CONCORD, N.H. — An 11-year-old girl whose disappearance prompted a massive search before her body was found against a dam in the Connecticut River remains a haunting presence in her small rural town.

Celina Cass was last seen hunched over a computer in her family’s apartment in West Stewartstown on July 25, 2011. Three years later, no one has been charged with her death, which investigators have called a homicide.

As of the weekend, there were no public memorial services planned to commemorate the third anniversary of Celina’s death, and resident Shannon Towle hopes it stays that way. The previous anniversaries have attracted hordes of media, she said, and only served to unnerve children still struggling to cope with the security of their town being shattered.

Without news of an arrest, she said, “it just kind of rubs it in your face that whoever did this is still out and about.”

Celina was reported missing July 26, and a trickle of investigators soon turned to scores. They turned the town’s elementary school into a barracks and combed the woods and remote roads.

Hope gave way to grief a week later when divers found her submerged body, less than a quarter mile from her home.

Advertisement

The case has yet to be added to the long list of unsolved murder cases investigated by the state’s cold case unit.

“The initial team, including myself, continues to work on this,” said prosecutor Jane Young, who heads the criminal bureau for the Attorney General’s Office.

“There has not been a period of time when it’s been dormant or there haven’t been leads to investigate.”

She continued: “When there is sufficient evidence to prove a case against an individual or individuals beyond a reasonable doubt for Celina’s murder, an arrest will occur.”

Copy the Story Link

Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.