Erie, Pa (WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com)– As the homicide investigation continues in the case of Michelle Tayse, a Tennessee woman found murdered on the side of Interstate 90 in Erie County, Pennsylvania State Police are turning to truck drivers for help.
Troopers are handing out fliers asking drivers who may have been in the area from 1:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. Friday morning to review dash cam footage in hopes of finding a break in the case.
Most semi’s are kitted out with dash cams that record as they drive across the country. It might be a long shot, but police are hoping somebody may have accidentally caught the crime on video.
It’s information that could help catch a killer.
Pennsylvania State Police requesting footage from truck drivers or anyone else who may have dash cam footage around mile marker 30 of Interstate 90 on November, 10 from around 1:30 to 2:30 in the morning.
Interstate 90 here in Erie County sees millions of vehicles driving through each year from all over the country.
We spoke with a truck driver at the Travel Center in Harborcreek Township, who said dash cams have become a way of protecting themselves.
She didn’t want her last name or show her face on camera but shared an example of how her dash cam could have been used in her defense.
“It was raining one day and a car went from the far left lane, swerved, spun out all the way to the right lane and almost took me out. I had a dash cam so if something would have happened, it would’ve caught it because people like to blame truck drivers for everything that happens,” said Dana, a truck driver.
But in this instance, footage captured by a passing semi could help troopers catch Michelle Tayse’s killer.
One truck driver that we spoke with said that these days cams really can help to hold people accountable.
“You can get a plate, a truck, company name, four wheelers do a lot of stupid stuff on the roads these days. We just need some way to hold someone accountable,” Dana explained.
She said beyond a license plate, dash cams can even help to directly identify someone caught on camera.
State police are hoping somewhere out there, someone might have a huge clue in this mystery.
If you think you may have any information regarding this investigation, you’re being asked to contact PSP’s criminal investigative unit at 814-898-1641.
