POTTER TOWNSHIP -- Police say a Penn State professor missing since last weekend was murdered and a suspect has been charged.
State police say Ronald Bettig, 56, of Lemont was found at the bottom of an approximately 80-foot cliff in a quarry near State College. Bettig was a media studies professor at Penn State’s main campus.
Bettig was reported missing to State College police on Monday.
Bettig’s vehicle was found on Wednesday off Rimmey Road in Potter Township. State police searched the area and found Bettig’s body in a quarry.
Investigators say George G. Ishler Jr., 39, of Pennsylvania Furnace drove Bettig to the quarry and pushed him off a ledge.
According to court documents, Ishler and another woman recently befriended Bettig. Ishler told investigators that Bettig made a new will that would benefit Ishler and the woman.
On Friday, state police charged Ishler with first degree murder, third degree murder, aggravated assault, and tampering with evidence. The woman has not been charged.
Ishler is locked up in the Centre County jail without bail. A preliminary hearing is set for August 31.
