The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit continues to investigate the 2019 murder of Susan Ledyard, 50, of Wilmington, Delaware.
On July 23, 2019, at 7:39 a.m., Susan Ledyard’s body was recovered from the Brandywine River near Northeast Boulevard in Wilmington. She had visible injuries, and a post-mortem examination by the Division of Forensic Science determined the cause of death to be blunt force trauma and drowning. The manner of death was ruled a homicide. At the time of her death, Susan was 5’4″, weighed 130 pounds, had shoulder-length brown hair, and was wearing a purple tank top.
Later that morning, at 8:54 a.m., Susan’s black 2016 Honda Civic was found parked near the Rising Sun Lane Bridge over the Brandywine River, approximately three miles upstream from where her body was recovered. Based on the timeline and the river’s course, detectives do not believe Susan entered the river where her vehicle was parked.
Detectives established a partial timeline of Susan’s activities through video surveillance and cell phone records. She was active on her cell phone throughout the night, texting and calling friends until 2:45 a.m. At 3:02 a.m., her car was seen leaving her driveway and was parked on Walkers Mill Road approximately two minutes later. Detectives believe the car was driven directly from her house to where it was found, given the time elapsed.
Data from Susan’s Fitbit confirmed she was alive until approximately 7:00 a.m., but her whereabouts between 3:00 and 7:00 a.m. remain unknown. Detectives also have not determined why she left her residence.
The Delaware State Police Homicide Unit has received assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies and civilian experts throughout this investigation. Detectives continue to seek public assistance to gather more information about Susan’s murder and her activities in the hours leading up to her death.
The Morrissey family, Susan’s parents, and her siblings have been supportive of this investigation. In partnership with Delaware Crime Stoppers, they are offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to contact Detective Daniel Grassi by calling 302-365-8441 or emailing daniel.grassi@delaware.gov. Information may also be provided by contacting Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333.