Nineteen years ago today, a search and rescue team discovered the body of a missing Camp Cayuga counselor at the bottom of an embankment off Tanner’s Falls road in Dyberry Township.
It was the partially-clothed body of 24-year-old Laura Lynne Ronning.
Ronning left Camp Cayuga the day before to hike to Tanner’s Falls, a place where it was not unusual for counselors to go alone or in a group.
Fellow camp counselor Ashley Summers Drawbaugh spoke to Ronning before she left, reminding her how to get to the Falls, and showing her the marked path. Ronning — who was from Florida — had not been to the Falls since the previous year. She told Ashley that she was going to walk to the Falls to read.
No one spoke with Ronning after that, except perhaps her killer.
Her body was discovered around 11:45 a.m., and police found a .22 caliber bullet casing close to what appeared to be a puddle of blood on Tanner’s Falls Road.
Dr. Isadore Mihalakis, who performed the autopsy, determined that the cause of death was homicide. The .22 caliber bullet was fired from a rifle that the killer held against her left temple. The bullet ricocheted off the other side of her skull and was found inside her head.
Dr. Mihalakis said she was sexually assaulted, but not after she was killed.
Suspect
“I remember that (expletive) never waved at me,” the suspect told State Police investigators in 2009.
Jeffrey Plishka, 47, of Onley, Va., who is awaiting trial in the next few weeks for the rape and murder of Ronning, was a suspect in the state police investigation since he got involved in the search on the morning of July 28, 1991.
Crime Section Commander John Mitchell testified in 2009 that Plishka drove up to briefing with other investigators at the crime scene around 9:30 a.m.
Speaking to investigators through the window of his 1987 Ford Bronco, Plishka asked the investigators what was going on. He was given a description of the victim, Mitchell testified.
According to the affidavit, Plishka did not return to the scene until 3 p.m., when he asked to speak to an investigator.
Police said he told the investigator that he did see Ronning sitting on a rock by the lower falls around noon the day before.
“She was nice looking and young,” Plishka said. He told Mitchell he would drive by to “look for girls.”
Mitchell said Plishka’s manner of speech was strange at times. He reported that Plishka said forcefully and loudly, “I didn’t go down there.” Plishka added in a fast tone, “I didn’t need to look at her; there’s other girls to look at,” according to Mitchell.
In 1992, State Police executed a search warrant at Plishka’s residence.
Police seized five rifles of .22 caliber, at least one air-powered pistol of .22 caliber, other air pistols and ammunition for .22 caliber firearms.
An examination of a casing found at the crime scene disclosed the impression of the letter “F” on the base of the casing.
This indicates that the bullet was manufactured by or for the Federal Cartridge Co. A comparison of this stamping, know as a “bunting mark,” with ammunition obtained in the search of the Plishka residence, showed that the .22 caliber casing collected on the roadway in close proximity of the body discovery site and at least one of the bullets recovered from the Plishka residence were consistent with each other, according to the affidavit.
One of the rifles seized from the Plishka residence, a .22 caliber Magnum Ithaca rifle, was determined to have human blood present on the barrel of the weapon.
An examination performed by the State Police Crime Laboratory could not rule out this firearm from having fired the projectile recovered in the victim’s head, nor from having ejected the casing found to exhibit characteristics consistent with it being “fire-formed;” that is the front of the casing shows expansion from having been fired from a chamber larger than that of a .22 caliber, such as that of a .22 caliber Magnum, according to the affidavit.
DNA
In 2006, police determined that advances in DNA testing might permit the further testing of the human blood found on the barrel of the .22 caliber Magnum Ithaca rifle seized from the Plishka residence on Nov. 22, 1992.
Mitochondrial DNA testing discovered that the sample on the rifle contained a mixture of DNA.
Police determined that the Ronning’s Mitochondrial DNA profile is one of the many profiles that may be derived from the nucleotide substitutions observed in the mixture. Police said Ronning and her maternal relatives cannot be excluded as contributors of the blood.
Police compared the blood deposited on the rifle to Plishka’s Mitochondrial DNA profile, and it was determined that Plishka was found to be excluded, which also excludes Plishka’s natural relatives and mother as potential contributors of the blood found on the gun, according to the affidavit.
2009
State Police investigators interviewed Plishka again in 2009, where he then mentioned, for the first time, a blue station wagon parked on the bridge.
Plishka told police that he took a ride by the falls to see if there were any girls around, and he saw Ronning sitting on the lower rocks.
He told police that Ronning looked terrified, and that he was thinking about going down to help her, but did not, “because I did not want to get shot.”
Police asked him why he thought he would get shot, and Plishka said he did not know why he thought this but he did.
During the interview, when investigators mentioned the DNA testing procedure, Plishka became anxious, stood up and starting pacing the room, according to the affidavit.
The DNA testing procedure was explained to Plishka, and police said he should let them know if there was any reason his DNA would be discovered on the victim, he should let the investigators know what that reason was.
“I hope I didn’t kill that girl,” Plishka stated. An investigator asked him what he had said, and he repeated, “I hope I didn’t kill that girl.”
Police asked him if he did kill Ronning, and Plishka replied, “No.”
Police asked him if his DNA would be found on her body, and he stated, “I sure hope not.”
Plishka said he only saw Ronning from the bridge, and had no contact with her, according to the affidavit.
Plishka told investigators, “I remember that (she) never waved at me,” as he was going over a verbal statement with investigators.
“What should I do if I remember later that I did something?” Plishka asked investigators in 2009, who asked him in return if he did do something.
“I don’t know,” Plishka replied.
Investigators asked him why they should believe that he is telling the truth.
“I do not know,” Plishka said, according to the affidavit.
Plishka — the son of well-renowned opera singer Paul Plishka — is charged with first, second and third degree murder, and also attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
His trial is scheduled to begin Aug. 9 at the Wayne County Courthouse. Judge Robert Conway will be presiding.
