A Vermont town politician and his family have been found dead in their cottage in a mysterious triple murder.
Pawlet select board member Brian Crossman, 46, his wife Erica, 41, and her son Colin Taft, 13, were shot dead on Sunday, according to police.
Detectives arrived at the home after receiving a 911 call early on Sunday by someone they identified as a person of interest in the homicides.
The person, a relative of the family, was waiting for police in blood-covered clothes at a school near the Crossman home, as reported by Vermont News & Media.
He then reportedly accompanied police to the home, where the bodies were found.
Pawlet select board member Brian Crossman, 46, his wife Erica and their son Colin Taft, 13, were shot dead on Sunday, according to police
Erica, 41, and her son Colin Taft, 13, are pictured in 2021
Police have yet to name a suspect but said the incident was isolated and there is no ‘identified threat to the community.’
They’ve also declined to discuss a possible motive.
A neighbor and relative of Crossman claimed the farm where the murders happened had been in his family for generations.
They said Crossman and his wife, who married in June, recently took control of the farm from Crossman’s sister.
‘I think he was just trying to make a new start and trying to run the family farm. And, yeah, this just is, like, the last thing I expected,’ the source told Vermont News & Media.
Crossman worked as a lineman and joined the Pawlet select board last spring.
He had been appointed as the liaison to Pawlet’s Highway Department and for buildings.
A neighbor and relative of Crossman claimed the far where the murders happened had been in his family for generations
They said Crossman and his wife, who married in June, recently took control of the farm from Crossman’s sister
Pawlet is a town of about 1,400 near the New York state line.
The select board is in charge of overseeing the town’s spending and enacting of ordinances.
Crossman’s place at the table in the board’s meeting on Tuesday was filled with flowers.
‘Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hardworking community member who just this year stepped up to join the Pawlet Select board,’ chairman Mike Beecher said in a statement.
‘This tragedy that struck him and his family has also hit our community hard, and we are shaken and grieving. Our hearts go out to everyone affected by this devastating loss.’
Vermont State Police told DailyMail.com on Wednesday: ‘VSP’s investigation remains active and ongoing. No one is currently in custody.
‘Detectives request that any members of the public who have information potentially relevant to this case contact the Rutland Barracks at 802-773-9101 or provide an anonymous tip online athttps://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.’
