This individual was recently confirmed to have been identified. Some details may change as more information is released publicly.
Rea Rasmussen (born June 15, 1976), also known posthumously as "Anita Moon" or "Angel", was a girl discovered murdered in a 55-gallon drum barrel, alongside another child later identified as Sarah McWaters in Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire.
Rasmussen and McWaters were the second set of victims located in the area, on May 9, 2000. The remains of Marie Vaughn and Marlyse Honeychurch (the mother of McWaters and Vaughn) had previously been recovered in another barrel in November 1985. The other three victims were identified in June 2019.
She was identified by the DNA Doe Project in September 2025.
Rea's father, Terry Rasmussen, is believed to have been responsible for all four murders of the Allenstown victims. He is also suspected of murdering Rea's mother, Pepper Reed, and Denise Beaudin, the latter being Rasmussen’s girlfriend who disappeared in 1981.
Case[]
Rea was found inside a metal drum with a younger girl, later identified as Sarah McWaters. Marlyse Honeychurch and Marie Vaughn had been discovered nearby in 1985 and are believed to have been killed at the same time. All four died from blunt trauma to the head.
Authorities were initially unsure of her relationship to the other three victims after DNA testing showed that the adult, oldest and youngest children were maternally related. It was speculated that she may have been a family friend or that she was paternally related to the other victims. Investigators estimated she was born between 1975 and 1977. She died between 1978 and 1981 based on Rasmussen's activities.
In January 2021, it was announced that the New Hampshire State Police teamed up with Barbara Rae-Venter in order to establish the victim's identity. It is believed she was only in New Hampshire weeks prior to her death and has ties to Pearl River County, Mississippi. Genealogical research suggested she was a descendant of Thomas "Deadhorse" Mitchell, who was born in 1836, or William Livings, who was born in 1826. Either man would be the fifth- or sixth-great-grandfather of the child.
Isotope testing suggested that she originated from California, Oregon, Arizona, or Texas.
Later developments[]
In 2017, the investigators revealed information that Rea's biological father was to be a career criminal known as Robert T. “Bob” Evans (and several other aliases), who was the boyfriend of missing Manchester woman Denise Beaudin. He died in prison after being sentenced for the murder of another girlfriend in 2010, before his real-life identity was determined.
In August 2017, "Robert Evans" was identified as Terrence "Terry" Rasmussen, who left his family in Arizona around 1974 and was never seen again by his relatives.
It is known that he resided in Los Angeles County, California, in 1978, where he met Marlyse and her children. He left New Hampshire in November 1981, suggesting the four victims died between this three-year window.
DNA testing conducted on the girl in 2020 showed she was likely primarily White with possible partial Native American, Black, and Asian ancestry. However, an updated analysis in 2024 revealed that she was solely of European descent.
While unidentified, her half-siblings gave her the nickname "Anita Moon".
Identification[]
Extensive genealogical research eventually identified Rea's mother as Pepper Reed. Reed was last seen alive by her family in Houston, Texas, a week before Christmas 1975, when she was pregnant with Rasmussen's child. She then moved to California and was never seen by her family again. Proof of life is unconfirmed following a 1976 Orange County birth certificate for Rea Rasmussen, stating she gave birth in Anaheim, California.
Pepper Reed remains missing, but is also thought to have been killed by Rasmussen.
Characteristics[]
- Slightly wavy light brown hair, approximately 5 inches long.
- Slight overbite, which may have been noticeable.
- An analysis of her bones revealed she may have been anemic during her life, though this cannot be confirmed.
Gallery[]
