CA CA - Julie Schossow, 25, & Marilyn Putt, 27, S. Lake Tahoe, 12 Jan 1982

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New leads sought in 35-year-old El Dorado County homicide

Schossow and Putt were close friends who worked as blackjack dealers at Harrah’s Casino in South Lake Tahoe. They were last seen during the evening hours of Jan. 12, 1982. Initial information indicated that the women had met some wealthy gamblers and willingly gone with them to the Bay Area for the weekend, authorities said.

Nearly six months later, on June 6, 1982, Putt’s body was discovered in the south fork of the American River, a mile west of Highway 193, an area known as Chili Bar. Her body had been weighted down with chains and binding material, authorities said.

A month later, on July 9, 1982, Schossow’s body also was discovered in the south fork of the American River, about 150 yards from where Putt’s body was found. Investigators determined that both women were victims of homicide.
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Cold Case Murders Reopened With Questions For Church Of Scientology

For the first time, a victim’s sister is now speaking out and pleading for help.

“We don’t really know what happened. There hasn’t been any closure at all,” said Dana Dearing, Marilyn Putt’s sister.

“Once it’s reopened again it’s kind of like reopening the wound it just brings everything back again,” she said.
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“If there’s anyone out there that’s directly involved with or associated with the Church of Scientology in South Lake Tahoe, you may or may not know you have information that could be helpful, so please contact us,” said Stevenson.

While that’s the new information, the detective can’t say why it’s an important factor, but said it’s a lead they’re pursuing.
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Marilyn Putt - Julie Schossow
MARILYN-PUTT-237x300.png
JULIE-SCHOSSOW-233x300.png
 
I am really glad this cold case was re-opened for I would check every now and then to see if there was anything on this case for I worked at Harrah's as a Blackjack dealer at the time, I already spoke with Det Cosley. No one was very talkative about it at the time...camera's inside and outside the casino and no idea who the people were they were talking to before they left?
I hope for answers for the families and my belated condolences.
 
http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/ne...tion-sought-in-1982-south-lake-tahoe-killings

She had a cord tightly wrapped around her neck two times and the coroner could not rule out the fact that she may have been bound together with Marilyn Putt,” according to the release. “The cause of death appears to be ligature strangulation, with the time of death being estimated at six to eight weeks prior to her body being found.”

Investigators believe both victims were kidnapped and held captive for approximately three months at an unknown location most likely between South Lake Tahoe and Placerville.
 
tahoetess said:
I am really glad this cold case was re-opened for I would check every now and then to see if there was anything on this case for I worked at Harrah's as a Blackjack dealer at the time, I already spoke with Det Cosley. No one was very talkative about it at the time...camera's inside and outside the casino and no idea who the people were they were talking to before they left?
I hope for answers for the families and my belated condolences.
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Yes, don't they keep those videos for a certain period of time, especially when there's an incident? Detectives must have gotten those when the disappearances occurred.

The Placerville-Mountain-Democrat 1982/07 stated that, "the pair had come home from their jobs as card dealers in Lake Tahoe and told a third roommate they had met "a couple of rich guys" and were going to go with them to Sacramento or the Bay area. They never returned."

The Placerville Mountain Democrat 1984/04-18 reports that Debny Lobanoff nee Debny Lynn Falkner, of Palo Alto, CA, born February 7, 1953 was 28 or 29 when she was killed. Her face was virtually crushed, she received several severe blows to the head and her throat was slashed so severely that the cut extended into the lung. The body was in the water for four months. Her husband said she had left on the night of Dec 16 with "biker types". She was reported missing Jan. 5, 1982. Her body was found within weeks of Putt and Schossow.

Her body was found two years earlier in July, 1982 in Slab Creek reservoir, also weighted down with chains.

http://www.edcgov.us/Government/ELDODA/Press_Release/2016/District_Attorney_Vern_Pierson_Announces_Release_of_Cold_Case_Homicide_Video_of_28_Year_Old_Debney_Lynn_Lobanoff.aspx
 
there is not a lot of information out there. The interest in the Church of Scientology did perk my interest. The organization had and continues to have pretty sinister undertones.

What is very strange is the forensic evidence that they had only been dead a couple of months when they were found. This would mean they had been held for three to four months. Nothing a run of the mill serial killer would do.

This Debny Falkner case might be related but Scientologists were not to be confused with bikers in those days. There may be a lot more to the story.
 
pleasestandby said:
Yes, don't they keep those videos for a certain period of time, especially when there's an incident? Detectives must have gotten those when the disappearances occurred.

The Placerville-Mountain-Democrat 1982/07 stated that, "the pair had come home from their jobs as card dealers in Lake Tahoe and told a third roommate they had met "a couple of rich guys" and were going to go with them to Sacramento or the Bay area. They never returned."
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This is what I don't understand...the only way they could have known they were "highrollers" is if they asked one of the supervisors/pit bosses , they had information on most players and the girls obviously felt it was safe to go with them if only because it was known who they were. Also Blackjack Dealers made pretty good money
 
there where hearings going on in 1982 in Clearwater FL that same year, I have no idea why that would be connected but the detectives want to talk to people connected
kemo said:
there is not a lot of information out there. The interest in the Church of Scientology did perk my interest. The organization had and continues to have pretty sinister undertones.

What is very strange is the forensic evidence that they had only been dead a couple of months when they were found. This would mean they had been held for three to four months. Nothing a run of the mill serial killer would do.

This Debny Falkner case might be related but Scientologists were not to be confused with bikers in those days. There may be a lot more to the story.
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[video=youtube;pO5PxH6rFeE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pO5PxH6rFeE[/video]

Although not a member herself, Marilyn Putt was closely associated with several leading members of the “Church of Scientology”.
 
pleasestandby said:
Pat Lakey, City Editor of the Placerville Mountain Democrat, wrote an article in their 1989/01-04 newspaper issue about a growing list of unsolved murders in the area where these women were found, mostly women. The second page of the article states that in 2 separate murders, the young women had their bodies weighted down with chains.

https://samepage.io/app/#!/3af87696...78424da735/page-410439193055990559-vegasgirls
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there was a statement made online that the other woman who was weighted down with chains and found in the river was last seen with two "biker types" and that "biker types" were not 'Highrollers' but biker types and musicians sort of look the same sometimes...and many high rollers were musicians. Speculation was that they could be related but police are not saying...
I am wondering why we never saw any suspect drawings when there were witnesses in the casino seeing the two girls talking with two men and leaving with them...images from cameras etc. think workplace gossip....people would have noticed.
Most likely the perp(s) was older than the girls who would have been in their 60's now and the family would like to know what happened and I would like to see justice for them.
 
tahoetess said:
there was a statement made online that the other woman who was weighted down with chains and found in the river was last seen with two "biker types" and that "biker types" were not 'Highrollers' but biker types and musicians sort of look the same sometimes...and many high rollers were musicians. Speculation was that they could be related but police are not saying...
I am wondering why we never saw any suspect drawings when there were witnesses in the casino seeing the two girls talking with two men and leaving with them...images from cameras etc. think workplace gossip....people would have noticed.
Most likely the perp(s) was older than the girls who would have been in their 60's now and the family would like to know what happened and I would like to see justice for them.
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The person who said she had left with two biker types was her husband. She had just told him that she was leaving (as in divorce) and would come back later for her child. That makes no sense. A mother would take her child with her. She was also the one who was beaten severely about her face and slashed to her lung. (overkill)

One would expect that overkill from someone who knew her. It is possible they are related, though.
 
pleasestandby said:
Pat Lakey, City Editor of the Placerville Mountain Democrat, wrote an article in their 1989/01-04 newspaper issue about a growing list of unsolved murders in the area where these women were found, mostly women. The second page of the article states that in 2 separate murders, the young women had their bodies weighted down with chains.

https://samepage.io/app/#!/3af87696...78424da735/page-410439193055990559-vegasgirls
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What do you experienced sleuths think about this case? Do you think the odds are good in finding out what happened. One of the family members was on another forum and stated they were never told much. Apparently no DNA found at the time but now they have new methods for different types of DNA.
They never really mentioned the condition of the bodies either...sometimes that helps to tie together through MO.
I worked with these girls at the time it was creepy silence and now it is even creepier.
 
tahoetess said:
What do you experienced sleuths think about this case? Do you think the odds are good in finding out what happened. One of the family members was on another forum and stated they were never told much. Apparently no DNA found at the time but now they have new methods for different types of DNA.
They never really mentioned the condition of the bodies either...sometimes that helps to tie together through MO.
I worked with these girls at the time it was creepy silence and now it is even creepier.
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I Google-mapped the general locations where five of the women mentioned in the article were found.

https://goo.gl/maps/DDXejHCzTuq
 
I only know of Julie Schossow and Marilyn Putt which was at Chili Bar Reservoir and Debony Lobanoff who was found at Slab Creek. The samepage link above does not work for me so I am not sure about the other locations!
 
Just thinking out loud, Charles Ng and Leonard Lake met each other in 1981. By April 1982, Ng would be in jail and Lake skipping bail. They wouldn't, as far as we know, start their murders until mid 1983. At the time, early 1982, they were based on the other side of Mendocino National Forest though, though Lake would soon after move to Wilseyville, just east of Sacremento. The general idea, to kidnap and keep women for some time, until they killed them, was generally their MO. Though, as I said, they wouldn't, to my knowledge, begin killing until a year and a half later, after Ng was released.
 
LkjAndersen said:
Just thinking out loud, Charles Ng and Leonard Lake met each other in 1981. By April 1982, Ng would be in jail and Lake skipping bail. They wouldn't, as far as we know, start their murders until mid 1983. At the time, early 1982, they were based on the other side of Mendocino National Forest though, though Lake would soon after move to Wilseyville, just east of Sacremento. The general idea, to kidnap and keep women for some time, until they killed them, was generally their MO. Though, as I said, they wouldn't, to my knowledge, begin killing until a year and a half later, after Ng was released.
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That is a possibility but these two were pretty classy and unless they were really drunk I don't think so, but these two were familiar with the area that's for sure.

People saw Marilyn and Julie leave with some people....thanks
 
I may be reaching here but what about Phillip Garrido as a suspect. He kidnapped Dugard in 1991, maybe he was practicing with older females in 1982 and later moved on to Dugard's age. Just a thought.
 
I lived in the area at the time and frequented Harrah’s Rendezvous lounge, my wife whom I was dating at the time had gone to dealer school with both Marilynn and Julie so I have more than just a passing interest in the case. I did some research regarding Lake, and NG, and it appears that NG, was in jail durning that time however, Lake, looks like a good suspect.
He had an isolated cabin equipped with a torture dungeon that was 52 linear miles from Harrah’s, and 34 linear miles from Chili Bar. January 12, of 1982 was on a Tuesday and the 2nd largest recorded snowfall in US history had occurred the previous week so the casinos were pretty much empty with few tourist so I believe that whomever is responsible must have been familiar with the area. I also came across this link which is a short exposé about the life and times of Lake and NG.
https://web.archive.org/web/2005030...y.com/serial_killers/predators/ng/call_1.html
 
Tex, I researched this a bit also and after reading the book about Lake and Ng I considered it a possibility. Lakes wife made a deal with the police and lives around the bay area. I also lived and worked at Harrah's as a Dealer during this time and it gives us a good perspective on what it was like but do you really think that Lake would/could come off as a "High Roller". There were so many self proclaimed "High Rollers" that I would have checked it out if I was to go with them on that basis , and then there were some who you knew were because they were famous and known to be really wealthy.
 
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