Identified! NV - Washoe Co., WhtFem 156UFNV, 25-35, Sheep's Flat Trail, Jul'82 - Mary Edith Silvani

[Rindicella]

It was a total movie moment. I scrolled across and then bam! Her face was staring back at mine.


She was autopsied on Sunday the 18th.

In one of the first articles they mention a search for more victims. There are some descrepencies about her shoes and bathing suit.

Terrific!

And those discrepancies are?????

:angel:

 

[Charlie99909]

White tennis shoes not yellow

 

[Rindicella]

White tennis shoes not yellow

Whew! That's narrows it down.
:innocent:

 

[Charlie99909]

Sunday Morning
7/18/1982



Hikers find woman's body on Mount Rose

Hikers on Mount Rose found an unidentified dead woman Saturday afternoon who apparently died of a wound to the back of the head, officials said.

The Washoe County Sheriff's Office said investigators were still attempting to identify the victim Saturday night.

Detectives are probing the dead as a possible homicide, according to sheriff's Capt. R.W. Kellerer. The body was in the Sheep Flat area on the Lake Tahoe side of the summit.

Kellerer said the deputies will continue to search the area for possible additional victims and evidence.

Detective Capt. Bill Matthews said an autopsy will be conducted this morning to determine the cause of death.

Officials also said they not yet estimated how low the woman has been dead.

The victim was described as a white woman from 25-35, approximately 112 pounds, and 5 and 5 1/2 feet tall, with brown eyes, "long reddish brown hair worn in a bun." She wore blue jeans, a powder blue t-shirt, tennis shoes and blue bikini panties that may have been a bathing suit bottom.

Kellerer asked that anyone who knows about her death or who the may be should call the Incline station of the sheriff's office or Reno sheriff's detectives at ___-_____





Morning of Monday 7/19/1982

Identity of body found Saturday unknown

Investigators were unable Sunday to identify the body of a woman found dead on Mount Rose Saturday with a wound to the back of her head.

Mills Lane, Washoe sheriff's chief criminal deputy, said an autopsy Sunday morning indicated the wound was caused by a gunshot.

"We just have no idea who she is," Lane said. "We're asking that anybody who has any information contact us immediately."

Lane said she he would not "comment on any of the evidence" that may have been found at the scene.


Yes, Mills Lane. The one and only.


Afternoon of 7/19/1982

Homicide investigators ask for help in identifying woman

By Phil Barber

Investigators today asked for the public's help in identifying a young woman who was found fatally shot in the back of the head on Mount Rose Saturday.

"We have no idea who she is," said Bill Mathews, commander of the Washoe Sheriff's Department's detective division.

He said some hikers found the body several hundred yards off the Mount Rose highway in the area of Sheep Flat near the highway's summit. An autopsy disclosed the cause of death. Mathews said it's estimated she was killed Friday night or early Saturday morning.

He asked Northern Nevada casinos and police in the western United States if anyone of her description is missing-although Mathews said there is no reason to believe she worked in a casino.

He described her as in her mid 20s to mid 30s, 5 feet 5 inches tall, weighing 112 pounds with brown or hazel eyes and brown hair worn in a bun. He said she had an abdominal scar, had given birth at least once and had a vaccination scar on her upper left arm.

She was wearing a powder blue sleeveless t-shirt, blue jeans, white tennis shoes and a one-piece, laced swim suit.

Anyone with information that might lead to her identification or killer should call the Sheriff's Department at ___-____, Mathews said.

This photo was with the article.

 

[Rindicella]

Wow. You weren't kidding when you said "inconsistencies".

The first article simply said "wound" so I was thinking, Huh??? Trauma?? I thought it was a gunshot???

Then, there was no mention of the color of the shoes and it said "bikini bathing suit BOTTOMS"....by the time we get to the third article, we have:
laced swimsuit under clothing
WHITE tennis shoes
gunshot wound
Probably Not a casino worker
Oh and don't forget the line about "the one and only Mills Lane"....(stupid reporter, he/she just couldn't miss an opp to kiss some local power butt. Or is that your humor Charlie ?? If so, I agree ---he was really cool...but if that was part of the original article, I would think that's bad taste.)

Also: time of death was estimated "Friday night or early Saturday morning"....
WTH was she doing out there at that time???? Not where I would want to be on a Friday night????
How did she find her way out there in the dark????

You know I jsut remembered: I went camping out in that treeline/forest/meadow edge one summer about 10 years ago with my former husband and my small daughter....the area there is DARK...I MEAN VERY DARK....even with the highway not too far away it is incredibly DARK at night...I think we went in July....same time of year. CHILLY out there at night too...even in July! You would want at least a light jacket/sweatshirt out there even in summer, at night.

Charlie, if you can't get the WCS on the phone, are you going to see if you can find out if any of these detectives are retired and still around???


So sad, Charlie! ....lots for you to think about and mull over here....I really hope you can solve this case, give her her name back and help her rest in peace, as well as find her killer.
Makes me really sad.
And mad.

 

[Charlie99909]

Yeah that was my humor, I should have made that clear. I thought about calling these detectives up and maybe make some inquiries.


But yeah there is a lot in these articles. And I was only looking at the first days afterwards. I don't know about a week or even a year later.


"Possible evidence" stuck out at me. What kinds?

 

[Rindicella]

Yeah that was my humor, I should have made that clear. I thought about calling these detectives up and maybe make some inquiries.


But yeah there is a lot in these articles. And I was only looking at the first days afterwards. I don't know about a week or even a year later.


"Possible evidence" stuck out at me. What kinds?

LOL! Glad it was YOU --- once I realized it might be you I laughed. :crazy:
He was "one in a million" wasn't he????
Love that guy...

Good catch on the "possible evidence"....makes me wonder too....but since the Sheriff's office can't seem to figure out the diff between white and yellow, I am a little nervous about their ability to solve these crimes. :crazy:

So let's see---let's start with the actual time/date/and actual crime scene - she's out there underdressed. (IMO --- needed at least a windbreaker) but wearing some kind of swimsuit to indicate a plan to go swimming. AT NIGHT???
That far from the Lake?
It's night time/dark. She's not out there planning to camp. Or maybe her killer told her they were "camping" and took everything away with him.
Or maybe she was hitchhiking from the highway and got dragged off...still, that's pretty far to drag/force someone.
They don't say if she was killed there or somewhere else.
They imply there, but doesn't actually say that.
Hikers found her on Saturday - so it must have been a well traveled section of the meadow.
She is over a tree stump as if to tie her sneaker.
Shot from behind, in the head. As if she felt comfortable to turn away from her killer.
\
I'm not smart enough for this...go Team Charlie!

 

[Rindicella]

Whoa....Charlie...just had a thought...all this time I thought the swimsuit indicated she was PLANNING TO GO SWIMMING....what if she already been swimming on FRIDAY and they were headed BACK from the Lake over 431 either to Reno or Carson...that scenario could work!

I need to look at that map of the area again.

 

[Rindicella]

She's there, but they've got a male icon instead of a female.:waitasec: North of the Scripps State Wildlife Management Area and west of 395.

My God.
I just looked at the map ---- there are HOMES out there now, according to Google Earth. I have not been out there in 10 years....I think this map is wrong...it is showing the body as being found in the Callahan ranch area...that's nowhere near the Summit meadow ....

Anyone who has ever seen "Bonanza" has seen that meadow ---it's at the top of Mt. Rose Highway , not in the foothills by Thomas Creek...or am I reading this map wrong???

 

[Charlie99909]

The map is wrong.

Also I thought she might be coming back from swimming. I wonder how well circulated that photo was? It was only on the bottom of section C.

Someone at tahoe had to see her.

 

[Rindicella]

The map is wrong.

Also I thought she might be coming back from swimming. I wonder how well circulated that photo was? It was only on the bottom of section C.

Someone at tahoe had to see her.

Yes...and you know what I am thinking???
That route takes you straight past two major stops:

Sand Harbor
and....

Hidden Cove.
It was a nudist beach then, as now. A European would have LOVED that beach.

The swimsuit, struck me as a "evil necessary" if she's a Euro. She would have worn it only for convenience of point A, point B, and social convention.

 

[Charlie99909]

You know what might be effective? Posting her face on cl missed connections as a did you date me? Did we spend a day together 28 years ago and instead of kissing me good night you put to sleep for eternity.

Or something.

 

[Rindicella]

Hidden cove and Secret Harbor are off 28:

http://wanr.earthbiz.net/TahoeBeachDirections.html

Once 431 dumps you at the turn off, you simply head into Incline and turn left.

 

[Rindicella]

You know what might be effective? Posting her face on cl missed connections as a did you date me? Did we spend a day together 28 years ago and instead of kissing me good night you put to sleep for eternity.

Or something.

Go for it!!!!
GREAT idea!

You do it....if I did something like that, I would pass out from offense by the responses. ROFL! Go get 'em Charlie!

:woohoo:

 

[Charlie99909]

It's just a bit of frustration.

Having to think about turning to craigslist. I mean come on ya know? I'll locate a new white pages and look up some names from the article and who knows maybe mills lane is there?

I'm kicking myself. I never checked the weather report and it was on the opposite page from her picture in the paper.

But I always thought the beach I mean it's July and tahoe. I've been going there every week for a month and drive by sheep flat each time. It's chilling.

 

[Rindicella]

It's just a bit of frustration.

Having to think about turning to craigslist. I mean come on ya know? I'll locate a new white pages and look up some names from the article and who knows maybe mills lane is there?

I'm kicking myself. I never checked the weather report and it was on the opposite page from her picture in the paper.

But I always thought the beach I mean it's July and tahoe. I've been going there every week for a month and drive by sheep flat each time. It's chilling.

Well, poor Mills (god bless him! May he live long and prosper!) had a stroke several years ago. I heard he went back east somewhere to be near his son who was going to college. I found this on Wiki.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mills_Lane

..but I will bet real money ($100 bucks) that if you were able to contact him, he WOULD talk to you....Mills always had a rep for being a terrific guy, sincerely interested in helping people and victims. I even met him once before he got sick ---he was so nice to me! ...also, I was a paralegal once upon a time and I happen to know he was a partner in the following firm, still in existence on Flint St./California Ave. in Reno...betcha they know his number.
Lane, Fahrendorf, Viloria & Oliphant LLP
http://renonvlaw.com/

Also , don't kick yourself...we need you in good shape for this case!

But seriously, the people at Hidden Cove/Secret Harbor...they are a "tough crowd" as they say in the entertainment biz. I would be surprised if you got ANYONE from there to talk...it's a "closed" society - those nudists....my opinion on all that aside, it's almost like a secret society with secret handshakes.
But if she wore a swimsuit that day, maybe they went to Sand Harbor???

 

[Rindicella]

Okay, can I just say this and nobody gets all bent out of shape: I go to Hidden Cove all the time. I will ask around. My days off are coming up and was planning to go there this week. Now I have a good reason besides self indulgence and privacy.

 

[Charlie99909]

Or chimmney?

 

[Rindicella]

Or chimmney?

Well it's possible. Anything is possible. but chimney is just not as private or as popular as Sand Harbor or Hidden Cove.
Also, Chimney has rocks in the WATER, under your feet. They are sharp and hurt, which makes people want to go somewhere else.
It's not as clean too, because of the private boat launch there....I could stop there and ask though.

Also, chimney doesn't have all the parking of Sand Harbor which is another reason it is not as popular...Technically, they could have been ANYWHERE along the lake except for private beaches/home fronts. They could have gone to Vikings Home for all I know, but is that really likely?
A Euro is going to want to go where "everyone else" goes or where, frankly, they can get naked

 

[justice57]

I have been trying to compare the picture of Amber Elizabeth Scholz with this victim. Amber disappeared from Wyoming in November 1981. There are some similarities. She was 5'4" and 115 lbs. She has a scar from a c-section. She was wearing white tennis shoes. She was born in Fort Benning, GA. which may indicate her family was in the military (I am thinking about the dental work). I haven't been able to find out any information on her family. That is quite a while from November until July. Just throwing out a thought.