On a summer evening in Tunbridge, Vermont, 87-year-old White female Edith Whitney was outside her Spring Road home when she was struck by a projectile on June 30, 2018. A power outage had prompted the avid gardener to step out onto her deck to water her flowers, a deviation from her usual routine of watching her favorite television shows. Her son-in-law, who lived next door, reported hearing four or five gunshots before hearing Whitney scream and finding her on the deck with a chest wound.
Friends and neighbors rushed to provide aid before she was airlifted to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New Hampshire. She underwent emergency surgery and was listed in critical condition. Despite the medical efforts, Edith Whitney succumbed to her injuries two days later, on the night of July 2, 2018. The projectile, believed to be a stray bullet, was never recovered as it did not exit her body.
Vermont State Police immediately launched an investigation into the shooting. Investigators identified and interviewed individuals who had been shooting a firearm in the vicinity at the time of the incident. A firearm, ammunition, and spent casings were recovered as part of the inquiry. Early in the investigation, police indicated that they believed the shooting was an accident and that there was no cause for public alarm. However, despite identifying those who were shooting nearby, the investigation has not led to any arrests. As of nearly a year after the incident, the case remained unsolved, with no suspects identified and police had not determined who fired the specific shot that killed Edith Whitney. The case remains open.
