On June 4, 1972, Arlene Clevesy, 48, was found nude, lying face down in the water of Hume Brook in Newton, New Hampshire, according to the Cold Case Unit’s report.
The coroner determined her cause of death as “traumatic asphyxia, including drowning.” The report said Clevesy had inhaled twigs and water, and she had multiple blunt injuries to her neck and head.
Investigators say they’re convinced the man who killed Clevesy was Albert Moore Jr. The report said their investigation and evidence “established beyond a reasonable doubt” that Moore was responsible for the murder.
However, Moore won’t have the chance to be prosecuted because he died on November 11, 2019, at the age of 88, from metastatic prostate cancer.
“Therefore, this case will be closed as ‘solved,’ but without an arrest and prosecution,” the Attorney General’s Office said in a statement.
The Cold Case Unit decided to reopen the investigation in 2015 at the request of Clevesy’s family members. Investigators previously learned that Clevesy and Moore were seen drinking and leaving together the night before she was found.
Several witnesses described Moore the night of the incident as intoxicated and violent “to the point of pulling a gun on an individual,” according to the report.
Over the years, Moore made “a series of admissions to different individuals about his responsibility of Ms. Clevesy’s death,” the Attorney General’s Office said in the statement.
Moore admitted to driving Clevesy to a wooded area and became “violent with her, killing her, and leaving her lying face down in the water,” according to the report.
The Cold Case Unit questioned Moore three times in prison while he was serving a life sentence for the murder of Donald Rimer in Massachusetts. The report said Moore had conflicting information on the murders.
During one interview, Moore denied any involvement in the murders of Clevesy and Rimer. Another time, Moore said he couldn’t remember Clevesy’s death and wasn’t sure if he killed her or not. Investigators asked Moore if there was a possibility he committed the crime and forgot, to which he responded “anything’s possible.”
In April 1977, Moore was charged with second-degree murder in connection with Clevesy’s death. He was never tried for the crime as prosecutors chose not to pursue the case because he was already serving a life sentence for Rimer’s murder.
“Though we can no longer prosecute, we still feel some relief in knowing what happened to Arlene that night, and, more importantly, who is responsible,” Clevesy’s family said in a written statement.
“We take comfort in knowing that she lived her life fully, bringing joy to all those she loved.”
