What happened to Ronald Bettig? Details explored ahead of Snapped on Oxygen

Ronald Bettig, a Lemont professor, was found dead in August 2016, at the bottom of the Blackhawk Quarry in Potter Township, as per reports by CBS. The passing of this author and associate professor of media studies shocked the entire community and crushed the hearts of his students.

The upcoming episode of Snapped on Oxygen season 34 episode 17 will revisit Professor Ronald Bettig's death. The episode, titled, Danelle Geier will air on Oxygen on November 3, 2024, at 6 pm ET.

Do you want to learn more about this case and the professor's death? Then follow along.

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Ronald Bettig was pushed to death

56-year-old Ronald Bettig, a Penn State professor, was found dead at the bottom of a quarry in August 2016. As reported by CBS, the professor fell about 75 feet down a cliff and authorities speculated that he was pushed to death. Both he and his car had gone missing from his residence. As a result, he was reported missing until his deceased body was recovered.

An autopsy report revealed that the professor died because of blunt force trauma caused by the direct fall from the cliff.

Initially, the detectives presumed it to be a suicide, however, delving deep into the case and connecting all the dots, it was learned that this was not a case of a suicide but rather a homicide.

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Who killed Professor Ronald Bettig and why?

Ronald Bettig died due to a fall from a cliff (Image by Daniel Jensen/Unsplash)

The detectives quickly discovered that Bettig was friends with George Ishler. Betting and Ishler allegedly became friends because they both enjoyed marijuana. Bettig met another individual named Danelle Geier through Ishler, who also shared similar interests. The three became friends and also started living together.

However, allegedly, the friendship turned sour, when Danelle Geier and George Ishler plotted to kill Bettig for financial gain.

Allegedly, the two lured Bettig on August 12, 2016, to the quarry, after which Ishler pushed him down. Ronald Bettig fell and he died, after which the killers staged the homicide and made it look like Betting committed suicide and was all alone. However, after Bettig's body was discovered, Danelle Geier and George Ishler were eventually apprehended.

When their case went to court, the prosecutors claimed that both of them had a motive to kill Bettig. As per reports, the victim (Ronald Bettig) had signed a will before he was killed. As per the will, the two who would gain the most after his death were Danelle Geier and George Ishler.

Although Ishler didn’t initially plead guilty to this crime, he later admitted to pushing Bettig and being the reason for the professor's death. After a six-day trial, both Danelle Geier and George Ishler were found guilty of the professor's death and charged with first-degree murder. In April 2018, they were sentenced to life in prison.

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The synopsis of the upcoming episode of Snapped, titled, Danelle Geier, reads:

"When a former Penn State professor mysteriously goes missing, police uncover clues to his untimely demise; the investigation leads to a grisly crime scene and two unlikely culprits, who would stop at nothing to get rid of him."

To know more about this case catch this episode on Oxygen on November 3, 2024, at 6 pm ET.