no identification, and detectives believed she had died within the late fall of 1973. For years, the case went chilly, with the sufferer remaining a “Jane Doe” regardless of sporadic efforts to uncover her id.
The breakthrough got here in 2021 when Erickson’s household reported her lacking to the Brattleboro Police Department. Advances in forensic DNA testing enabled investigators to match DNA from the stays to samples supplied by Erickson’s siblings, confirming her id in 2025.
The life and disappearance of Nancy Erickson
Nancy Gale Erickson was 21 years outdated when she disappeared. Born and raised in Elmira, New York, she earned a nursing diploma from Corning Group Faculty earlier than shifting to Tampa, Florida, to be along with her mom and siblings. She labored as a nurse at Tampa Common Hospital however abruptly left Florida in 1973, taking solely a duffel bag along with her. Her household believes the emotional toll of her nursing work might have contributed to her sudden departure.
Erickson’s journey took her to Vermont, the place she was arrested in Bellows Falls for stealing a automotive in October 1973. She acquired probation and remained in Brattleboro, working on the Brattleboro Retreat, a psychological well being hospital, and residing on the Group Home. She was final seen leaving her job on the Retreat on October 30, 1973, and was by no means heard from once more.
Ongoing investigation and attraction for info
Along with her id now confirmed, investigators are shifting focus to uncovering the circumstances surrounding Erickson’s demise. New Hampshire State Police Detective Sgt. Kelly LaPointe emphasised the importance of restoring Erickson’s id and the renewed effort to grasp how and why she died. Authorities are interesting to anybody who might have identified Erickson throughout her time in New York, Florida, or Vermont, significantly former employees on the Brattleboro Retreat, residents of the Group Home in 1973, college students from Corning Group Faculty (1971–1972), and Tampa Common Hospital employees.
Anybody with info is urged to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit tip line at (800) 525-5555 or submit a tip on-line.
