Human remains found in car in Connecticut River in 2021 are identified via DNA testing
May 20—LANCASTER — The human remains discovered in a car found in the Connecticut River on Aug. 6, 2021, have been positively identified as Alberta Leeman.
The New Hampshire State Police, in conjunction with NH Fish & Game, Gorham Police Department, and the NH Medical Examiner's Office, made the announcement on Friday via news release.
Leeman was last seen in July 1978. At the time of her disappearance, Leeman was 63 years old.
DNA testing by Bode Technology compared a DNA sample of Leeman's relative to the human remains found within the vehicle registered to Leeman. The testing confirmed the identity of Leeman, who had been missing for decades.
Leeman's remains were examined by Forensic Anthropologist(s) and the NH Medical Examiner's Office. Leeman died from injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident that occurred in July 1978. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries sustained during the collision. The events surrounding Leeman's death are not considered to be suspicious.
Leeman's family appreciates the diligent efforts of law enforcement and their medical partners that have brought this investigation to conclusion, according to a news release.
On or about July 26, 1978, Leeman — without telling anyone where she was going — left her apartment and drove off, never to be seen again.
On Aug. 6, 2021, members of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department's underwater search and dive teams located Leeman's vehicle in the Connecticut River and recovered her remains.
Leeman's daugther, Nancy McLain, told the Union Leader in August 2021 that it appeared Leeman was headed to visit her in Gilman, Vt., when her car left River Road and went into the Connecticut River, settling some 14 feet down on the riverbed. She said for the first several days, the families in Gilman and Gorham called each other, asking whether they had seen Leeman, each thinking she was with the other.
Eventually, when it became clear that no one had seen Leeman or knew what happened to her, the family contacted Gorham police, who went to their mother's apartment and found she was not there.
Leeman's disappearance became a cold case. But in September 2017, state police and Fish and Game unlocked the mystery of a similar disappearance. Divers found a pickup truck in the Androscoggin River in Errol with the remains of Tony Imondi, 26, of Errol. He was last seen at a horseshoe tournament in town on July 1, 1998.
