Former fashion model identified as dead woman found near Pennsylvania highway

Rebecca Landrith, 47, was fatally shot and her remains were discovered Sunday in Union County

Pennsylvania State Police and the Union County DIstrict Attorney's Office are investigating the death of 47-year-old Rebecca Landrith, a former fashion model who was found dead in West Buffalo Township on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021.
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A woman whose body was found Sunday in western Pennsylvania has been identified as a former fashion model from Virginia who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds, investigators said.

Rebecca Landrith, 47, was found by a PennDOT worker early Sunday along an Interstate 80 interchange ramp in Union County, located a little more than 120 miles northwest of Philadelphia in Central Pennsylvania. At the time of the discovery, investigators said Landrith was believed to have recently traveled through Indiana and Wisconsin, based on receipts found with her body.


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Union County Coroner Dominic Adamo said Landrith had been shot in the head, neck and throat.

Landrith did not have identification with her when she was found, but investigators were able to identify her using fingerprints found on the receipts, Union County District Attorney D. Peter Johnson said.

Homicide investigators have not yet determined a motive in the shooting.

Landrith, originally from Alexandria, Virginia, had an iStudio page that details her experience as a model at locations around the United States. She was a 2014 finalist for the Miss Manhattan contest in New York City and America's It Girl Miss Lady Liberty in the same year. She also was an accomplished violinist and previously worked in the field of law, according to her bio.

"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," the bio states.

George Landrith, the victim's brother, told PennLive on Wednesday that Rebecca was the youngest of five siblings. She never married and had separated from the rest of her family five years ago.

Investigators said Landrith also had ties to Utah and South Dakota.

The investigation into her death remains ongoing with Pennsylvania State Police and the Union County District Attorney's Office.