Danelle Geier

Snapped: Women Who Murder

A beloved college professor, Dr. Ronald Bedig, mysteriously disappears after a trip with his live-in girlfriend, Danielle Geyer, and her unc

Key takeaways

• Ronald Bedig was emotionally vulnerable after the death of his second wife, making him susceptible to manipulation.
• Danielle Geyer and George Ischler orchestrated a plan to exploit Bedig's trust for financial gain, using a fabricated romantic relationship.

Main topics

• Murder conspiracy
• Manipulation and exploitation

Notable quotes

You would have spotted him a mile away. He probably would have been wearing a Hawaiian shirt, flip-flops, and a pair of shorts.

He was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it.

Conclusion

The tragic case of Dr. Ronald Bedig highlights how emotional vulnerability, financial

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:04) A quirky college professor vanishes without a trace. Speaker 1 (0:09) You would have spotted him a mile away. He would have been wearing a Hawaiian shirt, Speaker 8 (0:12) flip-flops. He's not the type of person that would just go drive away someplace. So right away, I was in a panic. Speaker 2 (0:22) His body later discovered at the bottom of a cliff. Police suspect foul play. Speaker 1 (0:29) There was a flock of vultures literally circling in the air. He had been there for several days. It was our pathologist's conclusion that he had actually survived the fall. Speaker 3 (0:43) We need to determine whether it was a homicide, a suicide, or an accident. Speaker 2 (0:50) The investigation leads to one of the professor's most trusted friends and a terrifying story of manipulation, betrayal, and greed. A Speaker 4 (1:01) witness informed us that he did see a blonde female and a male at the scene. Speaker 4 (1:08) What they were really planning on Speaker 3 (1:10) doing was luring him down to the beach, get him out into the water and drown him. Speaker 2 (1:16) When schemes falter, they stop at nothing to get rid of him. Speaker 3 (1:21) To get in there, take advantage and gain his trust, that was part of the plan from the very beginning. Speaker 4 (1:27) What was the plan? To take him up in the gory and push him off. Speaker 2 (1:46) Nestled in the lush Nittany Valley of central Pennsylvania is the bustling town of State College. Speaker 1 (1:53) We're a university town, but the minute you step out of the town, we're a rural county with residents who have go-back generations. Speaker 2 (2:03) Over 8,000 of Penn State University's academic staff also live and work in the area. But on August 15, 2016, one of them goes missing. Speaker 3 (2:17) State College Police Department received a call for missing persons. A gentleman had lived in Lamont. Speaker 2 (2:24) The callers say they're friends of Dr. Ronald Bedig, a 55-year-old professor. Speaker 3 (2:31) They reported that Ronald Bedig had been missing for the entire weekend. They were calling from their house on a Monday. Ron Obede and the callers would speak on a regular basis and had regular communication with him. Speaker 2 (2:46) They tell police that Ron had gone to the beach the previous week with his live-in girlfriend, Danielle Geyer, and her uncle, George Ischler. Speaker 3 (2:56) They knew that he was supposed to come back on Friday the 12th. Whenever several days went by and they had not heard from him, it caused them concern. Speaker 3 (3:10) Our patrol officers responded to the Bedig residence to see if they could locate him or learn where he may be. When they arrived, Danielle Geyer and George Ischler were at the residence. Danielle Geyer described herself as Ronald Bedig's girlfriend. George Ischler described himself as Danielle Geyer's uncle and a friend of Ronald Bedig. Speaker 2 (3:37) George and Danielle confirmed they were the ones who went with Ron to Rehoboth Beach in Delaware, a five-hour drive from State College. They stayed at a hotel for a few days before returning with the professor on August 12th. Speaker 3 (3:53) Danielle Geyer indicated they had last seen Ronald Betteg on Friday, late Friday night into Saturday morning after they had returned from going to the beach. Speaker 2 (4:06) Danielle tells police they went to bed after the long drive and George returned to his home. But when Danielle woke up, Ron was gone. Speaker 3 (4:16) They were concerned about him and they did find it also unusual that he had not shown up over the weekend. And they also knew his vehicle was not at the residence. They had serious concern. They indicated he was depressed over the loss of his wife from several years prior. He was having some mental health issues. They thought that something bad had happened to Ronald Beddick. The main issue was, where was Ronald Beddick and where was his vehicle? Speaker 2 (4:53) Ronald Bedig was born in St. Joseph, Michigan in 1961 and grew up alongside a younger brother and sister. He Speaker 8 (5:02) liked very simple things, wanting to be outside and being a part of nature and was very strong inside of him. Speaker 2 (5:11) His interest in academia was instilled by his mother, who held two doctorates in psychology and education. Speaker 8 (5:19) Our parents were both immigrants. Honestly, what they ended up accomplishing was pretty remarkable. And I think that's where all three of the children really had a drive to succeed and to work hard. Speaker 2 (5:36) Ron earned a Ph.D. in communications, and in 1988, he was hired as a professor by Penn State University. Speaker 5 (5:44) He taught in the media studies department, and he specifically taught political economy of communications. He authored two books related to that. Speaker 2 (5:56) Ron's lectures made him a popular, if eccentric, figure around campus. Speaker 8 (6:02) He didn't like a lot of the technology that was out there. He really was more wanting to interact with them and wanted to have these deeper conversations. Speaker 1 (6:13) You would have spotted him a mile away. He probably would have been wearing a Hawaiian shirt, flip-flops, and a pair of shorts. Longish hair, you know, looks like somebody who grew up in the 60s. Speaker 7 (6:22) He was a friendly individual. He was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Speaker 2 (6:35) Over the course of his 30 years teaching, Ron was married twice. He had a son and daughter with his first wife. Speaker 8 (6:43) He met his first wife once he went away to college. They were not getting along as well and decided to divorce and went their separate ways. Speaker 2 (6:54) He then met the woman who would become his second wife, Jeannie. Speaker 8 (6:59) He became involved with a colleague that was also at Penn State teaching there. I knew that he was really happy with the way that things were going with him and Jeannie together. Their interactions were very loving. With his second marriage, I think there was a lot of parts of him that really started coming alive. Speaker 2 (7:18) Though the couple amicably divorced in the late 90s, they remained very close. Speaker 2 (7:27) But in 2011, tragedy struck when Jeannie took suddenly ill. She Speaker 8 (7:33) was very sick, and he took her to the hospital. And later that night, or the next morning, she passed away. They were together probably for 10 years. He would tell me all the time how much he missed her. He was losing weight, and he wasn't going out. And that's also the point where he started to have some memory issues. Speaker 2 (8:01) Four years after Jeanne's death, the professor took a sabbatical from work. Speaker 1 (8:07) By the time you get to 2014 and 2015, he's not doing very well. He's not able to teach. Speaker 2 (8:19) While on sabbatical, Ron was befriended by a shop worker named George Ischler. Speaker 5 (8:25) George was working at this tobacco shop on College Avenue in State College. Ron would stop in there frequently, and they struck up a friendship based on their mutual interest in marijuana. Speaker 2 (8:38) As their friendship deepened, George confided in Ron about the struggles his niece, Danielle Geyer, was facing. Speaker 1 (8:47) She comes up here in February 2016. She doesn't have a place to live. She's got a young baby and no way to support herself. I Speaker 8 (8:56) remember him calling me and saying, you know, the thought of a person living in their car with a young child is just something that I can't let that go. Speaker 2 (9:10) In 2016, Ron gave Danielle and her child a room of their own in his house. And having people around gave Ron something in return. Speaker 8 (9:22) Their life force was starting to come back into him. He had purpose. As he started having more and more conversations with Danielle, I think that he also was starting to have feelings for her as well. Speaker 2 (9:34) After a few months, Ron's relationship with Danielle became romantic, despite their 23-year age difference. Speaker 4 (9:43) He was very attentive to my sister and the baby. He was a very good man. He was always helping my sister get the things she needed. Speaker 1 (9:51) What Danielle Geyer was to Dr. Bedding was kind of that bright light. He was no longer alone. He was in love. Speaker 2 (10:04) After seven months of living together, Ron has now gone