Crime & Safety

N.H. Couple on Lam Possibly Seen Around North Shore

Police say a New Hampshire couple who are accused of brutally beating the woman's three-year-old son may be hiding out on the North Shore.

A New Hampshire couple accused of brutally beating a toddler may be hiding out somewhere on the North Shore.

Police had received reports of possible sightings of Jessica Linscott, 23, and boyfriend Roland Dow, 27, of Plaistow, N.H. in Swampscott on Tuesday and then in Lynn on Wednesday and in Salem on Thursday, reports the Salem News. Danvers police reported there was another possible sighting on Friday.

Linscott and Dow are facing multiple charges of first-degree assault, neglect and endangering the welfare of a child for allegedly abusing Linscott's three-year-old son, James. The couple first went missing after charges were filed against them on Nov. 16.

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The couple dropped the toddler off at Exeter Hospital on Nov. 14 and police said doctors reported the boy showed signs of head injuries and his body was covered with bruises and burns when they first saw him at the hospital.

The head injuries reportedly caused brain injury and impaired the child's vision.

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Police extended their search for the couple into Massachusetts on Tuesday. The Salem News reports that police have received hundreds of tips in the past week.

Danvers police were called to Walmart just after 1 p.m. on Friday for a possible sighting of the couple inside the store.

Dow and Linscott were also supposedly seen near the Salem train station on Bridge Street around 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving and at a Honey Dew Donut shop on Western Avenue in Lynn the day before, reports the Salem News.

The couple were reportedly driving a red late 1990s model Volvo with green bumper stickers and a luggage rack.

Swampscott police said they merely heard rumors of a local sighting, but did not receive any calls on it.

The Manchester (NH) Union Leader reported that the boy's grandmother, Helen Nicholson, of Melrose, does not think authorities will find the couple.

Nicholson said her son, who died two years ago, was the boy's father. She also told the newspaper that Linscott and Dow "have been dating for about a year and that James was often left with her or Linscott's mother."

The toddler is now being cared for at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., and according to reports, is in stable condition.

New Hampshire authorities say they believe Linscott and Dow may be receiving help from friends and relatives, but are still hopeful the couple will turn themselve in.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of the couple can call their local police department or the Plaistow police at 603-382-6816.


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