Nancy Gale Erickson Obituary, Death; – Almost five decades after the remains of a young woman were found in the woods near Route 124, investigators in New Hampshire have at last identified her as 21-year-old Nancy Gale Erickson, a former nurse from Florida and Vermont.
The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office revealed this significant development on Wednesday, attributing it to advancements in forensic science and cooperation among various agencies. As stated in a news release, Erickson’s identity was established through DNA testing performed between 2022 and 2024, which matched samples from her siblings to the remains discovered in Marlborough on April 16, 1974.
This revelation concludes a mystery that has perplexed investigators for nearly half a century.
Erickson was last seen in October 1973 after she abruptly resigned from her position at the Brattleboro Retreat and departed the Community House in Brattleboro, Vermont. That same year, she had relocated to Vermont from Tampa, Florida, where she had worked as a nurse at Tampa General Hospital. She had previously pursued her nursing education at Corning Community College in New York, her hometown.
Her family suspects that the emotional strain of her nursing career may have played a role in her sudden exit from Florida. Shortly after her arrival in Vermont, she was apprehended in Bellows Falls for car theft, explaining to a judge that she had run out of gas while en route to visit friends. She received a probation sentence and continued to reside in Brattleboro but disappeared shortly thereafter.
Her partially decomposed body was found six months later, dressed in mismatched clothing, including a corduroy coat and insulated underwear. Forensic examinations indicated that she had died sometime in late fall 1973, yet her identity remained a mystery, and the cause and manner of her death could not be established.
It was not until 2021 that Erickson was officially reported missing by her family—almost 48 years after her disappearance. This report enabled authorities to reopen the case with a fresh perspective. Thanks to the efforts of the New Hampshire State Police Forensic Laboratory, Bode Technology, and the University
