Vermont state police have launched a manhunt for a suspect, who may be armed, after the corpse of a woman was discovered on a trail.
Vermont State Police announced on Friday that they were investigating a “suspicious death,” and that the public was requested to investigate their own video systems to help identify the offender. The killing is being investigated as a homicide, according to Major Daniel Trudeau of the Vermont State Police.
Authorities say the corpse was located on a train track near Castleton on Thursday afternoon. Around 4:30 p.m. ET, a woman’s corpse was reported missing, leading police to respond.
According to authorities, witnesses heard gunshots and spotted a man or woman going north on the train line towards Vermont State University’s Castleton campus.
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Trudeau stated that no one witnessed the event.
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Police have encouraged residents to “remain vigilant” while they search for the offender.
“The suspect is in all likelihood armed and dangerous, so should be treated as such,” Trudeau went on to say.
State police are asking the public and nearby businesses in the Castleton area to examine their CCTV systems for the suspect from Thursday afternoon to Thursday night.
“We have no idea where this gentleman suspect took off,” Mr. Trudeau added.
He added that the police have yet to identify a suspect.
‘We’re counting on the public to really assist us here,’ Trudeau said. “We really need a good first clue.”
A team from the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington will examine the woman’s death to determine the underlying cause and manner of her death. Trudeau stated that she was not a student at Vermont State, but no one appears to know who she is.
The Vermont State University Castleton campus is closed on Friday due to an ongoing investigation, and a shelter-in-place order has been issued for everyone on campus.
The suspect is described by authorities as a Caucasian guy, around 5 feet 10 inches tall, with short, black hair. He was last spotted wearing a dark T-shirt and carrying a black bag, according to officials.
If anyone has any information, please contact the Vermont State Police at 802-773-9101.
