Early in the morning forty-six years ago today, trucker Rudy Allen Rothberg was northbound on Interstate 81 just south of Syracuse, New York.
At about 1:45 a.m. the 52-year-old driver for the Whitaker Trucking Company located in Deposit, New York pulled his tractor-trailer into a rest area near US-20 south of Lafayette. He had made a delivery in Vestal, New York and was on his way home to the small, rural village of Evans Mills in northern New York, on the last leg of a three-day haul of dairy products to New York City and New Jersey.
Shortly after 3 a.m. another driver for Whitaker found Rothberg’s body in the driver’s seat of his truck. Someone had shot him in the head with a shotgun.
Rothberg’s death remains unsolved after all these years, according to a statement from the Troopers. The New State Police Troop D Major Crimes Unit in Oneida continues to investigate the homicide as one of the Troopers’ outstanding cold cases.
An article in the Syracuse Post-Standard at the time of the shooting said the hip pocket of his pants was ripped. Rothberg’s wallet with a small amount of cash and some credit cards was missing.
Police sources at the time said Rothberg was shot in the right side of the face from close range. Both truck doors were locked, but the window on the driver’s side was rolled down, as if Rothberg had opened it to talk to someone, according to a statement from the state police.
Rothberg had driven for Whitaker for about six years, according to the Post-Standard article. He had driven for Homeland Dairies in Massena, New York before that.
The New State Police Troop D Major Crimes Unit in Oneida continues to investigate the homicide. Anyone with information regarding this case is asked to contact Investigator Eric Costello or Senior Investigator Reece S. Treen of the Troop D Major Crimes Unit by calling (315) 366-6000.