Shari Lynn Roth:1977, Bartlett, New Hampshire

   

  Shari Lynn Roth was born in New York City on April 10th, 1955. 


  In 1977 Shari was living in North Conway, New Hampshire and working as a Secretary. North Conway is close to the border with Maine. It’s on New Hampshire’s east side and it is very rural. It’s not too far from Mount Washington. 


  Shari went hiking on August 21st, 1977 on a trail west of Bartlett, New Hampshire in an area called Livermore. The Sawyer Brook Trail is within the White Mountains. It’s a beautiful area of forested mountains. 


  Going out for a hike in nature is so good for a person’s physical and mental health. Everyone deserves to feel safe and relaxed on a trail in a place like the White Mountain National Forest. The only thing a person should have to worry about is spraining an ankle or maybe an encounter with wildlife. But, Shari was not safe that day. She was attacked that day on the trail. 


  Searches were organized by Shari's friends when she did not return from her hike. Many people volunteered their time to look for Shari.  I imagine that they thought they would find her injured or lost. But that was not the case.


  Shari’s body was found by a volunteer searcher on August 24th, 1977 along the Sawyer Brook Trail. It was determined that she had been strangled and sexually assaulted about three days before. 


   Police were looking into a series of six rapes in the North Conway area in the 18 months before Shari’s murder according to a September 6th, 1977 article.  Did any of those police reports ever talk about a suspect? If six rape victims to came forward and reported these rapes…there were probably many others to afraid to report the rape. 


   If I were looking into Shari’s case, I would dig into those 1976 and 1977 rape cases. The names of suspects might come up. 


   Was any evidence collected and preserved in Shari’s case? Were her fingernails clipped and saved? DNA from her killer could still be under those nails. 


  In the 1970’s rape was just beginning to be considered a violent crime. The prosecution of rapists was rare. The sentences for rape were short. Many serial killers started off as serial rapists who got tired of having to turn up to court on rape charges. 


   Sadly, the recent Cornell gang rape case shows us that not too much has changed. Rapists feel very free to commit rape. The Cornell 7 certainly felt no moral obligation to refrain from using and abusing their victim. The 50 other men on the group chat also felt no moral obligation to report the crime. 


   Shari Roth was only 22 years old when a man assaulted and murdered her. She had hopes and dreams for her life. She had plans for her future. Shari should still be here. 


  If you have information about the murder of Shari Roth please contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 

coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov


Watch and share the YouTube video here:


https://youtu.be/FWqWevm9GaU?is=ZZ3MV8VHEZTsCvyj


   


   


  


 



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