Investigators: Accused serial killer had Texas ties

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Authorities want to talk to you if you recognize a man who they believe was a serial killer who once lived in the Houston area.

His name is Terrance Peder Rasmussen, according to investigators. They say he worked for Brown & Root in 1978. They knew he visited family near Corpus Christi in 1974 and that he possibly bounced around Texas from the late 1970s through the early 1980s.

Authorities want to find out about him because they are trying to identify the remains of a woman and three children, discovered years ago in rural New Hampshire.

In 1985, one steel barrel was discovered in Allenstown, New Hampshire with the remains of a woman and a little girl inside. Fifteen years later, a second barrel was found, the remains of two girls inside. Detectives followed trails across the country looking for clues, trying to identify them and their killer.

DNA showed Rasmussen was the father of one of the girls. His relationship to the other victims, though, still a mystery.

Detectives have determined Rasmussen lived a transient life for decades under a number of assumed names, including "Bob Evans." They found out he was no stranger to law enforcement and had even been convicted of killing his common law wife in California in 2003.

According to an interview released by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, he once told investigators in an interview, "I've always tried to live by the motto: There's no defense against the truth, but sometimes it's hard to find out what the truth is."

Rasmussen died in prison seven years ago. Authorities are trying to piece together his history to not only identify his four known victims in New Hampshire but to figure out if there are others.

"It's huge. It's huge for victims of unsolved cases or cases who have gone cold for decades right now. Now you have a name. Now you have a face. For victims' families, at least there's a semblance of hope," said City of Houston Crime Victim?s Advocate Andy Kahan.

Detectives say they have no evidence linking Rasmussen to any specific unsolved case or cases here in the Houston area. Yet.

If you recognize Rasmussen, investigators would like you to share any information you might have. You can contact the New Hampshire State Police cold case unit at (603) 223-3856 or email coldcaseunit@dos.nh.gov. You can also contact the Manchester Police Department at(603) 668-8711 or email MPDcoldcase@manchesternh.gov.

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