Vermont police are searching or an “armed and dangerous” suspect after a 77-year-old woman was found shot in the head on a popular hiking trail near the Castleton campus of Vermont State University.
State police identified the victim as Honoree Fleming of Castleton, and her husband, author Ron Powers, confirmed her death in an anguished Facebook post.
A witness reported hearing gunshots and seeing a man walking on the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castleton on Thursday, as CrimeOnline reported. The man was described as 5 feet 10 inches tall with dark, short hair. He was reportedly wearing a gray t-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
Students at Vermont State are currently on fall break, The Barre Montpelier Times Argus said, and the school was closed with all activities cancelled on Friday because of the investigation.
“A shelter-in-place order continues for anyone who is on campus,” the school said in a message on its website. “Campus members should monitor their email for updates and information about counseling resources available to them.”
Read Related Also: Parents, coaches and teachers should think twice before yelling at kids – Study finds raising your voice is as harmful as sexual or physical abuse
The victim in the shooting was identified as Honoree Fleming, who lived in Castleton, Vermont State Police said.
Ron Powers, author of “Nobody Cares About Crazy People,” about the history of mental illness treatment in America and the couple’s two sons’ struggle with schizophrenia, wrote on Facebook that his wife was walking “along her favorite trail near the college” when she was shot.
“The killer delivered one shot — possibly two — to the side of her head and walked away,” he wrote. “She died instantly.”
He said he was “still in shock” and would write more about Honoree — who he said had a “sterling heart and soul” — when he is able.
Police, meanwhile, are asking businesses and residents near the trail to check security footage for anything suspicious.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?
n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’
fbq(‘init’, ‘249856382045099’);
fbq(‘track’, “PageView”);
