CASTLETON — Vermont State Police have released a sketch of a “person of interest” with whom they want to speak about the homicide last week of a retired Vermont State University at Castleton dean on a trail not far from campus.
The release of the sketch Wednesday comes nearly a week after the fatal shooting of 77-year-old Honoree Fleming of Castleton. Fleming’s killing has left the college campus and the western Rutland County town on edge.
Fleming’s body was found late Thursday afternoon on the D&H rail trail about a mile south of an entrance on South Street, which runs through the college campus. Fleming, according to police, died from a gunshot wound to her head.
“The purpose of this composite sketch and how this all came about was with witnesses that had observed a person of interest on the trail prior to coming across Ms. Fleming’s body,” Capt. Scott Dunlap, commander of the state police major crime unit, told reporters Wednesday afternoon during a press briefing at the Castleton Police Department.
Dunlap wouldn’t say exactly how many witnesses had seen the man, other than to say it was more than one.
The sketch, according to Dunlap, was made by Detective Sgt. Adam Temple of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office in Bath, Maine. Temple traveled to Vermont this week and met with the witnesses to create the sketch and make revisions based on their feedback.
“This is the best from their recollection, so it’s not going to be 100 percent perfect,” Dunlap said.
He said those witnesses had reported that the man had been “acting very strangely, oddly” when they saw him, but Dunlap refused to describe the behavior further.
Since the day of the shooting, police have said they have been attempting to locate and interview a “person of interest” who they consider “armed and dangerous.” The man, according to police, has been described by witnesses as white, red-haired, about 5-foot-10 and in his 20s. He was seen leaving the area of the shooting shortly after bystanders heard gunshots, police said.
The man, who witnesses reported was heading north toward the university campus, was last seen wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
Police said they have responded to possible sightings of the man around the Castleton area, based on tips received from the public in the days following the shooting. None of those tips have panned out, police said.
There was a strong police presence Wednesday on the university’s campus, as well as around the town, with several troopers in cruisers seen patrolling roads or parked in busy lots.
Before joining Castleton, Fleming was a faculty member at Trinity College in Burlington, Middlebury College and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, according to the university. She was married to Ron Powers, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author whose 2017 book detailed the suicide of their younger son and the challenges faced by those living with mental illness.
The Rutland Herald reported Monday that Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello had said that Fleming suffered what appeared to be defense wounds. At Wednesday’s press briefing in response to a question about that information, Mantello said, “I don’t actually remember saying that.”
Asked if Fleming had suffered defensive wounds, Mantello replied, “I can’t comment on that. That’s up to the state police.”
Dunlap, the state police captain, said he couldn’t comment on the matter, either. “As far as any injuries to her, you know, I’m not going to get into details,” he said.
He also wouldn’t comment on any evidence investigators may have gathered as part of their probe, including any possible DNA that may have been recovered, whether a firearm related to the shooting had been located, or if any cell tower data had proved useful.
Dunlap did reiterate what investigators have been saying since the start of the probe: that they had no suspect and no motive for the shooting.
Mantello said that if someone does see a person resembling the man in the sketch they should not confront that person.
“Do not try to do anything on your own,” the Castleton police chief said. “Contact the police.”
