Viswa Vanapalli
CBS’ ‘48 Hours: Who Killed Rachael DelTondo?’ shines a light on the story behind the mysterious murder of 33-year-old Rachel DelTondo, a teacher living in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. She was shot to death right outside her parents’ house in May 2018, leaving them with more questions than answers ever since. On the show, Rachael’s parents, Lisa and Joe, talk about the case and their suspicions. So, let’s find out more about the DelTondos then, shall we?
Who Are Rachael DelTondo’s Parents?
Rachael was quite close to her mother, Lisa DelTondo. At the time of the incident, Rachael lived with her parents in a peaceful neighborhood in Aliquippa. Lisa said that every night, her daughter would tell her about the day she had. But on May 13, 2018, Rachael went out with her friends, only to be killed a few hours later outside Lisa’s home. The shooting occurred at around 10:48 PM that night.
The authorities focused their attention on Sheldon Jeter Jr., who had an alleged intermittent relationship with Rachael. She had first met Sheldon when she was a substitute teacher at his elementary school. They reconnected later on, and when he was about 17 years old, they met at a parking lot late in the night. A police officer approached them. While no charges were ever brought against Rachel, a report was written nevertheless.
Another person of interest in the investigation was Rachel’s ex-fiance, Frank Catroppa. It was reported that Frank had gone to the police station sometime in 2017 to inquire about Rachael’s incident with Sheldon. At the time, they were still together. He was given the police report, and just a day or so later, it was anonymously sent to Rachael’s school, the mayor, and the media. This led to Rachael losing her job and having difficulty coping with it. Lisa and Joe believed that Frank had something to do with the leak, something he vehemently denied.
Lisa further added that before the murder, Rachael was cooperating with the state police regarding an investigation into alleged corruption in the Aliquippa police department. Rachael claimed to have received death threats and told her mother that she thought the police followed her. In the end, the murder remained unsolved, but Sheldon Jeter was later convicted of killing someone close to him under similar circumstances.
Where Are Rachael DelTondo’s Parents Now?
Early on, Lisa did not want the Aliquippa Police Department to conduct the homicide investigation because of the anonymous leak. The grief-stricken mother said of Rachael, “Our lives will never be the same; I am a different person. Every morning I wake up and pray that this is a bad dream, but my baby is…rotting. My heart is gone. My soul is shot. I don’t even believe in God anymore.” For now, Lisa and Joe seem to still live in Aliquippa and continue to wait for answers regarding their daughter’s death.
Read More: How Did Rachael DelTondo and Tyric Pugh Die?
