Erika Greber Seyfried missing Penguin Random House executive found dead in Vermont river after going for walk with her dog during Vermont vacation.
A Brooklyn based publisher who went missing after taking her Golden Retriever dog for a walk on Sunday morning was found dead in a Vermont river the following day.
Erika Greber Seyfried, 36, who worked as a publishing executive for Penguin Random House had travelled with her husband, Elijah Seyfried to Vermont for vacation when tragedy struck.
Erika had gone out for a walk with her 7 month old puppy dog circa 11am Sunday morning only to not return. Come 8pm, her concerned husband reported Erika missing
A release via Vermont State Police which initially described the missing persons case as not suspicious described the missing publishing exec as being about 5 feet 2 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds and having shoulder-length black hair and brown eyes. She is believed to have been wearing black flip-flops; no other clothing description was available.
On Monday afternoon, members of the Vermont State Police dive team located her body in Saxtons River in Westminster, Vt according to an updated Vermont State Police release. Her body was recovered within close proximity to the Airbnb property her and her husband had rented out.
Area where Erika was found dead infamous for previous drownings
According to the Brattleboro Reformer, the pool where the missing woman was found ‘is a short distance upstream from the notorious Twin Falls, which is also on the Saxtons River, where more than a dozen people have drowned while swimming over the past decades.’
The couple both hailed from Ohio and had been married since July 2013 according to the Brattleboro Reformer.
Seyfried, according to her LinkedIn page, was a vice president at Penguin Random House and was most recently vice president of digital strategy and consumer engagement. In this position, she led ‘PRH’s email, e-commerce, content marketing, and advertising teams with the objective to accelerate growth by executing strategies that drive significant increases in website traffic, conversion rates and revenue.’
Seyfried joined Penguin Random House 13 years ago, according to her LinkedIn.
She graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati with a MA in English Literature.
Offered a spokesperson for Penguin Random House in a statement to The Publishers Weekly, ‘We are devastated by the loss of our colleague Erika Seyfried, 36, who died in Vermont on Sunday … Her reader-centric approach to consumers, her social media prowess, and her tireless nurturing of or authors earned her reverence throughout our company and our industry. With her forward-looking, inclusive approach to every team and project she led, Erika was the embodiment of what we all hope for in a colleague, and friend.’
Not immediately clear is how Seyfried came to end up in the river. Also not immediately clear, pending an autopsy, was the cause and manner of death.
Police are treating the woman’s death as ‘accidental,’ according to WPTZ.
Of note, Seyfried’s 7-month-old golden retriever remained missing.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Vermont State Police at 802-722-4600.
