Mannequin’s body found disfigured by 18 shots: note in pocket indicates truck driver as possible murderer

A note found in the pocket of a mannequin whose body was found along Interstate 80 in western Union County, Pa., Led police to charge a Texas man with his death on Wednesday .

Tracy Ray Rollins Jr., 28, a truck driver from Dallas, Texas, was charged with homicide and corpse abuse in the death of Rebecca Landrith, 47, Originally from Virginia who worked as a model in New York. He was arrested in Connecticut.

Landrith’s body was found just before 7 a.m. Sunday by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) worker on the I-80 eastbound exit ramp at the Mile Run junction near Loganton.

Eighteen bullets were removed from Landrith’s body during an autopsy., the arrest affidavit said.

He suffered several gunshot wounds to his face, neck and chest, as well as two to one hand which the state police described as defensive.

“We are relieved,” his brother, George Landrith, told local media of the arrest. “It does not alleviate the feeling of loss.”

We were worried if there would be an arrest because they found her in the middle of nowhere, he said speaking on behalf of the family. There are no businesses at this intersection and it is surrounded by state forests.

“His family loved him very much”, his brother continued. “None of this brings her back. It is important that he receives justice. “

“It took old-fashioned police work,” County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson told Pennlive when asked how an arrest was made so quickly.

Neither he nor the state police released what they believed was the motive for the shooting or whether a weapon had been recovered. No weapons were found with the body, police said.

The arrest affidavit reveals that investigators had an important lead when They found a note in a pocket of Landrith’s leather jacket that had Tracy Rollins’ name on it, a phone number, and an email address.

Using this information, receipts found in his pockets and Rollins’ cell phone records, Officials said they followed his trip from Wisconsin to Maine with a stop at the Mile Run interchange from 11:48 p.m. Saturday to 12:10 a.m. Sunday.

Landrith was apparently shot inside the cab of the truck.

According to the file, the truck found:

· Meat and brain-like material on the lower bunk mattress behind the passenger seat and meat-like material under the outer door of the upper staircase.

Powder applied as a cleaning agent to the front seat covering the traces of blood, six 9mm carcass shells on the front floor and on the floor behind the passenger seat.

· The bullet hits the back wall behind the passenger seat and on the lower bunk, they said.

Rollins was followed to Mildale, Connecticut, and taken into custody around 11:50 p.m. Wednesday. when state police stopped his truck after it left a truck stop.

Looking inside the cabin, Police said they sighted what appeared to be a bleach / cleaning solution that covered much of the passenger’s seat and floor.

According to the affidavit, Rollins told investigators he had been driving trucks for three years, didn’t know or recognize Landrith in a photo, but a woman named Leslie he met at a truck stop near Milford, Connecticut, was traveling with him. .

Information was obtained from Milford Police that Landrith had made hotel reservations in December under the name Leslie Myers.

According to Rollins, “Leslie” accompanied him to Maine, back to Connecticut, then to Brooklyn, New York and Wisconsin, where he picked up a load to deliver it to Maine.

The file adds: When asked about his travels, Rollins replied: “I hate to start lying to you because this is a murder investigation.”

At this moment, Rollins had not been informed or presented information that this was a murder investigation.

By tracing a receipt found in Landrith’s pocket and viewing the security video, it was determined that Rollins made the purchase at Popeye’s in Howe, Indiana on February 7.

Court-ordered data traced Rollins’ cell phone east of I-80 to the Mile Run interchange, then to Pittston and Maine. He appeared in a safety video at a truck stop in Baileyville, Maine.

There was no identification on the body and Landrith was not wearing socks or shoes.. His identification was confirmed by fingerprints.

According to Landrith’s biography, she was born in Alexandria, Virginia, the youngest of five siblings.

She had been a professional model in New York City, a finalist for Miss Manhattan 2014, an accomplished violinist, and a champion of numerous charities..

She had appeared in numerous product announcements, video ads, and on several catwalks, including Fashion Week.

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