Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police criminal division, speaks to members of the press in Proctor on Thursday. Photo by Alan Keays/VTDigger
PROCTOR – Vermont State Police say they have positively identified the body of a woman found Wednesday in a vehicle on a remote road in Proctor as a Rutland woman who had been reported missing a day earlier.
Police say they still consider the death of Alicia Harrington, 44, to be “suspicious.” The cause of and manner of her death are pending toxicology testing, which can take several weeks to get results, according to police.
Police reported Wednesday finding the body of a woman in Harrington’s vehicle that had been parked alongside the Florence Road in Proctor, a neighboring town to Rutland.
On Thursday, according to police, an autopsy conducted at the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office in Burlington confirmed that the deceased body was Harrington.
Police said they do not believe there is a public safety concern for the community.
Harrington had been reported missing to Rutland City Police on Tuesday by her husband, Jaime Harrington, who became worried because his wife did not pick up her son after school that afternoon and she couldn’t be located.
His Facebook account included a post Tuesday evening where he asked for the public’s help in finding his wife, adding that she would never miss picking up her son after school.
The post was shared widely, with other friends and family members also taking to social media to get the word out and to try and find Alicia Harrington.
Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police criminal division, said it was a Proctor resident who spotted Harrington’s red 2005 Subaru Impreza parked along the Florence Road in that town and reported it to authorities around 8 a.m. Wednesday.
In the vehicle, police said they found a deceased body of a woman, identified Thursday as Harrington.
Harrington’s car was found about 3 miles from where Beaver Pond Road in Proctor intersects with the Florence Road. The road was closed to traffic Wednesday into late Thursday morning as police investigated.
Troopers as well as members of the state police crime scene search team could be seen walking along the side of the road near where the vehicle was found, looking for clues.
“(They) were doing a roadside walk, looking for any potential evidence, nothing specific, but if we don’t look then we won’t find anything,” Trudeau told reporters Thursday afternoon outside the state police barracks in Rutland.
“We also did some searches down in the Rutland City area of some possible last known locations,” he said, adding, “We’ve had detectives on the street all day yesterday, all day today following up leads, interviewing family members, friends.”
A State Police vehicle parked Thursday near the road where Alicia Harrington was found dead in her car on Wednesday. Photo by Alan Keays/VTDigger
Asked why state police are considering the death suspicious, Trudeau replied, “Just in the manner of the location seemed suspicious to us so we’re proceeding that way.”
He then added, “Some information we obtained from family and friends hints that this is not something normal.”
Trudeau would not reveal more details into the investigation, including whether any weapons were discovered in the car.
“I can’t really discuss any of the evidence that was collected at the scene, at least at this point,” he said.
Trudeau did say the vehicle was parked in an “odd position” along the side of the road, partially in the travel lane.
“It didn’t seem like your typical parking spot,” the major added.
Initially, he said, investigators thought the vehicle may have broken down. “But, the car starts right up,” the major said.
Trudeau said all the friends and family members, including Jaime Harrington, who have been interviewed by investigators have been cooperative.
The major said that while the death is considered suspicious it’s too early in the investigation to talk about any suspects or persons of interests. “We’re just merely collecting facts from family members and friends and they’ve been helpful,” he said.
No one answered the door at the Harrington home on State Street in Rutland on Thursday afternoon. The neatly kept home has two Christmas wreaths hanging in the front, with holiday lights strung along the top of the porch.
A posted municipal sign outside the home stated the Harringtons had applied for a city permit, seeking to rent out a portion of the house as an Airbnb.
Anyone with information is asked to call Vermont State Police at 773-9101.
Read the story on VTDigger here: State Police identify body in ‘suspicious’ death as missing mother.