A previously unrelease image of Shari Roth, who was murdered in August of 1977. Credit: NH Cold Case Unit / Courtesy

Shari Roth went for a hike on August 21, 1977.

The 22-year-old social worker, who lived in North Conway, was headed to the Sawyer Brook Trail in Livermore. But when evening fell and she still hadn’t returned home, her friends reported her missing to the authorities.

Three days later, she was found dead, having been strangled. After nearly five decades, the circumstances surrounding her death still remain a mystery.

To mark the 49th anniversary of Roth’s disappearance and death, the state’s Cold Case Unit is renewing its call for information from the public, believing that “someone may hold the missing piece of information needed to bring Shari’s killer to justice,” according to a statement on Friday.

The Unit particularly would like to hear from:

  • People who were hiking or visiting the Sawyer Brook Trail, or the areas of Livermore, Bartlett and Lincoln between Aug. 20-24, 1977.
  • People who worked or lived in/around North Conway that summer and may have seen Roth or anything out of the ordinary.
  • The owner of a red Volkswagen Bug that was believed to have been parked by the start of the Sawyer Pond Trail on Aug. 21, 1977. “This individual is not considered a suspect, but investigators believe they may have helpful information,” per the Unit.
  • Anyone with a hiking log or journal who hiked in the areas of the Sawyer Pond Trail or Mount Carrigan around this time.

Roth’s family remains without answers, all these years later.

“Shari was a gentle flower, just waiting for the sunrise,” her family shared in a statement on Friday. “She lived by the words, ‘You can’t change the world, but you can change your corner.’ All we can ask is that if someone reads this and has information about who killed her, please come forward. Change your corner of the world by doing the right thing. Your information could help bring answers, justice and resolution to our family and friends who love and miss her every day.”

The Cold Case Unit also released new images of Roth, in the hopes that they could refresh someone’s memory of what happened.

“By releasing these previously unseen photographs, we are asking the public to look closely,” said Senior Assistant Attorney General R. Christopher Knowles, Chief of the Cold Case Unit. “We hope these images might jog the memory of a hiker, a local resident, or a visitor who was in the North Conway or Livermore areas in August 1977. Even the smallest detail could be the key to solving this case.”

The Cold Case Unit requests that anyone with relevant information reach out.

Rachel is the community editor. She spearheads the Monitor's arts coverage with The Concord Insider and Around Concord Magazine. Rachel also reports on the local creative economy, cold cases, accessibility...