A man has been arrested and charged with second-degree murder in connection with his father’s death in 2003, New Hampshire authorities announced Tuesday.
Paul Herlihy, 50, was discovered dead at his home in Milford, New Hampshire, on August 27, 2003, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice. Police found his body while conducting a welfare check on the home. He died between August 23 and August 27, according to the department’s news release.
An autopsy revealed that his death was a homicide by blunt force trauma. The cause of death was withheld for decades for investigative purposes, according to the department.
The homicide is among several dozen unsolved murders, suspicious deaths, and other cold cases being investigated by the New Hampshire Cold Case Unit. The cold case unit collaborated with the New Hampshire State Police Major Crime Unit to investigate Herlihy’s death.
Few details about the investigation were released, but the state Department of Justice stated that the process led authorities to Herlihy’s son, Douglas Herlihy.
Douglas Herlihy’s arrest warrant for second-degree murder was issued on Monday. On Tuesday, he was arrested in his current home of Saugus, Massachusetts. He was charged with fleeing justice, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice.
Douglas Herlihy, 39, would have been a teen when his father was killed.
He is currently being held without bail in Massachusetts and is scheduled to appear in Essex County Superior Court, according to the New Hampshire Department of Justice. Once he is arraigned, New Hampshire will begin the extradition process.
