The police remained tight-lipped yesterday as they continued their investigation into the murders of professors Susanne and Half Zantop -- still combing the crime scene while also examining a dormitory basement on the Dartmouth campus.
The kitchen and lounge in the basement of Massachusetts Hall Monday were blocked off for sometime yesterday afternoon as the N.H. state police forensic team investigated a handprint-sized blood stain that was found on a upholstered chair in the basement lounge by a custodian.
State Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte yesterday refused to comment on the dorm investigation or whether students were involved in the Zantop murders.
Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman said he was informed of the blood stain, and Safety and Security was contacted. They then informed the police.
"[The police] came and took a look and decided they ought to do some testing and samples to find out what it was," Redman said.
The stain looked "like a hand gripping the arm of a chair," Redman said. "It was more than a drop or two and somebody could figure out 'this looks interesting.'"
The custodian concurred: "There was, I would say, a lot of blood," and that it appeared to be in a "handprint shape."
The investigators removed at least one chair from the kitchen, according to a source who asked to remain anonymous.
Also, the normally unlocked study lounge on the first floor of the dormitory was locked, but nothing else appeared out of the ordinary.
Meanwhile, some news organizations reported that there was a small apartment attached to the Zantops' home that was sometimes rented out.
However, in an interview with The Dartmouth last night, Audrey McCollum, a neighbor who was close friends with the victims and had been to the Zantop home numerous times, said she knew of no such apartment.
She did say that there was an adjoining greenhouse, which might be misconstrued as an apartment from the outside. The Zantops sometimes had overnight guests in two upstairs bedrooms that were previously their daughters, but McCollum had never heard of a permanent or long-term guest.
She also told The Dartmouth that the woman who cleans her home mentioned to her yesterday that she heard a car enter the McCollums' driveway at approximately 11 a.m. Friday morning, idle for approximately a minute in front of the door, and then drive away.
McCollum said she and her husband never receive unannounced guests. She previously worked as a psychotherapist from her home and discouraged people they know from dropping by to visit. She said the unidentified car seemed questionable and might be related to the Zantop homicides.
McCollum's husband went to the scene of the murders as she called 911, after being alerted by professor Roxana Verona, who found the murdered couple when she arrived at the home to have dinner with them Saturday evening.
Roxana Verona, and several other sources, confirmed that she, in fact, was the first one to find the victims, though the police still refuse to confirm that. Cindy McCollum, Audrey and Bob McCollum's daughter, called 911 from the Zantop home when she and her father arrived at the scene.
Also, the Boston Globe reported that there was a suspicious person in a dormitory on the east side of campus. College Proctor Bob McEwen said this matter was looked into and turned out to be just a student looking for a telephone.
In a news conference yesterday afternoon at the Hanover police station, Ayotte revealed little more than Attorney General Philip McLaughlin did Sunday regarding the Saturday evening double homicide of Susanne and Half Zantop.
She added, however, that the state and local police forces are pursuing "a number of leads" and that in excess of 30 investigators are working full time on the investigation.
"As soon as there is any information that we're able to release ... we will do that," she said.
"There are no resources being spared," she said.
Ayotte maintained that there was no cause for enhanced concern among members of the College and the local community.
Hanover Police Chief Nick Giaccone said his force was continuing to maintain a normal level of security in the community.
Ayotte said she could not comment on whether the investigators had interviewed students, but she indicated that they were "not being restricted in any way."
She said she could not say whether a student was involved.
No arrests have been made at this point, and Ayotte would not comment on whether any arrest was imminent.
Despite limited information that is being released to the community and the news media, Ayotte assured those present that "this investigation is making progress."
Ayotte would not comment on whether the investigators had established a motive, whether any of the Zantops' belongings were missing from their home or how the couple was killed.
She would also not comment on whether anyone other than family members might have been staying with the Zantop family before their death.
