REHOBOTH - The body of a New Hampshire man who was the subject of a manhunt in the beating death of his wife was found Thursday in thick woods near Simmons Street and Reservoir Avenue in what authorities believe is a murder-suicide.

Local police discovered the body of Binh Vernet, 48, of Londonderry, N.H., in a wooded area in the southern part of town after residents reported a suspicious van about 150 yards into the woods around 4 p.m., authorities said.

Police said they found blood inside the vehicle, a 2003 Mazda van with New Hampshire license plates. Police searched the heavily wooded area and found Vernet's body about 750 yards in the woods with the help of Rehoboth police dog Cesar and his handler Officer Craig Forget, Police Chief Stephen Enos said.

New Hampshire police said they believe Vernet fled in the van after his wife, 46-year-old Suzanne Vernet, was beaten Wednesday night at their home in Londonderry.

Officers responded to a 911 call from a juvenile at the home and found 46-year-old Suzanne Vernet unconscious and severely injured. She was flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, where she died Thursday. Two children at the home were not physically injured. The attorney general's office said a medical examiner will perform autopsies on Suzanne and Binh Vernet to determine the exact causes of death.

Authorities do not know why Binh Vernet ended up in Rehoboth. He had relatives in Woburn but no known contacts in the Rehoboth area, said Jeffrey Strelzin, senior assistant attorney general in New Hampshire.

"We don't specifically know why he went down there," Strelzin said.

Based on information received from the children at the scene, police began looking for Binh Vernet and broadcast information to law enforcement agencies that he was considered armed and dangerous.

After locating his van, Rehoboth police checked neighboring homes to ensure residents were safe because of the broadcast he was armed, Enos said.

The incident remains under investigation by Rehoboth police, Londonderry detectives and troopers with the Massachusetts State Police Crime Scene Unit and Bristol County District Attorney's Office.