Large search effort for Ashley Turcotte to be conducted Saturday

BARNSTEAD — Rescuers will coordinate a large search effort Saturday to attempt to locate missing Ashley Turcotte. 

The Barnstead Police Department sent out an emergency notification to area residents Friday morning indicating a large search and rescue effort would be underway this weekend.

Turcotte, 32, was reported missing in January after her car was found parked at Barnstead Town Hall containing some of her personal items. Turcotte has brown hair, brown eyes and is about 5’5” tall.

“Barnstead Police, along with Barnstead Fire, State Police, NH Fish & Game, National Guard, and volunteers, will be conducting a search throughout Barnstead for a female, Ashley Turcotte, that was reported missing on January 4, 2024,” the notification reads. “Do not be concerned about individuals walking through wooded areas that are part of the search. If any questions or concerns, please call Barnstead Police at 603-269-8100.”

Video surveillance footage of her disappearance was not available because there were not security cameras at the Town Hall. Cameras have since been installed.

Turcotte was spotted by security cameras at a nearby Dollar General store, where she purchased table salt and candy in the hours before her disappearance. 

Search and rescue teams with the Barnstead police, New Hampshire Fish and Game and volunteers have been scouring the woods along the river in the vicinity of Town Hall every week since Turcotte was reported missing. So far, they haven’t found anything related to her disappearance.

But now, a large search effort was organized because environmental conditions have improved. There hasn’t been any major snowfall in recent weeks and most of the snow on the ground has melted, creating an opportunity for continued investigation. 

National Guard members participating in the search Saturday are volunteers from a group who call themselves the “Ground Pounders,” Conservation Officer Lt. Adam Cheney of NH Fish and Game District 5 said Friday. 

The group, which includes local and state police and the volunteer group of the National Guard, will conduct line searches in the vicinity of Town Hall, where Turcotte’s vehicle was abandoned the day she went missing. 

Line searches refer to on-the-ground efforts where search and rescue personnel cover every inch of land in a given area. Cheney said they will go over ground already covered in previous searches involving K9 officers, where they’ve identified gaps that need to be filled.

Law enforcement personnel have not received any new tips or leads regarding Turcotte’s disappearance, but are eager to take advantage of favorable weather and environmental conditions expected Saturday, Cheney said. 

“We’ve got all of our snow dissipated and gone now,” he said. “That’s what we’ve been kind of waiting for.”

Cheney said it’s important for residents of Barnstead who live within about 1 mile or a 1.5-mile radius of Town Hall, where Turcotte’s car was discovered, to be aware that teams of search and rescue personnel will be scouring the area and the tree line. He said residents should not be alarmed or concerned that law enforcement personnel are trespassing. 

Law enforcement officials had previously noted heavy snow and rain created obstacles in the search and rescue operation. 

Turcotte, who has been missing since early January, has been the subject of prolonged search efforts since her disappearance. So far, searches have yielded little success despite collaboration between regional law enforcement agencies, volunteers with drones and a private detective based in Maine. 

She was last seen wearing dark pants, a dark long-sleeved shirt and a dark-colored winter coat. Police have previously implored area residents to check their yards, sheds and barns for those specific articles of clothing, size XXL, noting that if Turcotte was afflicted by hypothermia she may have removed her clothing. A common effect experienced by those who’ve become hypothermic is an intense heat sensation on their skin, prompting them to remove their clothing.