CASTLETON — Last Wednesday, Oct. 11, the Vermont State Police (VSP) released an artist’s sketch of a person of interest in the killing of Honoree Fleming in Castleton a week prior.
The sketch depicts an individual who was seen on the Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail at about 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5. The sighting occurred just prior and close to the location where passersby discovered the body of Dr. Fleming, 77, on the rail trail.
Thus far, the fatal shooting of 77-year-old Honoree Fleming has left the college community, town and surrounding areas in Rutland County anxious, as no suspect has been identified.
“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,” said Capt. Scott Dunlap, commander of the state police major crime unit, at a press conference Oct. 11.
Witnesses have described the person of interest as a white man in his 20s with short red hair, standing about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and last seen wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack.
Anyone who might recognize the individual in the sketch should call the Vermont State Police’s Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101, or provide an anonymous tip online at vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.
The sketch was made by Detective Sgt. Adam Temple of the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Office in Bath, Maine. Temple traveled to Vermont earlier this week to meet with witnesses who reported seeing the subject on the rail trail. Sgt. Temple interviewed the witnesses, obtained their descriptions of the person of interest, and then spent hours creating the sketch, reviewing it with the witnesses and making revisions based on their feedback, according to a VSP news release.
“This is the best from their recollection, so it’s not going to be 100 percent perfect,” Dunlap said at the press conference.
Anyone who sees a person resembling the man in the sketch should call police immediate; do not confront that person themselves, Castleton Police Chief Peter Mantello reminded the public.
In addition to releasing the sketch to the public, detectives with the VSP continue to review potential evidence in the case, including forensic evidence with the assistance of the Vermont Forensic Laboratory at the Department of Public Safety in Waterbury. The Victim Services Unit is working closely with Dr. Fleming’s family.
In addition, uniformed troopers from the Field Force Division will maintain a presence in and around Castleton and the Vermont State University Castleton Campus as part of normal shift coverage.
