Carrie Hicks, Feb. 24, 2007, Acworth, NH , big update: state investigators say they’ve concluded Wayne Ring was responsible for Carrie’s death. The Cold Case Unit reexamined the scene, did a fresh autopsy and bloodstain pattern analysis, and combined that with witness interviews. Officials say the medical findings show the first wound would have incapacitated Carrie and made it impossible for her to have fired the second shot, so investigators concluded Ring shot and killed her before turning the gun on himself. They also say Carrie and Ring had talked about suicide and a pact, and witnesses reported Carrie told Ring to shoot her twice so she wouldnt be left alive. 🙏

Because Ring died in 2012, prosecutors can’t file charges, but the Attorney General’s office says the evidence would have supported a first-degree murder charge and the case is being formally closed as solved. I prob missed some of the nuts-and-bolts from the press release, but has anyone dug thru the old coverage or heard anything new from folks in the area about this?

On February 24, 2007, 25-year-old Carrie Hicks was found dead of two gunshot wounds to her left temple at a residence on Beryl Mountain Road in Acworth, New Hampshire. The medical examiner ruled her death a homicide. Hicks was discovered on a couch in the home of Wayne Ring, who was also shot once in the head but survived.

Investigators recovered a handgun in the residence, but it was not determined who fired the shots. A friend of Ring’s, John Smeltzer, found the scene and notified police; Smeltzer said Ring had previously spoken about suicide, a detail that complicated the investigation. No arrests have been announced and the New Hampshire Department of Justice continues to seek information.

If anyone knew Carrie, Wayne Ring, or has information about that night, please come forward.