New Police Chief
The Lyndeborough Police Department saw a change in leadership during the first months of the year.
Following the retirement of Police Chief Rainsford “Rance” Deware in December, the Select Board voted unanimously to appoint Keith Hervieux as his successor. Hervieux officially assumed the role of police chief on Nov. 1.
After growing up in Lowell, Mass., and serving in Afghanistan as a sergeant in the Army, Hervieux was honorably discharged in 2012. Hervieux has been with the Lyndeborough Police Department for 16 years, working as a patrol sergeant for the last six.
When Hervieux and his wife were looking for a change from a more urban setting in Massachusetts, they did their research and settled in Bow.
Like police chiefs in other small towns, Hervieux is dealing with staffing issues.
“There’s the ongoing challenge of having enough officers for coverage. Nobody wants to do this kind of work, it seems,” Hervieux said. “It’s probably more exciting in bigger cities, and small-town policing can be seen by some to be boring. Boring (in police work) is good.”
Hervieux said he does not expect residents will notice significant changes in department operations or policies under his leadership.
Lyndeborough Man Indicted for Murder
On June 11, a Lyndeborough man was indicted on a charge of second-degree murder in connection with the 2024 death of a toddler in Keene.
According to an announcement from Attorney General John M. Formella’s office, a Cheshire County grand jury returned an indictment against Annthoni Bliss, 22, in the death of 23-month-old Luca Hudson in January 2024. The indictment alleges that Bliss “did cause the death of Luca Hudson recklessly under circumstances manifesting an extreme indifference to the value (of) human life.”
Luca was the son of Lydia Marrotte, of Keene, and Matthew Hudson.
In a probable cause statement filed in January 2024, Keene Police Detective Jennifer Truman reported that Bliss was dating Marrotte at the time of Luca’s death and was living with Marrotte, Luca and Luca’s 3-year-old brother in an apartment on Roxbury Street.
According to the statement, Marrotte left the apartment to go shopping on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024. During that time, a neighbor reported hearing constant crying believed to be Luca’s. Bliss later told police he heard vomiting coming from the children’s bedroom late that night.
Bliss and Marrotte told police that over the course of several hours, Luca complained of head pain. Near 5 a.m. on Jan. 14, Bliss conducted internet searches related to head softness in a 2-year-old, including a search regarding swelling after a “2 year old hit head,” according to Truman’s statement.
Truman’s statement added that “despite Annthoni Bliss’s own tactile perceptions of Luca’s head, his internet searches, and Luca’s observed physical distress, Annthoni Bliss did not report to Lydia Marrotte any prior head trauma suffered by Luca in need of attention. Nor did Annthoni Bliss call 911, or seek medical assistance for Luca.”
When Bliss noticed Luca’s difficulty breathing and rigidity in his body, a 911 call was made at 7:52 a.m. Luca was not breathing when first responders arrived.
Luca was transported by helicopter to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center where the “constellation of injuries (were) observed and documented to Luca were consistent with causation from nonaccidental trauma,” according to Truman’s statement. Luca never regained consciousness and died on Jan. 17, 2024.
An autopsy later determined that Luca likely suffered head trauma on Saturday evening, when Bliss was alone with the children. Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Mitchell L. Weinberg ruled Luca Hudson’s cause of death a homicide.
The case is ongoing.
View the original articles here:
Lyndeborough Police Chief:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/03/11/keith-hervieux-is-new-lyndeborough-police-chief-59420652/
Lyndeborough Man Indicted for Murder:
https://ledgertranscript.com/2025/06/13/second-degree-murder-indictment-61772687/