Homeless Camp Death Confirmed As A Shooting; Concord Police Investigation Enters 3rd Day: Follow-Up
CONCORD, NH — For three days, Concord police continued searching for evidence and clues at the
Limited information has been released about the death of Jillian Collins, 37, due to the case being an open investigation. She was found dead outside a tent at a homeless camp off Manchester Street, not far from the Soucook River, around 9:30 p.m.
Collins' boyfriend and son found her unconscious, not breathing, and not moving, outside a tent, according to scanner chatter. The camp was about a seven-minute walk into the water works property, which is owned by the town of Pembroke but is officially in Concord.
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After the scene was secured, Concord fire and rescue teams arrived and confirmed she was dead.
Due to rainstorms, investigators requested tents and lighting to be brought to the site. Initially, it was thought she may have died due to an overdose. But later, investigators discovered Collins had been killed due to a gunshot wound and the area was sealed from the public.
It is unknown whether Collins was staying at the camp or visiting. Her official address was in Barnstead, according to court paperwork and criminal filings.
On Friday morning, more than a dozen charges connected to Collins, including robbery and drug possession cases, in Merrimack County Superior Court and Concord District Court, were nolle prossed.
Detectives were seen questioning residents of two manufactured home parks on Manchester Street, across the street from the camp on Friday. Others reported to Patch they heard noise in the area of the camps in the past, including one resident who said they heard a woman screaming there last weekend.
On Friday afternoon, the New Hampshire Attorney General's Office issued a statement confirming a suspicious death investigation was underway at the site.
Investigators and detectives have been at the scene for nearly three days searching the property. More information about the case is expected this week.
Recent Shootings And Other Violence At Concord Homeless Camps
The death of Collins is just the latest shooting or major act of violence at a city homeless camp during the past two years.
A man was shot in June in the camp underneath the Water Street Bridge. Three people have been arrested and indicted on charges related to the robbery incident. An assault at Healy Memorial Park in January was later revealed to be a shooting incident. One suspect has been charged with attempted murder. Others involved BB guns and there was one machete attack in Healy Park in June 2024. There have also been dozens of fires at area camps.
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