Donna Ann Lass (25) After Donna Lass was last seen at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel on September 6th 1970, Gordon Petrovich, security guard at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel, stated that somebody calling himself "Mr. Davis" had rang the casino on either September 7th or 8th and reported that Donna Lass had left town because of a family illness. The landlord of Donna Lass, Nick Davis, said he first learned of the family illness story from Bob Morgan of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department on September 11th 1970, so he couldn't have been the "Mr. Davis" who rang the Sahara Tahoe Hotel on September 7th or 8th. The caller was most likely Donna's killer, buying time after the murder. It is now clear that the Sahara Tahoe Hotel informed the police of Donna's absence from work after not hearing from her for a few days. They must have made this call to police sometime sfter the call received by Gordon Petrovich, and before the call made by Nick Davis on September 11th. This sinister phone call from the killer successfully bought him valuable breathing space.
Recently we learned that in an episode of "Bloodline Detectives" with Nancy Grace entitled "The South Lake Tahoe Strangler", Joe Alexander, the Deputy District Attorney of El Dorado County stated "One of the interesting facts in this case is that an unidentified male called Brynn Rainey's employer and informed them that she would not be showing up for her shift at the casino where she worked. We certainly don't know for sure who that was that made the call, but under the circumstances, and the fact that Brynn at that time was likely already dead, it would strongly suggest that the killer made that call in order to buy more time before people knew she was missing". This information was backed up by the host, Nancy Grace, who added "While detectives tried to trace that mystery caller, they also pieced together Brynn Rainey's last known movements". But there was something else in the documentary that supports the fact that Brynn Rainey's killer rang the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and relayed information to quell any worries over her absence from work - and it must have been pretty compelling.
Recently we learned that in an episode of "Bloodline Detectives" with Nancy Grace entitled "The South Lake Tahoe Strangler", Joe Alexander, the Deputy District Attorney of El Dorado County stated "One of the interesting facts in this case is that an unidentified male called Brynn Rainey's employer and informed them that she would not be showing up for her shift at the casino where she worked. We certainly don't know for sure who that was that made the call, but under the circumstances, and the fact that Brynn at that time was likely already dead, it would strongly suggest that the killer made that call in order to buy more time before people knew she was missing". This information was backed up by the host, Nancy Grace, who added "While detectives tried to trace that mystery caller, they also pieced together Brynn Rainey's last known movements". But there was something else in the documentary that supports the fact that Brynn Rainey's killer rang the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and relayed information to quell any worries over her absence from work - and it must have been pretty compelling.
There is a good chance it was convincing because the Sahara Tahoe Hotel didn't report Brynn Rainey missing to the police in the three weeks that followed this phone call. The "Bloodline Detecives" episode Investigator John Gaines stated "She was due to work at 2:00am on the 25th (July 1977). She never showed up for that work shift. On August 15th (1977) her landlord reported her missing. The landlord said he had seen her around the last she had been seen, which would have been around July 24th, and that he had not seen her since".
In the Donna Lass case the phone caller on September 7th or 8th 1970 didn't ring the casino in the 16 hours after her last shift ended at 2;00am, suggesting that if he had abducted her on September 6th he may have known that Donna Lass wasn't due into work at 6:00pm on September 6th 1970 at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. The caller also stated that she had been called "out of town" for a family illness. So how did he know her family didn't live "in town"? A murder on September 6th and a call to the casino on September 7th would very likely have failed had she been married. Therefore, was he somebody fairly close to Donna, who knew her marital status, knew her work pattern and knew her family lived in South Dakota approximately 1,560 miles away. A phone call in this instance would have bought plenty of time for the killer. Or did he coerce this information out of her primarily for the purpose of the phone call?
In the Donna Lass case the phone caller on September 7th or 8th 1970 didn't ring the casino in the 16 hours after her last shift ended at 2;00am, suggesting that if he had abducted her on September 6th he may have known that Donna Lass wasn't due into work at 6:00pm on September 6th 1970 at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel. The caller also stated that she had been called "out of town" for a family illness. So how did he know her family didn't live "in town"? A murder on September 6th and a call to the casino on September 7th would very likely have failed had she been married. Therefore, was he somebody fairly close to Donna, who knew her marital status, knew her work pattern and knew her family lived in South Dakota approximately 1,560 miles away. A phone call in this instance would have bought plenty of time for the killer. Or did he coerce this information out of her primarily for the purpose of the phone call?
Brynn Rainey (27) Brynn Rainey fell in love with South Lake Tahoe and had moved there from Ohio, which was a journey of 2,240 miles. She took up employment at the Crystal Range Motel located at 941 Emerald Bay Road, working as a maid, before becoming a Keno runner at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel in April 1977. So if her killer had rang the Sahara Tahoe Hotel on July 25th 1977 and used the "called out of town because of a family illness" ruse, it would have been just as effective as the deceit used in the Donna Lass case. It must have been something along these lines because she was excused from work on July 25th 1977 by a male caller and wasn't reported missing until August 15th 1977 (and not by the casino). This information was corroborated by the newspapers of the day. Does this show intimate knowledge of the life of Brynn Rainey, which also appeared to be the case with Donna Lass? Both women lived alone in rented accommodation overseen by landlords.
Did the killer in 1970 and 1977 spend considerable time with each victim after their abduction, thereby necessitating the phone calls in order to buy time? If he had killed and disposed of them within hours, why would a phone call be necessary? Or was a phone call made in each case to delay any impending investigation into their murders, because he had some previous interactions with both women at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and feared the police may come knocking at his door? The burial of Brynn Rainey and the deposition site of Donna Lass 74 miles from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel (possibly buried) showed a marked deviation from the murder of Carol Andersen in 1979, who was just dumped by the side of the road in plain sight. But she never worked at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel.
FURTHER READING: THE MYSTERIOUS PHONE CALL TO THE CASINO RE-EXAMINED
Did the killer in 1970 and 1977 spend considerable time with each victim after their abduction, thereby necessitating the phone calls in order to buy time? If he had killed and disposed of them within hours, why would a phone call be necessary? Or was a phone call made in each case to delay any impending investigation into their murders, because he had some previous interactions with both women at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel and feared the police may come knocking at his door? The burial of Brynn Rainey and the deposition site of Donna Lass 74 miles from the Sahara Tahoe Hotel (possibly buried) showed a marked deviation from the murder of Carol Andersen in 1979, who was just dumped by the side of the road in plain sight. But she never worked at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel.
FURTHER READING: THE MYSTERIOUS PHONE CALL TO THE CASINO RE-EXAMINED
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