Authorities Renew Appeal in Long-Standing Case of Missing Teen
Investigators are once more reaching out for help regarding the perplexing 1980 disappearance of 14-year-old Lorene Rahn from her home in New Hampshire.
On Monday, Attorney General John M. Formella, State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall, and Manchester Police Chief Peter A. Marr announced they are actively following up on new leads in this unresolved case, now 46 years old.
Along with their appeal, authorities released an age-progressed image of Lorene, created by the FBI’s Boston office, providing a glimpse of how she might look today.
Lorene was last seen on April 27, 1980, at her residence on Merrimack Street in Manchester. Investigators noted she left behind her belongings—including clothes and money—and there were no indications of a struggle in the apartment.
Authorities speculate that she might have left the country voluntarily, perhaps planning to return with someone she knew.
New Hampshire State Police detailed that, around 3:45 a.m. on that April morning, Manchester police were alerted about a missing teenage boy. Lorene’s mother informed them that Lorene had gone out of town with a friend and had requested her mother stay at home. When she returned around 1:15 a.m., she noticed that the apartment’s back door was ajar and the front door was unlocked.
During a check of the apartment, they found Lorene’s friend asleep in her bed, but Lorene was nowhere to be found.
A friend of Lorene’s told the police that they had been drinking together and recalled Lorene having left the bedroom to sleep on the couch with a pillow and blanket. Authorities suggested she may have stepped out briefly with the intention to return, given how she took no personal items with her.
Since that day, there has been no sign of Lorene.
Now, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, alongside the Manchester Police, is utilizing advanced forensic technology not available back then, including improved DNA testing and fresh evidence analysis techniques.
R. Christopher Knowles, the senior assistant attorney general overseeing the cold case division, reflected on the family’s pain: “Laureen was just 14 years old, and her family has endured 46 years of unanswered questions. Our determination to bring Laureen home remains unchanged.”
He urged that someone may still hold crucial information: “Relationships and loyalties can change over the years,” he added, encouraging anyone with information to step forward.
Authorities are particularly interested in talking to individuals who lived near 289 Merrimack Street during April 1980, as well as classmates or acquaintances of Lorene.
If you have any information, please contact the Cold Case Unit tip line at (603) 271-2663, email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov, or submit a tip online.
