Updated 12:44 p.m.
Late last night, the New Hampshire Attorney General's office announced that an arrest warrant had been issued for 17-year-old Robert W. Tulloch in connection with the double homicide of Half and Susanne Zantop.
Tulloch, of Chelsea, Vt. -- a small town about 25 miles from Hanover -- will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
Police said Tulloch may be in the company of a 16-year-old male who is also being sought in connection with the homicides. Investigators believe Tulloch is possibly driving a silver 1987 Audi 500 four-door sedan with Vermont registration CDG690.
Attorney for the Tulloch family, Dan Sedon, answered the phone at the residence and said the Tullochs have no comment.
Tony Venti, the spokesman for Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, confirmed that Diane Tulloch, the mother of the suspect is a nurse with the Visiting Nurses Association -- a group affiliated with DHMC.
Police did not say how they concluded that Tulloch was the suspect, nor did they release any other information. The second person being sought was not identified by the authorities, and no charges were specified.
However, Casey Purcell, a friend of Tulloch, told the Associated Press earlier today that Tulloch and another boy, James Parker, left town in the days after the murders, were gone for two or three days, then returned to Chelsea. A few days later they disappeared again, Purcell, a senior at Chelsea High School, said.
Purcell said Tulloch told him the pair were trying to go rock climbing in Colorado but had to turn back because Tulloch had a cut on his leg that had grown infected. Tulloch said he cut his leg on a sap bucket while walking in the woods, Purcell said.
''They left. They were trying to get to Colorado, but they got to Missouri. But Rob had a cut on his leg, so they came back,'' Purcell said. ''Everyone in school thought they were going to Colorado to go rock climbing. It was just a joke around school, and then everyone assumed they did it again (went to Colorado).''
Ned Battey, a neighbor of the Tullochs, said he was "stunned" and "incomprehensible" when he heard the news of Robert Tulloch's arrest warrant. Ned Battey's son, Kip, is Robert Tulloch's classmate.
When asked if he thought Robert Tulloch is guilty of committing a double homicide, Ned Battey said, "I'm not going to speculate on anything like that."
Battey said he received a phone call from Robert Tulloch's father, Michael Tulloch yesterday, but that Michael did not mention anything about his son's arrest warrant.
Michael Tulloch is listed on a "Windsor Chair Resources" website as a chairmaker.
"He was wondering where his other younger son was," Battey said. "Something was obviously going on, but he didn't mention it."
Although Battey did not know whether James Parker was the 16-year-old accompanying Robert Tulloch, he did confirm that Parker is a student at Chelsea High School and a friend of Tulloch's.
Meanwhile, Robert Tulloch's good friend and classmate at Chelsea High School, Zachary Courts, 17, described Tulloch as a "pretty normal kid" to the Boston Herald.
"He's got hobbies, he's got friends. He's an extremely intelligent person, very quick-witted. I'd have to say he didn't do it. He's not like that. I mean, it's always possible, but Robert, no way, man. And the person he's with is definitely not like that," Courts told the Herald this morning.
Rick Ackerman, a Chelsea, Vt., highway foreman who lives near the Tullochs, said he saw a forensics truck, crime lab officials and about five New Hampshire State Police vehicles in front of Tulloch's home.
"We were outside our garage washing our trucks and wondering what was going on," Ackerman said.
"I asked the guy at the country store, and he said they were looking for someone," Ackerman added. "But tonight, in another store, they told me they were looking for Robert Tulloch. I know his parents; they seem to be all right people."
In a BlitzMail message, College president James Wright informed the community of the arrest warrant and continued to urge students to take reasonable safety precautions. The president reiterated that community members should not hesitate to seek out the College counseling office and other support resources.
President Wright told The Dartmouth that he is relieved that a warrant has been issued, but he said, "I would be more relieved if they apprehended" the suspect.
"This shows that they're making some real progress," Wright said.
Wright said he did not know how close the police were to making an arrest, but he believed they are working on it diligently. "I hope they locate him soon," he said.
When asked if he knew of any connection Tulloch had with the College, Wright said, "I have never heard the name before, and I do not know of any connection to the Dartmouth community.
"His name does not show up in any place in our records," Wright said.
After hearing about the arrest warrant, Wright said that he believes the Boston Globe story -- which theorized that an alleged extramarital affair might have been involved in the homicide -- has no bearing on this case, and that it was "unfortunate" that the story appeared.
Senior Assistant Attorney General Kelly Ayotte informed Wright of the arrest warrant at 9:00 p.m. on Friday night -- about two hours before the press release was issued to the media.
Speaking to The Dartmouth early this morning, Director of News and Public Information Roland Adams said that there will continue to be heightened visibility of Safety & Security on campus.
A press conference has been scheduled by the Attorney General's office to take place at 4:00 p.m. today.
Anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Tulloch or the silver Audi have been asked to contact their local police or the Hanover Homicide Task Force at (877) 246-2100.
