Let us examine one option in the disappearance of Donna Lass from Stateline, Nevada, having worked her shift at the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino until the early morning hours of September 6th 1970. Many newspaper articles ran with the idea that the young 25-year-old nurse had disappeared from the casino, with statements such as "Miss Lass, formerly of Beresford, had been working up to the time of her disappearance at about 2:00am, Sunday, Sept, 6". This seeds into the mind of the reader that something nefarious must have taken place at this time, such as an abduction in the casino car park, that correlated with some trailed off writing on the nurses log. There were no eyewitnesses to an abduction, no screaming heard in the casino grounds, and no evidence that the trailed off writing on the nurses log has any connection to her disappearance. In fact, there is no tangible evidence that she disappeared from the casino on September 6th 1970.
However, there is an eyewitness who claimed that she saw Donna Lass on Labor Day, September 7th 1970 at approximately 3:00pm or 4:00pm. Mrs. Dorothy Cullison stated that she observed Donna Lass (who she recognised from a later photograph) in the company of a blonde haired man traveling southbound on Pioneer Trail Road near the Tahoe Bottle Shop at 3950 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe. Of course, she could have been mistaken, but the location would have been relevant to Donna Lass as she lived nearby, having just moved into the Monte Verdi apartments at 3893 Pioneer Trail Road. The location described by Mrs. Dorothy Cullison would have placed Donna Lass just 650 feet from her home residence So, assuming that Mrs. Dorothy Cullison hadn't read the home address of Donna Lass in the newspapers, or been prompted by her interviewer - or had subsequently convinced herself of the sighting nearby - her identification of Donna Lass so close to her Monte Verdi apartment is extremely noteworthy. Mrs. Dorothy Cullison could have seen Donna Lass anywhere in the Lake Tahoe region, but claimed it was 0.1 miles from the residence of Donna Lass on September 7th 1970. Not only would Mrs. Dorothy Cullison claim she saw Donna Lass in close proximity to her home, but she was walking with a blonde man southbound along Pioneer Trail Road in the direction of her apartment.
However, there is an eyewitness who claimed that she saw Donna Lass on Labor Day, September 7th 1970 at approximately 3:00pm or 4:00pm. Mrs. Dorothy Cullison stated that she observed Donna Lass (who she recognised from a later photograph) in the company of a blonde haired man traveling southbound on Pioneer Trail Road near the Tahoe Bottle Shop at 3950 Lake Tahoe Blvd, South Lake Tahoe. Of course, she could have been mistaken, but the location would have been relevant to Donna Lass as she lived nearby, having just moved into the Monte Verdi apartments at 3893 Pioneer Trail Road. The location described by Mrs. Dorothy Cullison would have placed Donna Lass just 650 feet from her home residence So, assuming that Mrs. Dorothy Cullison hadn't read the home address of Donna Lass in the newspapers, or been prompted by her interviewer - or had subsequently convinced herself of the sighting nearby - her identification of Donna Lass so close to her Monte Verdi apartment is extremely noteworthy. Mrs. Dorothy Cullison could have seen Donna Lass anywhere in the Lake Tahoe region, but claimed it was 0.1 miles from the residence of Donna Lass on September 7th 1970. Not only would Mrs. Dorothy Cullison claim she saw Donna Lass in close proximity to her home, but she was walking with a blonde man southbound along Pioneer Trail Road in the direction of her apartment.
1968 Chevrolet Camaro However, this sighting would place Donna Lass still alive at least 37 hours after her shift ended on September 6th 1970 at 2:00am. Ann and Larry Lowe, who Donna lived with until September 4th 1970, stated that they last saw her on that date at 11:30pm.
Donna Lass would have set off for work shortly before 6:00pm on September 5th 1970. So If Ann and Larry Lowe didn't see her on the 5th (and were out), Donna Lass could have left for the casino from either the Lowe's residence or her own apartment. Either way, it was extremeley unlikely she had slept at her own apartment during the early hours of September 5th 1970, and hadn't used her car for the journey which was discovered by investigators outside her Monte Verdi apartment.
The private investigator's report stated that "no fingerprints were lifted from inside or outside of the car, a 1968 Camero Convertible". If this statement is accurate - and is to be interpreted as detectives tried and failed to find any fingerprints inside or outside the vehicle - then this is extremely suspicious. It could indicate that the murderer of Donna Lass used her vehicle to dispose of her body and wiped the vehicle down. So where was Donna Lass for 37 hours if the sighting of Mrs. Dorothy Cullison was correct?
Donna Lass could have opted to walk home from the casino in the early hours of September 6th 1970 (the journey is less than a mile). She arrives home, goes to bed and wakes up on September 6th 1970, opting to remain at home that day to clean and organize her new apartment. On September 7th 1970, she had either arranged to meet up with somebody (or casually came across somebody) and headed off northbound along Pioneer Trail Road, where she was spotted in the company of this individual by Mrs. Dorothy Cullison at 3:00pm or 4:00pm. Of course, this sequence of events may not be what happened, but it is a reasonable explanation for the missing 37 hours. If the blonde haired man in the company of Donna Lass was a correct sighting, then this individual clearly failed to present himself to police to aid in their investigation. This could mean he was concerned about being implicated in her disappearance and possible murder, or was indeed her murderer. The last person to be seen with a victim usually comes under great scrutiny from law enforcement. If we factor in the possibility that her 1968 Chevrolet Camaro may have been wiped clean of fingerprints - and she was last seen heading in the direction of her Monte Verdi apartment on September 7th 1970 with a yet identified blonde male - it is easy to start painting a worrisome picture. So let's add another observation into the story.
Donna Lass would have set off for work shortly before 6:00pm on September 5th 1970. So If Ann and Larry Lowe didn't see her on the 5th (and were out), Donna Lass could have left for the casino from either the Lowe's residence or her own apartment. Either way, it was extremeley unlikely she had slept at her own apartment during the early hours of September 5th 1970, and hadn't used her car for the journey which was discovered by investigators outside her Monte Verdi apartment.
The private investigator's report stated that "no fingerprints were lifted from inside or outside of the car, a 1968 Camero Convertible". If this statement is accurate - and is to be interpreted as detectives tried and failed to find any fingerprints inside or outside the vehicle - then this is extremely suspicious. It could indicate that the murderer of Donna Lass used her vehicle to dispose of her body and wiped the vehicle down. So where was Donna Lass for 37 hours if the sighting of Mrs. Dorothy Cullison was correct?
Donna Lass could have opted to walk home from the casino in the early hours of September 6th 1970 (the journey is less than a mile). She arrives home, goes to bed and wakes up on September 6th 1970, opting to remain at home that day to clean and organize her new apartment. On September 7th 1970, she had either arranged to meet up with somebody (or casually came across somebody) and headed off northbound along Pioneer Trail Road, where she was spotted in the company of this individual by Mrs. Dorothy Cullison at 3:00pm or 4:00pm. Of course, this sequence of events may not be what happened, but it is a reasonable explanation for the missing 37 hours. If the blonde haired man in the company of Donna Lass was a correct sighting, then this individual clearly failed to present himself to police to aid in their investigation. This could mean he was concerned about being implicated in her disappearance and possible murder, or was indeed her murderer. The last person to be seen with a victim usually comes under great scrutiny from law enforcement. If we factor in the possibility that her 1968 Chevrolet Camaro may have been wiped clean of fingerprints - and she was last seen heading in the direction of her Monte Verdi apartment on September 7th 1970 with a yet identified blonde male - it is easy to start painting a worrisome picture. So let's add another observation into the story.
Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino Mr. Frank Desimone, new manager of the Monte Verdi apartments, entered the apartment of Donna Lass on September 11th 1970 and noticed everything in order, except that the bathroom light had been left on. Usually, one would put on a light during the evening or night hours, before switching it off upon leaving Hypothetically, Donna Lass could have arrived back at her apartment with the blonde haired man shortly after 4:00pm and spent the evening with him, when things took a turn for the worse (in absence of blood loss). The bathroom is used to clean away evidence, with the killer biding his time until the early morning hours, which he believes will be the safest time to remove her body from the apartment into the Chevrolet Camaro. He plunges the apartment into darkness to reduce the prospect of him being seen exiting the apartment, but inadvertently leaves on the bathroom light, which is later noticed by the new landlord on September 11th 1970. He then drives the 1968 Chevrolet Camaro in the early morning hours of September 8th 1970 to Camp Spaulding or Yuba Gap to dispose of her body. But why wouldn't the killer just leave her body in the apartment, clean up and leave?
Often, a killer known to the victim will want to conceal the body, because if there is no body, there isn't an immediate murder investigation (or sometimes not one at all) whereby family and friends become the first port of call for police. This was a time when no body, no crime, was often the pervading narrative. The murderer in the case of Donna Lass could have disposed of her body, then returned the vehicle, fingerprint free, to her apartment complex to give the impression nothing was untoward. A random serial killer or murderer, unknown to Donna Lass, just needs to clean the apartment and get the hell out of there. The great distance her body was found from the Monte Verdi apartments (and South Lake Tahoe region) suggests that the killer didn't want her body found immediately after her absence from work was discovered. A victim found in their residence will automatically draw the investigation to people associated with Donna Lass.
Often, a killer known to the victim will want to conceal the body, because if there is no body, there isn't an immediate murder investigation (or sometimes not one at all) whereby family and friends become the first port of call for police. This was a time when no body, no crime, was often the pervading narrative. The murderer in the case of Donna Lass could have disposed of her body, then returned the vehicle, fingerprint free, to her apartment complex to give the impression nothing was untoward. A random serial killer or murderer, unknown to Donna Lass, just needs to clean the apartment and get the hell out of there. The great distance her body was found from the Monte Verdi apartments (and South Lake Tahoe region) suggests that the killer didn't want her body found immediately after her absence from work was discovered. A victim found in their residence will automatically draw the investigation to people associated with Donna Lass.
Monte Verdi Apartments, Click for street view. If this chain of events is remotely true, then the murderer of Donna Lass would have returned her vehicle to her apartment complex in the early morning hours of September 8th 1970. If the killer wanted to delay any investigation into her absence from work on September 8th 1970, then a phone call to the casino prior to her shift that day (before 6:00pm) would have been the appropriate time.
Security Guard Gordon Petrovich claimed he received a phone call from a "Mr. Davis", the landlord of Donna Lass, on either September 7th or September 8th, but didn't recognise the voice. Then he stated he couldn't be sure if it was a Tuesday or Wednesday (which was the 8th or 9th). The only consistency between these two statements is September 8th 1970 for the phone call, which would coincide with my version of events. However, Mr. Nick Davis stated that he didn't call Gordon Petrovich at the Sahara Tahoe casino until September 11th 1970, which opens up the possibility that the person calling Gordon Petrovich on September 8th 1970 could have been somebody pretending to be Mr. Davis (the landlord of Donna Lass), adding legitimacy to the call. This, however, would imply that the murderer of Donna Lass knew her well enough to know the name of her landlord. Phoning the casino and claiming Donna Lass left town for a family ilness would also suggest familiarity with Donna Lass, because her family lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, nearly 1500 miles from Lake Tahoe. The phone call had the added advantage of delaying any investigation. A phone call by an impersonator would mean that neither Gordon Petrovich or Nick Davis necessarily had to be wildly off with their times.
Under this scenario, we have Donna Lass seen walking in the direction of her apartment with a blonde haired man on September 7th 1970, her vehicle seemingly devoid of fingerprints, the bathroom light left on, with the possibility of an impersonated phone call on September 8th 1970, who knew the name of her landlord, and was conversant to the fact that her family lived out of town. So, did Donna Lass know her killer? A killer who chose the Lake Spaulding and Lake Valley Reservoir region as a disposal site - known by many as a popular area for fishing, hiking and camping.
Security Guard Gordon Petrovich claimed he received a phone call from a "Mr. Davis", the landlord of Donna Lass, on either September 7th or September 8th, but didn't recognise the voice. Then he stated he couldn't be sure if it was a Tuesday or Wednesday (which was the 8th or 9th). The only consistency between these two statements is September 8th 1970 for the phone call, which would coincide with my version of events. However, Mr. Nick Davis stated that he didn't call Gordon Petrovich at the Sahara Tahoe casino until September 11th 1970, which opens up the possibility that the person calling Gordon Petrovich on September 8th 1970 could have been somebody pretending to be Mr. Davis (the landlord of Donna Lass), adding legitimacy to the call. This, however, would imply that the murderer of Donna Lass knew her well enough to know the name of her landlord. Phoning the casino and claiming Donna Lass left town for a family ilness would also suggest familiarity with Donna Lass, because her family lived in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, nearly 1500 miles from Lake Tahoe. The phone call had the added advantage of delaying any investigation. A phone call by an impersonator would mean that neither Gordon Petrovich or Nick Davis necessarily had to be wildly off with their times.
Under this scenario, we have Donna Lass seen walking in the direction of her apartment with a blonde haired man on September 7th 1970, her vehicle seemingly devoid of fingerprints, the bathroom light left on, with the possibility of an impersonated phone call on September 8th 1970, who knew the name of her landlord, and was conversant to the fact that her family lived out of town. So, did Donna Lass know her killer? A killer who chose the Lake Spaulding and Lake Valley Reservoir region as a disposal site - known by many as a popular area for fishing, hiking and camping.
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