New Hampshire Cold Case Unit Solves 1972 Murder Of Haverhill's Arlene Clevesy

NEWTON, N.H. – New Hampshire State police have solved the decades-old murder of a Haverhill woman.

The man police say killed Clevesy, Albert Moore Jr., will not be prosecuted because he died two years ago.

On June 4, 1972, the body of 48-year-old Arlene Clevesy was found near Hume Brook in Newton, New Hampshire. Clevesy had been throttled and drowned.

Clevesy had last been seen with Moore in the early morning of the day she was found. Moore was indicted for second-degree murder in connection with her death in 1977. The New Hampshire Attorney General's office decided not to prosecute in 1979 as Moore was serving a life sentence in connection with the murder of Donald Rimer in Salem, Massachusetts. The Cold Case Unit's report said that Moore had told various people he had killed Clevesy.

The New Hampshire Police Cold Case Unit reopened the investigation in 2015, at which time, Moore, who was still in prison, denied killing Clevesy and Rimer. Police determined that Moore was responsible for Clevesy's death.

Clevesy's family said that having the case finally solved would offer them some closure.

"At this time, we ask for privacy as we reflect on the details of the case and share our collective memories, so we may finally stop wondering, and begin healing. Arlene Clevesy was not just a cold case. She was our mother, our aunt, our sister, our daughter, and our friend. Beautiful and charismatic, she carried herself with class and confidence, polished in her appearance and strong in personality. We take comfort in knowing that she lived her life fully, bringing joy to all those she loved," Clevesy's family said in a statement.

Moore died in 2019 from prostate cancer. He was 88.