The death of a missing, award-winning professor at Penn State is now being investigated as a homicide.
The body of Ronald Bettig, a 56-year-old professor at the College of Communications at Penn State since 1988, was found in a quarry Wednesday. He was reportedly last seen on Aug. 13, launching State College police into a missing person's case. Three days later, it was turned over to state police.
Police believe that George G. Ishler Jr., 39, drove Bettig to a quarry where he then pushed him off a ledge where he fell 80 feet to his death, though there's no clear motive.
Ishler Jr. was charged with first- and third-degree murder, aggravated assault and tampering with evidence, according to the Centre Daily Times.
Bettig taught both undergraduate and graduate classes and is the author of two books, including "Copyrighting Culture: The Political Economy of Intellectual Property" and the co-author of "Big Media, Big Money: Cultural Texts and Political Economics."
The university released a statement Friday:
“We are deeply saddened by the loss. He was a part of the fabric of this College for many years. All except our very newest faculty and staff members very likely knew Ron, who was one of our longest-tenured faculty members,” said Dean Marie Hardin of the College of Communications. “Ron was the kind of teacher who connected powerfully with students, who found his classes in political economy — at both the undergraduate and graduate levels — transformative.”
Anthony Olorunnisola, head of the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, said that Bettig was "intensely private" and was close with a handful of long=time friends.
“Across the domains of teaching, research and service, the common factor that characterized him was his nonconformist ways,” Olorunnisola said in a news release through the university. “Over 22 years of working together in varied capacities, I came to know him as a man with tons of healthy skepticism and courage of conviction who readily questioned the status quo and led others, especially his students, to interrogate received knowledge."
Ishler Jr.'s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31 in a Centre County.