A Virginia man has been arrested for the murder and sexual assault of a camp counselor 18 years ago. The arrest moves one of Wayne County’s biggest murder mysteries a step closer to closure.
The Pennsylvania State Police and the Wayne County District Attorney’s Office on Friday said Jeffrey J. Plishka, 46, of Onley, Va., was arrested for the July 27, 1991, murder of Laura Ronning at Tanner’s Falls in Wayne County.
On July 27, 1991, 24-year-old Laura Ronning, of St. Petersburg, Fla., decided to walk from Camp Cayuga, where she worked as a summer camp counselor, to enjoy some time at Tanner’s Falls, Dyberry Township. She never returned. Her partially clad body was discovered shortly before noon the next day on an embankment on the road leading into Tanner’s Falls. An autopsy determined that Ronning died as the result of a single gunshot wound to the head. She was also sexually assaulted. At the time, Plishka -- the son of renowned opera singer Paul Plishka -- lived near the scene of the murder and was well-acquainted with the Tanner’s Falls area.
Plishka has been a suspect since the early years of the investigation. The home where he lived in Lebanon Township was searched as early as 1995.
“The investigation of this brutal and senseless murder has been a priority of the State Police and the District Attorney’s Office since Laura’s body was discovered on July 28, 1991,” said Wayne County District Attorney Michael Lehutsky. “Everyone involved in this investigation has tried their best to do the right thing at every step over the last 18 years. That has sometimes meant waiting and sometimes meant moving forward. Those same considerations dictate that now is the right time to bring this case before the people of Wayne County so that they can finally pass judgment on it.”
An 11-page affidavit of probable cause led to Plishka’s arrest in Accomack County (Va.) on Thursday. Plishka is being held in the Accomack County (Va.) Jail awaiting extradition proceedings to face charges of first-, second- and third-degree murder, and attempted involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.
According to the affidavit, Plishka was the only person to have seen Ronnning during the estimated time of her murder. He failed to mention seeing her until long after he joined the search for Ronning after she was reported missing. He also had a scratch under his left eye when he was scene in the area before joining the search, and Ronning appeared to have defensive wounds indicating she fought with her attacker.
