Way of life in N.H. town upended

Girl’s disappearance alarms neighbors, puts spotlight on community

Fliers like this one in Canaan, Vt., have been distributed in nearby communities in the search. (Fred Field for The Boston Globe)

By Martine Powers Globe Correspondent / July 31, 2011

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STEWARTSTOWN, N.H. - Less than 2 miles from the Canadian border, this tiny community is typical of a small town in almost every clichéd way. Diner waitresses ask if customers want “the usual.’’ Residents leave front doors unlocked and car keys in the ignition. At gas stations, drivers fill up their tanks and pay inside later.

But last week, life in the village of West Stewartstown has been far from typical.

More than 100 law enforcement officials from New Hampshire and Vermont, the FBI, the US Border Patrol, and the Fish and Game Department have been combing over the town of 386 - one of New Hampshire’s most northernmost outposts - and the surrounding area. Massachusetts State Police joined the search yesterday.

They are all looking for Celina Cass, the 11-year-old girl last seen Monday night sitting at the computer in her bedroom.

So far, authorities have not said what they believe happened to her. But they are using every tactic in their arsenal to help find her. Surrounding woods have been searched by officers on foot, on all-terrain vehicles, in helicopters, and with the aid of police canine units.

Officials with New Hampshire Fish and Game lowered water levels on the Connecticut River to help with the hunt. A portable cellphone tower was installed in the town to aid with communication between law enforcement agencies.

And yesterday, FBI agent Kieran Ramsey announced that a $25,000 reward is being offered for information about the girl’s whereabouts, or that would lead to the arrest and prosecution of any person responsible for her disappearance. Another $5,000 is being offered by an anonymous donor.

At a news conference last evening, Senior Assistant Attorney General Jane Young gave little additional information about the progress of the investigation, saying only that dive teams are being brought in to search bodies of water. She encouraged the public to continue submitting tips to authorities.

“We are looking at those tips, and we are honing the investigation through those tips,’’ she said.

So far, Cass’s family has not spoken publicly about her disappearance. At a candlelight vigil Friday night in the town’s park - a vigil has been held every night since Cass’s disappearance - the family stayed in the center of the crowd, friends, and neighbors forming a circle around them to protect them from the view of news cameras.

The family has hung blankets across the front porch of their home and “NO TRESPASSING’’ signs are posted to warn the TV news vans parked across the street.

West Stewartstown is a village within Stewartstown, which has about 1,000 residents who seem to have a strong sense of identity as being from one or the other.

Locals say they do not understand how this could have happened here, in the small town they proudly believed was safer than cities like Concord or Manchester.

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Minggu, 31 Juli 2011