Campus Alert Archive
VTSU Castleton

Campus Closed and Shelter-in-Place Issued as Armed Killer Is Sought on Castleton Rail Trail After Retired Dean Found Shot Dead Steps from Campus

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Under Investigation

On October 5, 2023, Vermont State University's Castleton Campus was placed on shelter-in-place and closed after Honoree Fleming, 77, a retired VTSU dean, was found fatally shot on the D&H Rail Trail adjacent to campus, with a witness reporting the armed suspect was walking directly toward the Castleton campus. Vermont State Police described the suspect as armed and dangerous, prompting an extended campus closure and Monday class cancellations; as of mid-2025, the case remained unsolved despite hundreds of tips and a $25,000 reward.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
1
Injured
0
Institution
Vermont State University - Castleton Campus
Public Masters · VT
~1,900 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction373 chars
VTSU Castleton Campus Alert: The Castleton Campus is on shelter-in-place due to a suspicious death on the D&H Rail Trail near the Castleton Campus. All faculty and staff should remain inside campus buildings. All outdoor activities are cancelled. Vermont State Police are actively investigating. Do not approach any strangers. Contact police if you see anything suspicious.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Honoree Fleming's body was found near a home on South Street adjacent to the D&H Rail Trail at approximately 4:30 PM EDT on October 5, 2023; a witness reported hearing gunshots and then seeing a man walking northbound on the rail trail toward the VTSU Castleton campus.
Vermont State Police immediately classified the death as a homicide and issued a shelter-in-place for the campus given the suspect was believed to be armed and moving toward campus grounds; Fleming was a retired Dean of Education at the former Castleton University.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction384 chars
VTSU Castleton Campus Update: All facilities on the Castleton Campus remain closed Friday, October 6, 2023. The shelter-in-place order remains in effect. Vermont State Police continue their active investigation into the death of a community member on the D&H Rail Trail. We will communicate further updates as the investigation progresses. Thank you for your patience and cooperation.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Vermont State Police described the suspect as a white male approximately 5 feet 10 inches tall with short dark hair, last seen wearing a dark gray T-shirt and carrying a black backpack; police asked local businesses to review surveillance footage from early afternoon through evening of October 5.
The closure of all campus facilities on Friday October 6 was notable for a small campus of approximately 1,900 students; VTSU also subsequently cancelled Monday classes, extending the disruption to at least three days.
ALL CLEAREmail
Approximate reconstruction305 chars
VTSU Castleton Campus: Classes resume Tuesday, October 10, 2023. The investigation into the death of Honoree Fleming continues. We ask everyone to remain vigilant. If you have information related to the investigation, please contact Vermont State Police at 802-773-9101. Counseling services are available.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

WCAX reported that classes resumed on Tuesday October 10, 2023; the community held vigils and memorials for Fleming, who was married to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Ron Powers.
Vermont State Police released a composite sketch of the person of interest on October 11, 2023, six days after the murder; as of mid-2025, no arrest had been made despite a $25,000 reward and contact with law enforcement in Arkansas.
Context

Background

The October 2023 Castleton campus closure represents a rare case of a small Vermont public university issuing a shelter-in-place not for an on-campus incident but because the sole witness to a murder reported the armed killer walking directly toward the campus. Honoree Fleming, 77, was a retired Dean of Education at the former Castleton University and was married to Ron Powers, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author who had written about gun violence in America. She was shot in the head on the D&H Rail Trail that runs along the southern edge of the Castleton campus on October 5, 2023, at approximately 4:30 PM EDT. A witness reported seeing a man walking northbound on the trail toward the campus after hearing gunshots, prompting Vermont State Police to describe the suspect as armed and dangerous and to issue a campus shelter-in-place. VTSU Castleton closed all campus facilities on Friday October 6 and subsequently cancelled Monday October 9 classes as well, with an October 11 police sketch of a white male in a dark shirt the primary public lead. As of April 2024, six months after the murder, no arrest had been made; Vermont State Police issued a $25,000 reward and by 2025 had contacted law enforcement authorities in Arkansas as part of the ongoing probe. The incident cast a shadow over Castleton's small tight-knit community and raised national attention given the prominence of Fleming's family.
Analysis

Key Findings

The campus closure was triggered not by an on-campus incident but because a witness reported the armed murder suspect walking directly toward the VTSU Castleton campus after the shooting
Honoree Fleming was herself a retired dean of the university that issued the shelter-in-place, adding a layer of community grief and personal connection to the emergency alert
The murder remained unsolved as of mid-2025, making this one of the archive's few open cases -- and one where the suspect was never confirmed to have left the area before the shelter-in-place was lifted
VTSU cancelled classes for three days, an unusually long disruption for a manhunt that did not result in an arrest, reflecting both the community trauma and the genuine uncertainty about the armed suspect's whereabouts
Outcome
No arrest was made. The campus shelter-in-place was lifted after Friday's closure; Monday classes were also cancelled as the investigation continued. The murder remained unsolved as of mid-2025, with Vermont State Police contacting Arkansas authorities in 2025 as part of an ongoing probe.
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    VTSU-Castleton campus closed Friday after woman's body found; search for armed suspect continues - Yahoo News
    news.yahoo.com
  2. News
    Castleton homicide victim identified as retired university dean Honoree Fleming - VTDigger
    vtdigger.org
  3. News
    Honoree Fleming: Retired Vermont university dean found shot to death - CNN
    cnn.com
  4. News
    6 months later, still no suspect in Honoree Fleming shooting - VTDigger
    vtdigger.org
  5. News
    Manhunt underway for armed and dangerous suspect in Vermont - NewsNation
    newsnationnow.com
Tags
police-activityarmed-personmanhuntshelter-in-placecampus-closurehomicidevermontunsolvedrail-traildeansmall-campus2023Under Investigation
Added June 2026Updated June 2026Via ingestion