NEW LONDON – A new search has begun for the killer of Catherine “Cathy” Millican on the 47th anniversary of her death in New London, combing the area of the Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area.

The focus is looking for physical evidence in an effort to generate new leads in the 27-year-old’s murder.

Attorney General John M. Formella and New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark B. Hall announced that beginning Wednesday morning, members of the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit, in conjunction with the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department, commenced the search.

The cold case unit also released previously unseen photos of Millican.

On Wednesday, October 25, 1978, at approximately 11:30 p.m., the body of Millican of Sunapee was discovered in a wooded area off Route 11 in New London, in what is now known as the Esther Currier Wildlife Management Area. An autopsy determined that she died as a result of multiple stab wounds.

Millican was last seen on the afternoon of Tuesday, October 24, 1978, when she told others she planned to go birdwatching. Her vehicle, a brown Volkswagen Rabbit, was observed by several witnesses parked at the entrance to the wetlands. Her body was found the following evening, several hundred yards into the woods.

In a statement released by her family Wednesday, they shared: “It has been 47 years since Cathy was taken from us. She was an artist, a photographer, an ornithologist, and a national sailing champion. We remain ever hopeful that her case will be solved and that closure will ease the pain of everyone who knew her. We are encouraged to know that her case has not been abandoned but continues to be worked.”

To preserve the integrity of the investigation, no further details will be released at this time, authorities said.

Anyone who may have seen Catherine Millican or her brown Volkswagen Rabbit on October 24, 1978, or who has any information, no matter how small, is encouraged to contact the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit at (603) 271-2663