Episode 167: The Murder of Louise Chaput
52-year-old Louise Chaput was a self-employed psychologist with a specialty in marital counseling and worked with a law firm in Quebec, Canada. She was described as being sociable, friendly, outgoing and very much a free spirit. She lived in Sherbrooke, Quebec with her family and her two daughters, Corenne and Constance, who she adored. Louise absolutely loved hiking and being out in nature, and it was not uncommon for her to make the drive down to the White Mountains in New Hampshire to go hiking. Louise loved having nature to escape to if work was particularly stressful, and she loved both hiking solo and with friends.
On November 15th, 2001, Louise drove down from Quebec to New Hampshire to spend a few days by herself in the mountains hiking. She was originally going to go on a girls trip with her friends, but plans changed after the recent events of 9/11. Her car entered the United States in Norton, Vermont at 11:45 a.m. She arrived in Pinkham Grant, New Hampshire, at around 3:00 p.m. later that same day. Her plans were to spend the night at the Joe Dodge Lodge at the Appalachian Mountain Club visitor center. Before she got there, she stopped at the Pinkham Notch visitor center to get recommendations from the staff there on a short hike she could do to make the most of her day before it got dark and she went to the lodge.
The employee she spoke to reported that he noticed her French accent and said that she wanted to do an easier hike as she had been driving for a very long time that day. He suggested the Lost Pond Trail down State Route 16, practically across the road from the lodge, and she thanked him and left. The employee at the visitors center is believed to be the last person to see Louise alive.
Louise ended up parking at the Glen Falls parking area, which was across the street from the parking area for the Lost Pond trail. She never checked in at the lodge that night.
Four days later, she was reported missing by her boyfriend when he grew very concerned that he hadn’t heard from her. He and Louise’s family knew that she loved hiking and being in the mountains, areas that are notorious for not having service, but it was very much unlike her to not at least check in with them every once in a while. On November 20th, Louise’s car, a silver Ford Focus, was found still parked at the Glen Falls parking area at the Diretissima Trail Head. Search dogs and helicopters were dispatched to help search for her. Two days after her car was found, on November 22nd, Thanksgiving Day, Louise’s body was found in a clearing in the woods about 200 feet off of the Glen Brook trail. She had been stabbed multiple times.
Her death was ruled a homicide, and police determined that the attack had to have been random and not someone she knew. The scene showed signs of a struggle and that Louise fought hard against her attacker.
When police searched Louise’s car, they found that her sleeping bag and blue backpack with the Canadian flag on it, the larger of the two backpacks she had packed, were stolen. They also felt that other items like clothes had been stolen as well. Her car keys as well as a pendant with the letter “S” were also never found. Investigators are still hoping to locate these items to provide further evidence for the case.
Her hiking boots, water and chocolate, all essentials for a hike for Louise, were left in the car. As she arrived at the trail a little after 3:00 p.m. and it would have already been getting dark around 4:00, and Louise was an experienced hiker, it’s possible that she could have been just going for a quick walk on the trail before turning around once it got dark to head back to the lodge.
To contradict the idea of robbery as a motive, the last use of Louise’s credit card was at a convenience store in Colebrook, New Hampshire, shortly before 1:00 p.m. on November 15th, 2001, the day she went missing.
Louise’s daughter, Constance Chaput-Raby, who was 10-years-old at the time of her mom’s murder, stated “Obviously we understand that there are other cases and it's been 20 years, but still, you know, new eyes, new eyes on the case, maybe a new detective can see something that people didn't pass by or didn't go through. Things can change... There is probably someone knowing something in the area and as we know, almost every murderer talks about it to someone. It's such a horrible secret to carry."
Two of Louise’s longtime friends, Denis Masson and Marie Pinault, are married and live in Ottawa and have been tireless with keeping Louise’s case active to help bring it to justice. Over the years, they have made regular trips to Pinkham Notch to meet with police, hand out posters, and accompany one or both of Louise’s daughters. Marie stated “I think in English, the term 'closure,' which we don't have in French, is very appropriate. It's, you know, you never get your friend back, but at least you know what happened.”
Anyone with any information on the murder of Louise Chaput is asked to please call the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at 603-271-3658 or the New Hampshire State Police at 800-525-5555.
Image sources:
wmur.com - “‘White Mountains Mystery: The Killing of Louise Chaput,’ a documentary focused on solving a brutal and random New Hampshire homicide”