The sister of a Pawlet, Vt. selectman who was fatally shot over the weekend, along with his wife and 13-year-old stepson, thanked people for their “kind words and love” as authorities continue to investigate the triple slaying that has shocked the small town near the New York border.
“We would like to thank everyone for the continued support, kind words and love through this very difficult time,” Wanda Crossman, the sibling of Selectman Brian Crossman, wrote in a message posted to Facebook on Thursday. “We are working on a celebration of life and will share soon.”
Brian Crossman, 46, his wife Erica Crossman, 41, and her son Colin Taft were found shot to death inside a home on Route 133 after authorities received a 911 call early Sunday morning reporting a “suspicious person” in the area, State Police said.
A spokesman for State Police said investigators had detained an individual “during the initial stages of the investigation, but that person is no longer being detained.”
State Police said the medical examiner determined Brian Crossman was killed by gunshot wounds to his head and torso, while his wife was killed by a shot to the head. Taft suffered multiple gunshot wounds, officials said.
“All three deaths were ruled homicides,” State Police said. “VSP’s investigation remains active and ongoing. No one is currently in custody.”
Erica Crossman was a longtime employee of the utility Green Mountain Power, according to her Facebook page. A request for comment was sent to Green Mountain on Thursday. Brian Crossman served as the select board’s liaison to the buildings and development and highway departments, according to Pawlet’s municipal website.
“Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hard-working community member who just this year stepped up to join the Pawlet Selectboard,” the panel’s 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. The town of Pawlet will work to get through this as we always get through hard times, by supporting each other and doing our best to carry on.”
A spokesperson for the Vermont State Police said Thursday that the “investigation remains active and ongoing, and we will share updates as soon as we have them.”
Troopers urged anyone with information about the case to contact investigators at 802-773-9101. Tipsters can also submit information anonymously at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.