The Berlin man who was taken into custody at an Applebee’s parking lot in Keene Friday with his two young daughters in the car has been charged in connection with the murder of their mother, according to a press release from Attorney General John Formella.
Dustin Mark Duren, 37, the girls’ father, has been arrested in connection with the death of Caitlyn Naffziger, 31, of 1063 Main Street in Berlin on Thursday, according Formella.
On Thursday at about 10:30 p.m., the New Hampshire State Police and the Berlin Police Department responded to an apartment at 1063 Main Street in Berlin and discovered the body of Caitlyn Naffziger, the mother of the two girls, ages 4 and 1, who were the subject of an Amber Alert as police searched through the night for Duren.
An autopsy by Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Mitchell Weinberg determined the cause of Naffziger’s death was a single gunshot wound to the head, and the manner of her death was homicide.
The Amber Alert was issued early Friday morning. Around 11 a.m. citizens saw Duren’s vehicle outside a the restaurant on Key Road in Keene and called police. All three individuals were found safely, the release said.
Duren has been charged with second-degree murder for knowingly causing Naffziger’s death by shooting her. He will be arraigned in 1st Circuit Court – District Division in Berlin on Monday.
See previous story here: https://indepthnh.org/2024/03/01/police-issue-amber-alert-for-2-children-after-finding-deceased-woman-in-berlin/
The New Hampshire Department of Justice, New Ham0pshire State Police, and the Berlin Police Department extend their thanks to the efforts of the Keene Police Department for assisting in responding to the report of Duren’s vehicle and his children to ensure their safety. “We also thank the citizens who responded to the Amber Alert and were alert throughout the State to safely find and locate both children,” Formella said.
Additional information will be released as it becomes available while protecting the integrity of the investigation.