BERLIN, N.H. (TCD) — A 37-year-old man who recently moved from Minnesota to New Hampshire for a libertarian organization faces charges after allegedly killing his girlfriend and taking off with their two children, ages 4 and 1.
According to a news release from the New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office, on Thursday, Feb. 29, at around 10:30 p.m., New Hampshire State Police and the Berlin Police Department responded to an apartment on Main Street, where they found Caitlyn Naffziger’s body. An autopsy determined she died of a single gunshot wound to the head, and her death was ruled a homicide.
State police issued an Amber Alert the next day for Dustin Duren and the two children, 4-year-old Elowyn Duren and 1-year-old Vaelyn Duren. Investigators suspected Dustin Duren was traveling with the children in a 2017 Subaru Impreza and was possibly armed and dangerous.
According to the attorney general’s office, citizens noticed the vehicle outside a restaurant on Key Road in Keene at approximately 11 a.m. and called law enforcement. Dustin Duren and his children were found safely.
Officials arrested Dustin Duren on a charge of second-degree murder, and he was scheduled to be arraigned on March 4. According to WMUR-TV, he appeared in court via video and was ordered to be held without bond.
Dustin Duren and Naffziger had allegedly been together for several years and previously lived in Minnesota. Naffziger’s family told WMUR they recently moved to New Hampshire because Dustin Duren was interested in the Free State Project, a libertarian organization working to move “thousands of freedom-loving people to New Hampshire.”
A spokesperson for the Free State Project told WMUR Dustin Duren asked for help moving to the state, but they didn’t have any further communication with him.
In a statement, the organization reportedly said, “Like all Granite Staters, we are shocked and saddened to read this tragic news. The Free State Project is a nonviolent movement that promotes peace and liberty. We condemn all acts of aggression.”
Dustin Duren is scheduled to appear in court again on March 13.
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