Students and residents in a small Vermont university town are being told to lock their doors and stick together as police continue to search for a killer who shot a retired dean on her favorite walking trail last week.
Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor of education at Vermont State University in Castleton, was found shot to death Thursday afternoon about a mile south of campus. Police said Monday they don't know if the community of roughly 4,500 people is in any further danger or whether Fleming was targeted.
“I recommend to the public to be vigilant, have some awareness,” said Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division. “If you’re out, be with a friend.”
State police on Wednesday released a composite sketch of a person of interest seen on the trail around when Fleming was shot.
"We'd like to have anybody who thinks they recognize the person in this sketch to reach out," police said.
Detectives have been interviewing people who live near the wooded Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail or were in the area between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday. Police said they have received hundreds of tips from the public and police are actively following up on them.
One witness reported seeing a man walking northbound on the trail toward campus after gunshots were heard, police said. The witness described a 5'10" male with short, red hair, wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack. State police said he is considered to be armed and dangerous.
Police released three new photos of Fleming on Monday that were provided by her family.
Castleton, in west-central Vermont, is about 5 miles east of the Vermont-New York border in an area known for scenic mountain views and slate and marble quarries. The university, founded in 1787, was closed last week for fall break. Students were excused from classes when it reopened Monday, and classes resumed Tuesday.
Two Vermont State Police cruisers were parked at one end of town on Tuesday afternoon, while cruisers periodically drove through campus and around the community. Uniformed troopers are conducting patrols in Castleton and ensuring high visibility in and around the Vermont State University Castleton Campus, state police said in a statement.
Castleton resident Mary Waite said she didn’t leave the house much over the weekend, is being careful and has been looking out her back door a lot because the woods behind the house leads to the trail area.
She’s lived in the small town lined with historic homes all of her life. “We’ve never had anything like this. Not a thing,” she said.
Valma Brown, who works at the Castleton Village Store, said she feels safe with the police presence around town. “They're watching out for us so I feel pretty safe,” she said. “Some people are really on edge and they don't want to go anywhere. It's just creepy how it happened in this small town.”
The university's cross-country team stood in a campus parking lot waiting to drive to practice Tuesday afternoon. Some members said they fear for their safety and are staying away from the trail.
“I'm very concerned. I love running on that rail trail like almost every day for practice and I'm not going to use it until further notice until things get resolved,” said John Hendley, a senior from Oneonta, New York.
Other students said they feel safe because the university has stepped up security.
Fleming died days before what would have been her 45th wedding anniversary. Her husband, author Ron Powers, co-wrote the book “Flags of Our Fathers,” about the men involved in the famous flag-raising during the 1945 Battle of Iwo Jima. A Pulitzer Prize winner in 1973 for criticism as a television-radio columnist, he also wrote a biography of Mark Twain and collaborated with the late U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy on the politician’s memoir, “True Compass.”
Her husband said she was walking on her favorite trail.
“There is an area-wide dragnet out for her killer,” Powers posted online Friday. “Police believe that it was random, but all possibilities remain open.”
He added, “Those of you who knew her know that she was beautifully named. I have never known a more sterling heart and soul than hers. She has taken far more than half my own heart and soul with her.”
Police said Fleming's family is asking for privacy at this time.
Vermont State Police said tips from the public continue to be a "crucial component" of the case, and anyone with information is asked to call state police at 802-773-9101. Detectives are specifically looking to speak with anyone who was on the rail trail between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. last Thursday. Anonymous tips can be submitted online at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
