A former fashion model was found shot dead along Interstate 80 in Pennsylvania over the weekend, and a man has been arrested in her murder, authorities said.
The body of 47-year-old Rebecca Landrith, of Alexandria, Virginia, was found by a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation employee on the side of a ramp of I-80 early Sunday, the Philly Voice reported.
The coroner reported Landrith had multiple gunshot wounds to the head, neck and throat, and 18 bullets were removed from her body.
An iStudio page for Landrith says she previously worked as a model in New York City and was a finalist for the “Miss Manhattan” contest in 2014, as well as the “America’s It Girl Miss Lady Liberty” pageant.
“Ms. Landrith has appeared in numerous product advertisements, video commercials, magazines, acted as a spokesmodel in videos for businesses and their websites, and multiple haute-couture Runway shows including Fashion Week,” her biography states.
Police found a note in Landrith’s pocket that led to the arrest of 28-year-old Tracy Rollins on Wednesday.
Rollins, a truck driver from Dallas, was taken into custody in Milldale, Connecticut, on homicide and abuse of corpse charges, PennLive reported.
The note had Rollins’ name, a phone number and an email address, investigators said. Authorities also said Landrith recently traveled through Indiana and Wisconsin.
Rollins told investigators he didn’t know Landrith, and that he had been traveling with a woman named “Leslie” he met at a truck stop in Connecticut, according to an affidavit obtained by PennLive.
He said he and Leslie traveled to Maine; Brooklyn, New York; Connecticut; and Wisconsin, the affidavit states.
Police learned the model made hotel reservations in December under the name Leslie Myers, the outlet reported.
Landrith’s family was mourning her death, but was glad an arrest was finally made.
“We’re relieved,” brother George Landrith told PennLive. “It doesn’t ease the sense of loss.”
“Her family loved her dearly,” he added. “None of this brings her back. It is important she receives justice.”