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Connecticut TV news anchor reveals she carried "painful secret" of her mother's murder to protect Vermont police investigation

The death of a Connecticut television news anchor's mother last winter is being investigated as a homicide, Vermont State Police said.

Law enforcement officials initially believed Claudia M. Voight, 73, of Windham, died in her home from a medical event on Feb. 20, but later determined she died from neck compression that was detectable only during an autopsy, police said Monday.

Law enforcement officials delayed releasing the April conclusion that her death was a homicide to protect the investigation. There has been no arrest.

Voight is the mother of NBC Connecticut news anchor Heidi Voight, who posted on social media that she'd been carrying a "painful secret."

News Anchor Mother Homicide
This undated family photo provided by Heidi Voight , shows Heidi Voight, of West Hartford, Conn., with her mom, Claudia M. Voight, 73, of Windham, Vt..  / AP

"My mother's death was not natural, nor peaceful," she wrote. "My mother was murdered, violently, in the place she should have felt safest -- her own home in Windham, Vermont."

State police say Voight's killing appeared to be "targeted" but would not disclose if they had identified any suspects, CBS affiliate WCAX-TV reported. They believe there is no threat to the community.

"I'm not going to be able to comment on whether we have any suspects or what the current status is of how close VSP might be to making some kind of public identification notification but I can tell you that the evidence in the case does indicate that there is no specific or general threat to the public and that the homicide does appear to be targeted at Mrs. Voight," police spokesperson Adam Silverman told the station.

Silverman declined to give any details about what evidence they had.

Heidi Voight wrote that she appreciated all the messages of support from her friends.

"This has broken me and changed me. But I am my mother's daughter, and I will come back stronger. I will fight for her," she wrote.

According to her online work bio, Voight is a an award-winning reporter and morning anchor who was born and raised in Milford, Connecticut. She represented the state at the Miss America Pageant in 2006.

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