Honoree Fleming murder: Residents warned to lock doors for safety as police search for killer of retired Vermont college dean
CASTLETON, VERMONT: Residents of a small college town have been alarmed and told to lock their doors after a well known educator was fatally shot last week.
The body of Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor at Vermont State University, was found on her favorite hiking trail, about a mile from the campus on Thursday afternoon, October 5.
Her husband, Ron Powers, a 1973 Pulitzer Prize-winning author, described her as a “sterling heart and soul” in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
“She has taken far more than half my own heart and soul with her,” he wrote.
According to The Associated Press, authorities are still in dark if there is any potential risk to the rest of the people in Castleton, Vermont, a small town about 60 miles south of Burlington.
What did the authorities say?
"I recommend to the public to be vigilant, have some awareness," said Dan Trudeau, the commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division.
"If you’re out, be with a friend," he said. Investigators have been interviewing people who were on or near the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail on Thursday afternoon, October 5. One witness saw an unidentified person walking north on the path.
Authorities have released information about the suspect
Police described him as a five-foot-10 male with short red hair who was wearing a gray T-shirt and a black backpack at the time.
The perpetrator is also considered to be armed and dangerous. "We’ve never had anything like this. Not a thing," lifelong Castleton resident Mary Waite told The Associated Press.
Valma Brown, who is employed at the Castleton Village Store, told the outlet that police have done a good job so far. "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," Brown added.
Vermont State students were set to attend classes on Monday
Vermont State students were set to attend classes on Monday, October 9, after the end of their fall break but ended up getting the day off before continuing their coursework on Tuesday, October 10.
However, the death has created a sense of terror among the members of the school's cross-country team who often train on the trail.
"I’m very concerned," senior John Hendley, a member of the team, told The Associated Press, adding "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."
Anyone with information about Fleming's death is asked to call the Vermont State Police at (802) 773-9101.