CASTLETON — Vermont State Police on Monday said they had received more than 200 tips but still have no suspect after a retired Vermont State University dean was shot to death near the campus in Castleton last week.
The investigation into 77-year-old Honoree Fleming’s death entered its fifth day as students began returning to a school on edge. Classes had been scheduled to resume on Monday following a weeklong fall break, but were delayed until Tuesday due to the tragedy.
Police said they are still attempting to locate and interview a “person of interest” who they consider “armed and dangerous.” The man — described as white, red-haired and about 5-foot-10 — was seen leaving the area of the shooting shortly after bystanders heard gunshots, police said.
Maj. Daniel Trudeau, head of the Vermont State Police criminal division, called on the public to be vigilant as the investigation continues.
“We don’t really know yet if the community is in any further danger,” he told reporters during an afternoon press briefing. “We don’t know if this is isolated or not isolated. We’re still trying to develop leads to further figure that out.”
The shooting occurred on the rail trail about a mile from its intersection with South Street on Thursday at around 4:30 p.m., police said.
Trudeau said investigators are interested in talking to anyone who was walking on the rail trail that day, especially between 3-5 p.m., as they continue to run down scores of tips.
“We vet through them and oftentimes they don’t pan out, sometimes they are helpful, but every tip is better than no tip,” Trudeau said.
Trudeau said that tips have included possible sightings of the man, who was last seen wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack. Others have provided investigators with possible names of that person.
Trudeau said investigators have also been interviewing potential witnesses, nearby residents and people who were on the trail around the time of the shooting.
“This type of case is going to be probably a blend of old-fashioned detective work, you know, along with new age technology-based detective work,” Trudeau said.
Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello told reporters Monday that he is not aware of any other cases that the homicide in Castleton appears connected to.
“What’s frustrating for police and the investigators and everybody involved in this is that we don’t have a suspect. We don’t have a motive,” the police chief said.
The Vermont State University at Castleton has doubled its security staff and contracted with the Rutland County Sheriff’s Department to provide law enforcement services to the campus through the week, according to Sylvia Plumb, assistant vice president of Vermont State University marketing and communications.
Small groups of students could be seen around campus though it was largely quiet with few vehicles in the parking lots.
Trevor Iken, a 21-year-old sophomore at the school, said he was at home in Ohio for fall break when he learned about the shooting through a Thursday evening message from the school.
“I got really freaked,” he said. “I was not really looking forward to coming back.”
Braeden Kloss, 18, a first-year student, said he also found out about the shooting through the school’s message. He was in New York, where he resides and had gone for fall break.
“At first I really didn’t believe it,” he said. “It’s pretty scary it happened so close to campus.”
Both Iken and Kloss said they are heeding safety advice they have received in follow-up messages from the school, including to pair up with another person when going out, especially at night.
In a message on Friday, university officials described Fleming as a “beloved” teacher at Castleton, noting that “scores of students benefited from Dr. Fleming’s teachings and research.”
Before joining Castleton, according to the university, Fleming was a faculty member at Trinity College, Middlebury College and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Fleming was the wife of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ron Powers. They lived in Castleton.
