File photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS Police detectives investigate the discovery of human remains on April 23. They have been identified as belonging to Nancy Burgess, a Manchester woman who went missing in 2015. (File photo by JEFFREY HASTINGS)

MANCHESTER – Authorities have identified the human remains found in a wooded area off a rail trail nearly two weeks ago as those of Nancy Burgess, the Manchester woman who disappeared more than five years ago.

Burgess was 46 when she left home on Nov. 11, 2015, leaving her wallet and cell phone behind but bringing her medication with her, according to a Facebook account called MissingHomelessOrg.

Her remains were discovered by people walking in the area of the Rockingham Rail Trail, a popular route for hikers that runs along Candia Road near Lake Massabesic, close to the Manchester-Auburn line.

Calls came in to Auburn police around 5 p.m. April 23, and after determining the site was over the line in Manchester, they contacted Manchester authorities.

Responding officers located the remains roughly 1,000 feet from the trail’s Proctor Road gate.

Nancy Burgess

Police assured the public at the time that the death wasn’t suspicious, and was not recent, which they were able to confirm once a medical examiner identified the remains and the circumstances surrounding Burgess’s death.

“While this outcome is unfortunate, we are hopeful that this information provides some level of closure for the family,” Manchester police Chief Allen Aldenberg said.

Added Mayor Joyce Craig, “after six years of not knowing, I hope Nancy Burgess’s family, friends and our community finds some measure of closure. My thoughts are with her family during this difficult time,” Craig added.

According to information on Burgess’s case posted on www.charleyproject.org following her disappearance, Burgess had “searched the internet for instructions on how to disappear” shortly before she went missing.

Among the initial posts to the MissingHomelessOrg Facebook account was one that began with, “A daughter’s desperate search for her mother … the question being asked is, ‘what happened to Nancy Burgess?'”

It was followed by a physical description of Burgess, who, according to the post, “suffers with mental illness and presents with suicidal tendencies.”

“Nancy is missed and loved very much. Her daughter is hoping someone out there has seen her mom,” the post concludes.

Aldenberg, meanwhile, said that while it’s understandable that “this incident caused a lot of concern in the community regarding the safety on these trails,” and that it is important for people “to always take steps for personal safety … we do believe these recreation areas are safe and shold be enjoyed by the public.”

Dean Shalhoup may be reached at 594-1256 or dshalhoup@nashuatelegraph.com.

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