Man Accused of Beating Newly Widowed Grandma to Death with Hammer Is Freaking Out 'Perfect' New England Town

A 23-year-old man was arrested over the weekend after allegedly beating his recently widowed grandmother to death with a hammer.

On Saturday, just before noon, law enforcement officials and emergency personnel responded to a 911 call asking for medical assistance at a residence on North Peak Drive in the Grafton County town of Easton, New Hampshire.

When troopers arrived at the scene, they found Cynthia Lanchester, 76, brutally murdered. Officers believed she had been bludgeoned to death, most likely with a hammer. Associate Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Abigail Alexander later confirmed her cause of death to be blunt force trauma.

Investigators found Joshua Lanchester at the scene; he is one of the victim's six grandchildren. The suspected assailant was immediately taken into custody and is believed to be responsible for his grandmother's murder.

Cynthia had been married for more than 50 years before losing her husband this past August. Her murder is also the first one to occur in Easton in nearly 20 years, leading to some consternation among the residents of the tiny town referred to as "the perfect rural New England escape."

"This is something that very rarely happens," local Bobbe McIntyre told WMUR-TV. "We have a peaceful neighborhood, and for something like that to happen, it freaks people out, but I know that it's a rarity."

Joshua Lanchester was being held without bail. He waived his arraignment.