‘Miss Manhattan’ reality star, 47, who was found shot dead was estranged from her family
REVEALED: Miss Manhattan reality star, 47, who was found shot dead on a roadside was estranged from her family and hitchhiked under an alias because she was fixated on ‘government corruption’ and dropped out of high society
- Tragic new details shed light on the final years of ex-model Rebecca Landrith, 47
- Landrith was an ex-fashion model in New York and featured in ‘Miss Manhattan’
- She was found dead, shot 18 times, near I-80 in western Pennsylvania on Sunday
- Truck driver Tracy Rollins, 28, was arrested and charged with her murder
- Landrith had apparently been riding with Rollins in his truck for over a month
- She had been estranged from her family for about five years, with no contact
- Around 2016, Landrith began to rail about nebulous ‘corruption’ and child abuse
- In 2019, she was charged in Arizona for giving a false name to a police officer
- Cops say that she had been traveling under the alias ‘Leslie Meyers’ recently
- Landrich was last spotted at an NYC fashion event about a year ago
- She traveled with alleged killer in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois and Maine
New details have emerged about the life and tragic murder of a former model and reality star, who was found shot dead by an interstate off-ramp in western Pennsylvania on Sunday.
Rebecca Landrith, 47, had become estranged from her family before dropping out of high society in New York City to travel the country under an alias, hitchhiking in her final months with the trucker accused of killing her.
Truck driver Tracy Rollins, 28, was arrested and charged with her murder and abuse of a corpse, after a note in Landrith’s pocket led investigators to him.
While much remains mysterious about the events that led up to Landrith being shot 18 times, clues about her final years and months hint at a darker side behind the high-fashion lifestyle that Landrith presented to the world.
Rebecca Landrith, 47, had become estranged from her family before dropping out of high society in New York City to travel the country hitchhiking under an alias
Suspect Tracy Rollins, 28, whose name was found on a note in Landrith’s pocket, has been charged with criminal homicide and abuse of corpse
Over the years, Landrith appears to have become fixated on nebulous ‘corruption’ in business and the government, a review of her online trail and interviews shows.
Landrith was born in Virginia, and said she had a background in the legal field before turning to modeling.
She appeared often at charity events, and in 2014 was was both a finalist for the Miss Manhattan contest in New York City and America’s It Girl Miss Lady Liberty.
At around the same time, she launched a fashion public relations business called Angel Rock PR.
In 2015, she faced a misdemeanor charges of using profanity over public airways and obstructing justice without force in Virginia. Those charges usually refer to making threats over the telephone and providing a false name to police, and Landrith was found not guilty.
Over the next several years, seemingly out-of-place references to evil and corruption began to appear on her company’s website.
Alongside professional testimonials from fashion industry professionals, appeared quotes such as ‘Corruption is Legal in America The stuff you learned about government as a kid is completely wrong.’
Another ‘testimonial’ read: ‘I believe that Satan has tried to discourage and even kill you, as well, which must mean that God has a good plan for you–otherwise the enemy would not be working so hard to try you destroy you.’
Seemingly out-of-place references to evil and corruption began to appear on Landrith’s company’s website, which has not been updated since around 2017
Landrith appeared to stop updating the site around 2017.
In 2016, she gave an interview stating: ‘I thought I could accomplish this working in the legal industry, but I couldn’t due to the high level of corruption and lack of integrity- however I enjoy working in Fashion and meeting designers and helping non-profits grow.’
Little has been seen of her professionally since 2016, but she did appear at fashion events in New York in early 2020, photos show.
In 2019, she was charged with several misdemeanors and traffic violations in Arizona. One of the charges was providing a false name to a police officer. None of the charges appear to be drug related.
Police investigating her death learned that in December 2020, Landrith had booked into a hotel in Milford, Connecticut under the alias Leslie Myers, according to court documents.
Police said Rollins and Landrith had been travelling across the country since meeting at a truck stop in Connecticut in December.
Landrith is believed to have accompanied Rollins on his deliveries in Indiana, Ohio, Wisconsin, Illinois and Maine over the last three months.
Rebecca Landrith, 47, from Virginia was found dead at the side of the road near West Buffalo Township, Union County in western Pennsylvania on Sunday
Landrith, who was originally from Alexandria, Virginia, was a 2014 finalist for the Miss Manhattan contest in New York City, as well as America’s It Girl Miss Lady Liberty the same year.
She also appeared on WE TV’s ‘America’s It Girl’.
A bio on her iStudio page states: ‘I adore fashion and the industry and am a warm weather person with a warm heart. I have worked with some really great photographers and fantastic people in this industry.
‘I love clothes and have a great wardrobe to style myself and bring to shoots. I know high fashion labels and have fabulous shoes with all my outfits.’
The bio adds that she previously worked in the field of law and that she had appeared in more than 50 fashion shows since she started in 2009.
Landrith’s brother, George Landrith, told PennLive that his younger sister had never married and had been estranged from the family for about five years.
He said he knew little about her life since then. Her brother did say that their parents are divorced and that their father lived in Utah.
She was the youngest of five siblings.
Pictured: A map showing Landrith’s movements since December
Landrith, originally from Alexandria, Virginia, was a 2014 finalist for the Miss Manhattan contest in New York City, as well as America’s It Girl Miss Lady Liberty the same year
A bio on Landrith’s iStudio page states: ‘I adore fashion and the industry and am a warm weather person with a warm heart. Pictured: A collection of her modelling pictures
Rollins is accused of shooting Landrith 18 times in the cab of his truck and then dumping her by the side of the road.
Gunshot wounds were found to Landrith’s head, neck, throat, chest and hand, according to a statement from Union County Coroner Dominick Adamo.
Police tracked him down after a note was found in Landrith’s pocket bearing his name.
When police arrested Rollins on Wednesday in Connecticut, they found a bottle of bleach in his cab and signs that the interior of the vehicle had been disinfected.
Police said the former model was found wearing blue maternity jeans, a purple shirt and a black leather jacket but no socks or shoes, WLNS reported.
They believe that she was killed a few hours before she was found near the interchange ramp in Union County, around 120 miles north of Philadelphia.
Investigators believe that Landrith had recently traveled through Indiana and Wisconsin because of receipts they found on her from those states.
They identified her using fingerprints found on the receipts.
Landrith was reportedly found near mile marker 199 on the eastbound I-80 (pictured)
Pictured: A news report from Fox56 shows the road near where the model’s body was found
When questioned by police, Rollins denied knowing Landrith.
He did, however, say that he had met a woman named ‘Leslie’ whose car had broken down in Connecticut and that he had been traveling with her across the country.
He said drove through Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York.
In January, she met Rollins at a truck stop, and the pair traveled together until, it is believed, he murdered her on February 7. Her body was found at around 7am.
Rollins was arrested at another truck stop in Milldale, Connecticut on February 10.
A criminal complaint obtained by Philly Voice said that surveillance video and cell phone location data allegedly linked Rollins to the same businesses and times corresponding to Landrith’s receipts.
Police arrested the suspect after tracking down his truck.
