Probe of Dartmouth Deaths Reaches Overseas

H A N O V E R, N.H., Feb. 3 -- As the investigation into the slayings of two Dartmouth College professors expands to other countries, friends and family gathered on campus today to share their grief.

Investigators are interviewing people who knew Half and Susanne Zantop both in the United States and abroad, Senior AssistantAttorney General Kelly Ayotte said this morning.

Both Zantops were born in Germany and frequently traveledoverseas.

"The Zantops were not just members of the Dartmouth community,they also were members of the world community," Ayotte said.

She gave no additional details about the investigation, but saidauthorities have received new leads every day since the couple werefound dead in their home Jan. 27.

Hundreds Mourns Loss of Beloved Professors

Meanwhile, in the crowded campus chapel this afternoon,college President James Wright told about 700 mourners theZantops would continue to be an inspiration to students and facultyat the close-knit, Ivy League school.

"Our good advisers and generous friends are gone," he said."But their lessons remain."

Half Zantop taught earth sciences. Susanne Zantop was chairwomanof the German Studies Department.

"Who could think of one without thinking of the other," Wrightsaid.

Richard Birnie, chairman of the Earth Sciences Department, saidhe was a better person for having known Half, whom he described asbeing as committed to learning new things as he was to teaching hisstudents.

"I want everyone here to know — I hope Half knew — that whetherwe were talking about some esoteric [issue] … or whether we werein Hanover discussing politics, I always learned something from myexperiences with him," Birnie said.

Toward the end of the service, on of the Zantops' two daughtersstood and thanked the crows for their friendship and support duringthis difficult time.

Zantops Kept an Open Home

Friends said the Zantops were known for opening their home tocolleagues and students. Roxana Verona, a languages professor,discovered their bodies when she arrived for dinner and found thedoor unlocked.