Three years after a Pennsylvania man was found stabbed to death just off an Interstate 77 exit in Bland County, Virginia State Police said there have been dozens of tips and a substantial amount of evidence collected at the scene.
However, the VSP’s Wytheville Field Office is still encouraging the public to come forward with information about the case, particularly those who recall seeing the white Nissan the 57-year-old Herminie, Pennsylvania, man was driving pull off onto Wilderness Road. The car would have pulled over sometime between the evening of May 22, 2020, and noon of May 23, 2020, police said.
The body of Bruce M. Ritchie was found in a ditch around 12:25 p.m. on May 23, 2020. He had been stabbed to death, the Virginia State Police said, and his remains were found outside his 2019 Nissan Sentra. Both the car and the body were discovered in a wide, pull-off area along the right shoulder of Wilderness Road, around 100 yards from I-77 Exit 62.
State police has determined that Ritchie had been traveling north on I-77 when he apparently pulled off the exit and parked his vehicle. A knife was recovered at the scene.
As the Virginia State Police continues to pursue several leads, investigators are encouraging anyone with information to call the Virginia State Police Wytheville Division at 276-228-3131 or contact us by email at [email protected].
