The Pawlet Selectboard on Tuesday morning released a statement mourning the loss of board member Brian Crossman.
Vermont State Police have yet to release the identities of three people who were found dead in Pawlet on Sunday, but Crossman has been widely identified as one of the victims, including by the Manchester Journal. Police have yet to name a suspect, nor have they released further details in the case.
In its statement, the selectboard wrote, “Brian Crossman was a friend and neighbor, a hardworking community member who just this year stepped up to join the Pawlet Selectboard.”
“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,” read the statement, which was signed by the board’s chair, Mike Beecher. “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.”
State police on Sunday first announced three “suspicious deaths” in Pawlet, with the victims found at a home on VT Route 133. At the time, police called the incident “isolated” and said there was “no identified threat to the community.” Crossman’s home address is listed as being on Route 133.
On Sunday, Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the state police criminal division, told WCAX that police received a report of a “person that had some blood on them” on a “roadway.” That person was later detained, he said, though it’s unclear whether that person is a suspect or in custody.
Crossman, 46, was serving a one-year term on the selectboard.
Ian Sullivan, Rutland County State’s Attorney, said Monday afternoon that his department was “working closely” with law enforcement.
Teacher remembers Crossman as ‘humble’, ‘kind’
Decades ago, JeanMarie Oakman served as Brian Crossman’s teacher and principal during her tenure at Wells Village School.
She said Crossman was a “humble, sweet, gentle boy,” the kind of kid who made others feel at home at the small, rural school.
“He looked after all of his cousins and relatives. He was so kind to his sister,” Oakman said, noting that Crossman was part of a large “salt of the Earth” family.
After falling out of touch, she said, she caught up with Crossman at a wedding in recent years, and she “beamed with pride” to see how well he was doing.
“Imagine, he wanted to sit with his old teaching principal,” she recalled. “I remember leaving that wedding thinking, ‘what a remarkable human being.’”
Now, she was questioning how such a tragedy could befall Crossman and his family.
“Why them? I can’t fathom. It’s been very upsetting,” she said.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Pawlet Selectboard mourns one of its own following ‘suspicious deaths’ of 3 in town.