At the time of Brynn Rainey's murder in 1977 Joseph Stephen Holt was living at 1390 Keller Road. We know he lived in South Lake Tahoe in 1974, but we don't know for certain whether he had vacationed or visited the area before moving there. There is some evidence pointing to his family owning the 1390 Keller Road residence prior to 1970, so it's perfectly feasible he could have stayed at this location at the time of Donna Lass' disappearance on September 6th 1970. He was listed at this address from 1971 to 2015 in the US Index to Public Records, so it's possible he stayed at an earlier time.
Two reasons that Joseph Stephen Holt may have chosen to visit South Lake Tahoe in the years before moving there was his passion for skiing and swimming (according to his obituary), making this an ideal place for permanent residency. The love of skiing was something he had in common with Donna Lass, who when speaking to Joan Bentley at the casino just before the end of her shift on September 6th 1970, said that she was looking forward to skiing that upcoming winter. For Joseph Stephen Holt, the 1390 Keller Road location was ideal to pursue that passion, with the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort right next to the Keller Road address.
Opening in 1955, the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort is situated on 3860 Saddle Road and the Heavenly Village base location on 4080 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. I am currently unsure what facilities (if any) were available at 4080 Lake Tahoe Boulevard in 1970 but it would be very interesting to find out, because had Joseph Stephen Holt left his 1390 Keller Road address on foot (or by car), his quickest route to the base location of the Heavenly Ski Resort (or the Sahara Tahoe Hotel) would have taken him alongside the 3893 Pioneer Trail Road apartment of Donna Lass (shown by the red line on the map below). With a common interest in skiing it is not implausible that they may have crossed paths - quite literally. The Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort was extremely close to both addresses on their south side.
Assuming that a sinister phone call was received by the Sahara Tahoe Hotel in 1977 stating that Brynn Rainey wouldn't be turning up for her shift at 2am, the one big difference between this and the phone call received on behalf of Donna Lass in 1970, was that the caller in Donna's case knew the name of her landlord (Mr. Davis). This could indicate a more personal connection to Donna Lass, rather than a killer who just performed a random abduction from the street. Knowledge of her address would be required.
Thanks to all the contributors that have made the last three articles possible.
Further reading: THE 1970s, ONE ROAD, THREE MURDERS
ANOTHER SINISTER PHONE CALL TO THE SAHARA IN 1977
Two reasons that Joseph Stephen Holt may have chosen to visit South Lake Tahoe in the years before moving there was his passion for skiing and swimming (according to his obituary), making this an ideal place for permanent residency. The love of skiing was something he had in common with Donna Lass, who when speaking to Joan Bentley at the casino just before the end of her shift on September 6th 1970, said that she was looking forward to skiing that upcoming winter. For Joseph Stephen Holt, the 1390 Keller Road location was ideal to pursue that passion, with the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort right next to the Keller Road address.
Opening in 1955, the Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort is situated on 3860 Saddle Road and the Heavenly Village base location on 4080 Lake Tahoe Boulevard. I am currently unsure what facilities (if any) were available at 4080 Lake Tahoe Boulevard in 1970 but it would be very interesting to find out, because had Joseph Stephen Holt left his 1390 Keller Road address on foot (or by car), his quickest route to the base location of the Heavenly Ski Resort (or the Sahara Tahoe Hotel) would have taken him alongside the 3893 Pioneer Trail Road apartment of Donna Lass (shown by the red line on the map below). With a common interest in skiing it is not implausible that they may have crossed paths - quite literally. The Heavenly Mountain Ski Resort was extremely close to both addresses on their south side.
Assuming that a sinister phone call was received by the Sahara Tahoe Hotel in 1977 stating that Brynn Rainey wouldn't be turning up for her shift at 2am, the one big difference between this and the phone call received on behalf of Donna Lass in 1970, was that the caller in Donna's case knew the name of her landlord (Mr. Davis). This could indicate a more personal connection to Donna Lass, rather than a killer who just performed a random abduction from the street. Knowledge of her address would be required.
Thanks to all the contributors that have made the last three articles possible.
Further reading: THE 1970s, ONE ROAD, THREE MURDERS
ANOTHER SINISTER PHONE CALL TO THE SAHARA IN 1977
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