50 years later, cold case death of Mass. woman heats up

Facial reconstructions of Katherine Ann Alston, 26 (NHSP)

CONCORD - The Attorney Generals Office announced on Monday that cold case investigators after more than five decades have identified the female body discovered in Bedford in 1971.

With forensic testing and assistance from the DNA Doe Project, investigators have now identified this young woman as Katherine Ann Alston, 26, of Boston.

On October 6, 1971, the body of a woman was found in a then-wooded area at the end of Kilton Road in Bedford near the Route 101 by-pass. Forensic analysis at the time revealed that she had been deceased for around one to three months before she was discovered. Investigators knew she was between 25 and 35 years old, between 61 and 65 inches tall, and had brown hair.

She was found wearing a maroon, pullover blouse with lace at the neck, short hip-hugger dungaree-type shorts, size 7 sandals, and no identification. The cause of death has not been determined but the manner of her death was homicide. For approximately 50 years, her identity remained unknown.

"Today's announcement by our Cold Case Unit is very important and I am proud of their difficult and very diligent work. It demonstrates our unwavering commitment to the pursuit of justice for Ms. Alston, her family, and for all New Hampshire crime victims," said Attorney General John Formella. "We are determined to stay on this case and will work tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to follow any leads that may help us determine who might be responsible for Ms. Alston's death."

Between 2020 through 2022, investigators were able to utilize forensic testing and assistance from genetic genealogists at the DNA Doe Project, to positively identify this young woman as Katherine Ann Alston of Boston. "Kathy," as her friends and family called her, was 26 years old when she went missing in 1971. She was born in Chelsea, Mass., in 1945, graduated from Dorchester High School in 1963, and attended classes at Boston University.

At 22 years old, she married a fellow student, Ralph Lawson Garrett, Jr., at Second Church in Newton, Mass., in November of 1967. The couple honeymooned in Jamaica, moved to Cambridge, Mass., and later divorced. A photo of her from her wedding announcement is attached to this news release.

In 1971, Alston's parents and siblings moved from Massachusetts to Texas where her father's family was from. Siblings reported that she was supposed to meet them at Logan Airport for their flight to Texas, but she never showed up. Investigators now know it was her body that was found on Oct. 6, 1971, in Bedford around one to three months after she had been killed.

In 1993 and then again in 2006, the New Hampshire State Police and Office of the Chief Medical Examiner consulted with experts in the field of clay facial reconstruction to create an impression of her appearance. In 2020, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit consulted with forensic anthropologists and experts in the field of digital facial reconstruction to create an updated impression of her appearance. Photos of these facial reconstructions are attached to this news release.

Between 2020 and 2022, the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit partnered with the DNA Doe Project to use genetic genealogy to attempt to discover a familial link based on her DNA. They were able to discover a likely genetic match from her DNA profile with a direct-to-consumer DNA test that had been submitted by a member of Alston's family in Texas. Investigative efforts have now confirmed that genetic match after contacting her family. When contacted, Alston's siblings told investigators that they never saw Alston or spoke with her after they moved to Texas.

Based on this identification, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit is now looking for the public's assistance in identifying the person who murdered Alston. No records show that anyone ever reported Alston as missing. At the time of her murder, she was already divorced from Garrett, who is deceased, and there is no evidence to suggest the divorce was not amicable.

At the time of her murder, Alston was reportedly living at 36 Beacon St. in Boston with a roommate named David Cormier (age unknown).