NV NV - Luella Beckley, 24, Reno, December 15, 1953

[victoriarobinson642]

DoeNetwork:

4584DFNV - Luella Beckley

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Name: Luella Beckley
Case Classification: Missing
Missing Since: December 15, 1954
Location Last Seen: Reno, Washoe County, Nevada

Physical Description​

Date of Birth: circa 1930
Age: 24 years old
Race: White
Gender: Female
Height: 5'6"
Hair Color: Brown
Eye Color: Brown
Distinguishing Marks/Features: Slender build

Circumstances of Disappearance​

Luella Beckley was last seen on December 15, 1953, by her landlady. Luella worked as a waitress and had stepped out of her apartment at 210 Center Street presumably to get her paycheck. She never returned home. She left behind all her personal items, including her devoted pet dog.
Luella's mom received a telegram, purportedly signed by Luella, the week of Christmas. The telegram was sent from Las Vegas. The content of the telegram wasn't released to the public, but in a letter sent to Reno police from Luella's mom, foul play was suspected.

Luella had previously been employed at the Nevada Club and Bank Club in Reno.
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[MadMcGoo]

I’m so glad to see recent updates and additions to The Doe Network! She was last seen in Dec. 1953 (it’s correct in the narrative on Doe Net).

Article clipped from Reno Gazette-Journal

Clipping found in Reno Gazette-Journal published in Reno, Nevada on 12/29/1953.

www.newspapers.com

Luella Beckley 1953 NV

Clipping found in Reno Gazette-Journal published in Reno, Nevada on 1/26/1954. Luella Beckley 1953 NV

www.newspapers.com

Article clipped from Nevada State Journal

Clipping found in Nevada State Journal published in Reno, Nevada on 1/24/1954.

www.newspapers.com

 

[HBelusky]

Why, thank you!!

 

[cenazoic]

Interesting links/background:

Bank Club

An entire site on the Nevada Club, mostly reminisces from someone who worked as a dealer there in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

Interesting that the article linked above feom 1/26/54 (Reno Gazette Journal) says that the dog “was placed in the boarding kennel in late November of early December.”

Her mother’s name is reported as “Mrs. Neva Koehler of Richland, WA”.

A Charles Koehler of Richland, WA died in May 1953, whose survivors included his widow, Neva, and daughter, Mrs. Luella Eskley of Richland. (I wonder if ‘Beckley’ is a mistake/incorrect.)

If that’s our Luella, possibly she was in Reno for a “quickie divorce”. In 1953, Nevada required a 6 week residency for this.

 

[MadMcGoo]

I’m thinking Eskley is the error. Although, I can’t be certain. Connecting the dots led me to “Neva”, which means Luella was born Luella Jane Armentrout. That’s as far as I’ve gotten though. @victoriarobinson642 where was the yearbook photo taken?

 

[victoriarobinson642]

I’m thinking Eskley is the error. Although, I can’t be certain. Connecting the dots led me to “Neva”, which means Luella was born Luella Jane Armentrout. That’s as far as I’ve gotten though. @victoriarobinson642 where was the yearbook photo taken?

California, though I can't recall where specifically. I'm 95% sure it's her, though I could be wrong.

 

[cenazoic]

Awesome detecting, MadMcGoo! (I really need to get better at Ancestry.)

If she starts life as Luella Armentrout, she was first married 1 July 1944 (age 16) to a 24-year old sailor named George Nelson, in Turlock, CA.

 

[MadMcGoo]

Awesome detecting, MadMcGoo! (I really need to get better at Ancestry.)

If she starts life as Luella Armentrout, she was first married 1 July 1944 (age 16) to a 24-year old sailor named George Nelson, in Turlock, CA.

Lots of practice! I learned so much by researching MP/UID cases, so keep at it!

That’s the only marriage I found. I didn’t have a lot of time to search, so I may dig around some more this evening.

 

[alb1on]

I’m thinking Eskley is the error. Although, I can’t be certain. Connecting the dots led me to “Neva”, which means Luella was born Luella Jane Armentrout. That’s as far as I’ve gotten though. @victoriarobinson642 where was the yearbook photo taken?

Bump.
I am wondering if Luella Jane Armentrout is the Luella in this case. The reason is that there is a divorce record for Luella Jane Armantrout and James M Beckley in Oregon in 1956 where Louella is granted the divorce as plaintiff. I attach a pic of the divorce record. This would suggest she was alive 3 years after the missing date. There is an alternative Luella. In 1950 Luella Mae Olinger married Thomas Beckley in Madison, Nebraska. Luella Olinger was born circa 1927 so perhaps slightly off in age but marginally so. However, Luella Mae Beckley nee Olinger married Derrold Baumann in Minnesota in 1961. So we appear to have 2 Luellas who married Beckleys at around the right time and of the right age but both of whom lived long beyond the missing date.
I am not sure what this means. Is one of these the correct Louella or is there a third who fits the details? If one of these two is the correct Louella does this mean she simply chose to up and leave, go back up north and get divorced, remarrying in at least one case and both living on?
More digging is needed.