The last Reed family was seen leaving the Alton Woods apartment complex at around 2:20 p.m. on April 18, where they lived to walk the trail, part of the Broken Ground Trails network in Concord, officials said. They were reported missing to police last Wednesday when Stephen Reed failed to hold a scheduled meeting with relatives, officials said.
The couple’s bodies were found Thursday and a medical examiner concluded that they both died from multiple gunshot wounds.
In a statement to the Globe on Monday, Reed’s two older children and other relatives said Stephen Reed was a Concord native who had spent more than three decades working for USAID, the federal agency for international disaster relief. . His wife, Jeswende, known as Wendy, accompanied him on his publications for the agency.
About three years ago, the couple returned to Concord when Stephen Reed retired, the family said.
“Steve’s thirty-year career as an international development specialist in the service of the world’s most vulnerable through USAID humanitarian projects could not have been possible without Wendy’s love, care and support, which also helped recently resettled refugees acclimatize and thrive in the United States, “the family said in a statement.
Stephen Reed joined the Peace Corps after graduating from college and spent four years in West Africa. The couple met in Washington, D.C., when Jesvende was in the region attending college on an athletic scholarship, the family said.
“They bonded because of their mutual love of adventure and fitness,” the family said.
In a post on his Instagram account about the missing couple, Concorde police titled the statement, “Have you seen Reeds?” Then, last Thursday, the question was “Who killed the Raids?” After their bodies were found along the popular hiking trail.
“It’s a tragedy. It’s something that came out of nowhere, “said Concord Deputy Chief of Police John Thomas last week. “We are taking due care, investing all our resources, working with our state and local partners to lead to a successful resolution of this case.
In a statement on missing persons, Concord police said the couple’s vehicles were “parked in their usual places” and that there was “no known medical history or domestic violence for anyone”. None of the Reed family owned firearms, police said, but they are known to often walk the aisles near their homes.
“Their absence and lack of communication with family / friends is uncommon and their disappearance is a matter of considerable concern,” police said last Wednesday before the bodies were found.
Following the discovery of the slain couple, authorities said they did not believe there was a constant threat to public safety, but also warned residents to be vigilant. Police are also expected to step up patrols near hiking trails, officials said on Friday.
A Formella spokesman said Monday that the investigation was ongoing and no arrests had been made. No motive for the killings has been publicly identified.
In a statement, the family expressed its gratitude to law enforcement for their “extraordinary efforts over the past week to investigate the deaths of our loved ones …. We ask for your support by providing any information that would be useful for an ongoing investigation.”
The couple lived in the Alton Woods apartment complex, where several residents said on Saturday that they often visit Broken Ground Trails, but after the murders they are less likely to do so.
“The fact that they were shot several times is a really scary part,” said Connie von Nordsieck, 73, who lives in the apartment complex. “These two elderly people went on a campaign, killed for no reason in something that reminds you of a bandit shooting. I’m older and that makes me think twice about how to walk there. “
Von Nordseek said she often walks the trails with her dog, who accompanies her on a walk in the complex on Saturday.
“Notice we’re not there today,” she said.
This is an evolving story and will be updated. This report uses information from previous Globe coverage.
Jeremiah Manion of the Globe team and Globe correspondent Andrew Brinker contributed to this report.
You can find John R. Ellement at john.ellement@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @JREbosglobe. You can contact Travis Andersen at travis.andersen@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @TAGlobe.
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