Lee Vanluvender homicide investigation still open 14 years later

Hannah Phillips, Pocono Record
·2 min read
Lee Vanluvender and his sister, Amber, pose for a photo.
Lee Vanluvender and his sister, Amber, pose for a photo.

Lee Vanluvender returned home from work early on Dec. 4, 2007, but he stayed only briefly.

“Go back to bed. You're tired,” said his mother, Charlene Sebring. He was an outdoorsman, though, and it was deer hunting season. Vanluvender changed into his hunting clothes and left the home a final time.

“Love you, mom,” he said, before he closed the door behind him.

Police received the 9-1-1 call about three hours later. A hunter found Vanluvender lying facedown in the snow in a parking lot on Hypsie Gap Road. He'd been shot multiple times, though layers of orange camouflage hid the extent of Vanluvender’s injuries. His killer has not been identified.

Saturday marks the 14th anniversary of the 22-year-old's murder in Tunkhannock Township, and detectives with the Monroe County District Attorney's Office are still searching for answers. Vanluvender's family promises a $10,000 reward for information leading to the conviction of his killer, funded in part by Vanluvender’s last paychecks.

Lee Vanluvender: How a mother and detective are hunting for ultimate justice

Charlene Sebring had her son's name tattooed over her heart on the first anniversary of his murder.
Charlene Sebring had her son's name tattooed over her heart on the first anniversary of his murder.

Investigators believe Vanluvender parked in the lot, stepped outside and began walking toward the woods to hunt. Then, he circled back to his truck and engaged someone, or multiple people, in a fatal shoot out. The investigation into his death was assumed by detective Craig VanLouvender, a distant relative of Vanluvender's, this year. He told the Pocono Record he is looking into new techniques to analyze old evidence.

"Science is always changing," VanLouvender said. "We're just trying to generate any leads, we can and hopefully bring it to a successful conclusion."

Anyone with information is asked to call the Pocono Mountain Regional Police Department at 570-895-2400 or the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office/Criminal Investigations Division at 570-517-3152.

Hannah Phillips is the public safety reporter at Pocono Record. Reach her at hphillips@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: Detectives seek information on Lee Vanluvender murder