Lauren Rahn

Status:

Open

Jurisdiction:

Manchester Police Department (NH)

Missing From:

Manchester, New Hampshire

Summary:

Laureen Ann Rahn was a 14-year-old girl who disappeared from her third-floor apartment on Merrimack Street in Manchester, New Hampshire on April 26-27, 1980. She left behind all her clothing and personal belongings with no signs of struggle, suggesting she may have left voluntarily to meet someone. Despite extensive investigation spanning 46 years, including mysterious phone calls and unconfirmed sightings, her case remains unsolved with foul play suspected.

Vital Statistics

Circumstances of Disappearance:

On the evening of April 26, 1980, Laureen asked to stay home while her mother Judith attended a tennis tournament out of town with her boyfriend. During spring break from school, Laureen spent the day in her neighborhood and at a local convenience store. That evening, she invited two friends to her apartment—a male friend and a female friend—and the three drank beer and wine together. Around 12:30 a.m. on April 27, Laureen and her male friend heard voices in the hallway, and the male friend left through the back door, believing Judith was returning home and fearing trouble. He heard Laureen lock the door behind him. After his departure, Laureen's female friend saw her move to the couch with a pillow and blanket. When Judith arrived home around 1:15 a.m., she found every light bulb in the apartment building's hallways on all three floors had been unscrewed, plunging the corridors into total darkness. The front door was unlocked, and the back door was open. In the bedroom, Judith found someone sleeping in her daughter's bed, but it was the female friend, not Laureen. Laureen was gone, having left behind her white v-neck sweater, blue plaid blouse, jeans, brown shoes, heart-shaped gold ring, silver and blue necklace, and all other personal belongings and money. There were no signs of struggle or forced entry in the apartment.

Additional Details:

At 3:45 a.m., Judith called police to report Laureen missing. Initially, police suspected a runaway case, but investigators quickly reconsidered given that Laureen left without taking any clothing, money, or personal items, and she was described as an A-student who got along well with her mother despite behavioral troubles. The male friend who was present the night of disappearance later committed suicide in 1985 but was never considered a suspect. In October 1980, three months after Laureen's disappearance, Judith's phone bill showed charges for three calls placed from California—two from a motel in Santa Monica to a motel in Santa Ana, and one to a teen sexual assistance hotline. Judith believed her daughter may have placed these calls. When investigators contacted the physician running the hotline, he initially denied knowledge but changed his story in 1985, claiming that numerous runaway girls visited his wife at their home, and one may have been from New Hampshire. He suggested Annie Sprinkle, a woman involved in the pornography industry, might have information about runaways. In 1986, investigator Karole Jensen from Wings for Children located the two motels; one may have been used by a child pornographer known as 'Dr. Z,' but Jensen was unable to link him to the hotline. Authorities scanned films of Annie Sprinkle attempting to locate Laureen but found no evidence of her involvement. For several years after the disappearance, Judith received mysterious silent phone calls around 3:45 a.m., particularly frequent around Christmas holidays, but Detective Lucas Hobbs noted nothing in the official police file confirmed these calls. Rahn's aunt Janet Roy reported that a young girl called their home asking for 'Mike' (Janet's son), Laureen's cousin, but remained silent when he answered—a pattern similar to calls to Laureen's mother. In 1986, childhood friend Roger Maurais received a phone call from a woman identifying herself as 'Laurie' or 'Laureen,' claiming to be his former girlfriend, but the caller was never identified. In 1981, a friend of Laureen's aunt Jobeth Swanson claimed to have seen her at a bus terminal in Boston—unconfirmed. In 1988, a witness reported seeing a sex worker in Anchorage, Alaska matching Laureen's description based on her 1980 photo, but authorities did not believe it was her due to the time lapse. Laureen's profile has been compared to at least 20 Jane Doe bodies without a match. Her mother Judith remarried in the late 1980s and relocated to Florida, changing her phone number. She maintains belief that her daughter is alive and that some of Laureen's acquaintances know more than they disclosed. In May 2026, the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit renewed public appeals for information, announcing the use of advanced forensic technologies including DNA testing. The case has been tentatively linked to other area disappearances including Rachael Garden (missing March 22, 1980) and Shirley McBride (missing July 13, 1984), though law enforcement states the cases are likely unrelated. In 2018, it was revealed Laureen lived within miles of suspected serial killer Terrence Rasmussen at the time of her disappearance.

Case Last Updated:

Jul 17, 2026