Authorities have identified the Vermont woman who was the victim of a “suspicious death” Thursday on a popular trail.
The Vermont State Police said identified the victim as 77-year-old Honoree Fleming of Castleton, Vermont. She died from a gunshot wound to the head and her cause of death was determined to be a homicide.
The death occurred Thursday near the Vermont State University, Castleton campus, which is under a shelter-in-place order.
The school was closed Friday and all events have been canceled because of the ongoing death investigation.
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Honoree Fleming, 77, was found dead on the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castleton, Vermont, on Thursday. (Google Earth)
“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.”
The Vermont State Police responded to Rail Trail near 1587 South St. in Castleton at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving a call reporting a dead woman in the area. Upon arrival, troopers located Fleming and pronounced her dead at the scene.
The agency said a witness reported hearing gunshots before noticing a possible suspect walking northbound on the trail toward the university campus. The Vermont State Police conducted a house-to-house canvass of the area near the Rail Trail Thursday night but did not locate anyone.
This July 2015 photo shows Castleton University, then Castleton State College, in Castleton, Vermont. The campus will be incorporated into the new Vermont State University, whose prospective president, Parwinder Grewal, has preemptively resigned. (AP Photo/Lisa Rathke, File)
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“We have no idea where this gentlemen, suspect took off,” VSP Maj. Daniel Trudeau said Friday.
The witness described the person seen near the campus as a White male with short, dark hair, standing at approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall. The man was reportedly wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
Authorities have not said whether Fleming was targeted. The suspected is considered “armed and dangerous,” police said. Authorities also urged nearby businesses and residents to review their surveillance and game cameras for the possible suspect from the early afternoon hours on Thursday.
