Police investigating link between Robert Durst and Vermont student who vanished in 1971

Authorities in Vermont plan to hold a media briefing Tuesday afternoon on any possible connections between murder suspect Robert Durst and the disappearance of a Middlebury College student four decades ago.

Durst once operated a health food store in Middlebury, where police are investigating the 1971 disappearance of 18-year-old Lynne Schulze.

“We are aware of the connection between Robert Durst and the disappearance of Lynne Schulze. We have been aware of this connection for several years and have been working with various outside agencies as we follow this lead,” Middlebury police said Monday in a statement.

Durst, a New York real estate scion, is being held in a New Orleans-area jail on weapons charges. He also has been charged in Los Angeles in the 2000 slaying of his friend, Susan Berman, whom police had wanted to question about the disappearance in 1992 of Durst’s first wife, Kathleen.

The FBI has asked authorities in California, New York and Vermont to check their cold case files for the years Durst lived in those states.

Middlebury detectives said Durst owned and operated the All Good Things health food store in the city at the time Schulze was reported missing.

Middlebury police officials said they reopened the Schulze case in 1992, and it has been “continuously generating leads since the investigation was reopened.” Durst operated the health food store with Kathleen.

In Northern California, police and prosecutors in Humboldt County are examining any possible connection between Durst and the 1997 disappearance of teen Karen Mitchell.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans on Monday, a judge ordered Durst held without bail because he’s considered a potential flight risk and danger to the community.

Prosecutor Mark Burton argued during a hearing that Durst, whose net worth is $100 million, made comments in the HBO series “The Jinx” that indicate he considers a $250,000 bail “chump change.” His next hearing is set for April 2.