Vermont police launch manhunt for 'armed and dangerous' suspect after woman found dead

Multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for an "armed and dangerous" suspect and urging residents of a small Vermont town to stay vigilant after a woman's body was discovered on a popular trail Thursday afternoon, authorities said.

A passerby came upon the woman's body along the Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail in Castletown, about 30 miles south of Middlebury, and reported it to police, who arrived at the scene around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, according to the Vermont State Police.

A witness in the area told investigators they heard gun shots and saw a possible suspect walking toward the Vermont State University Castleton campus, just a short distance north from the area on the trail where the woman was found. The university issued a shelter-in-place warning Thursday evening, reported the Castleton Spartan, the campus' student newspaper.

The witness described the suspect as a white male, approximately 5'10", with short dark-colored hair. The suspect was last seen wearing a dark gray t-shirt and carrying a black backpack, according to police.

"The suspect is considered armed and dangerous," read a statement from the Vermont State Police. "The public is urged to remain vigilant and alert for suspicious person(s) and activities and to report anything suspicious to the Vermont State Police.

Police canvass nearby Castleton homes in manhunt

Around the same time, police began canvassing houses in the area around where the woman was found, according to a Facebook post by the Town of Castleton. Residents have been urged to keep the doors of their cars and homes locked and to stay aware of their surroundings.

"As the search continues for a suspect, please make phone calls to friends and family in the area to check in on them," the town said in a statement. "If going into buildings or outbuildings that are not/have not been locked, use the buddy system, meaning have another person with you, and have a cell phone with you whenever possible."

Police cordoned off the street near where the woman was found and have asked people to stay off the trail

On Thursday night, police said the woman's body would be brought to the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington for an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

The investigation is being headed by the Vermont State Police Major Crime Unit along with the Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Field Force Division, Crime Scene Search Team, Victim Services Unit and Castleton Police Department.

The Delaware and Hudson Rail Trail is a 19.8-mile section of former railroad that cuts through through scenic countryside with vistas of the nearby hills, villages, farms, fields and forests, according to its website. It's a multiple-use trail open to pedestrians, bicyclists, and horseback riders in the summer, and snowshoers, skiers and snowmobiles in the winter.