NV NV - Star Palumbo, 25, Reno, 26 April 2000

jodierenee

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Star Palumbo
This is a very strange case....

http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/palumbo_star.html
http://www.theyaremissed.org/ncma/gallery/ncmaprofile_all.php?A200300772W
Palumbo resided in Tucson, Arizona with her family until 1999. She relocated to Reno, Nevada to live with her grandmother at that time. Palumbo was employed as a clerk in a pawn shop in 2000. She apparently became involved with drugs, namely methamphetamine, prior to her disappearance. According to her friends, Palumbo's income from her job in a local pawn shop no longer supported her drug usage. Authorities believe she may have turned to prostitution in early 2000 as a means of financial gain.

Palumbo called her mother on April 25, 2000 and was paranoid during the conversation. Her mother said that Palumbo believed she was being followed and that her telephone was tapped. Palumbo's mother also said that her daughter mentioned the possibility of moving back to Arizona soon and wanted to make a new life for herself.

An officer at Reno/Tahoe International Airport discovered Palumbo in a restricted area of the facility shortly after 12:00 a.m. on April 26, 2000. Palumbo told the officer that she was searching for her sister, who she claimed had run out on to the tarmac. The officer stated that he believed Palumbo was hallucinating at the time. He did not believe her story, but he dropped Palumbo off at the entrance to the Reno Hilton Hotel and Casino at approximately 1:30 a.m. Palumbo was last seen near the entrance of the building by the valet parking area. She never checked in to the hotel and has not been heard from again.

Palumbo's vehicle was discovered illegally parked and abandoned at the airport on April 27, one day after her disappearance. The majority of her personal belongings were found inside the car, along with her cellular phone and her purse, which contained $600 in cash. Palumbo left behind three e-mails addressed to the White House, stating she believed the federal government was attempting to murder her. A drawing of a woman fitting Palumbo's description was also discovered in the vehicle, which depicted the female bound and gagged. Two books that specialized in changing identities were also found inside Palumbo's car. The owner of the Silver Dollar Casino in Elko, Nevada claimed that Palumbo was inside her establishment in December 2000, eight months after Palumbo disappeared. The owner told authorities that the woman became nervous when she saw a man peering through the bar's window during the evening. According to the owner, the woman then departed from the Silver Dollar Casino with another female. Authorities have been unable to confirm if the unidentified woman in the establishment was indeed Palumbo. Foul play is suspected in her case.

 
Wait. A police officer found her, thought she was hallucinating, and then just dropped her off somewhere? I realize that many on this forum believe that LE are not babysitters. However, I thought it was their responsibility to take mentally ill persons to a hospital for evaluation.
 
bykerladi said:
Wait. A police officer found her, thought she was hallucinating, and then just dropped her off somewhere? I realize that many on this forum believe that LE are not babysitters. However, I thought it was their responsibility to take mentally ill persons to a hospital for evaluation.
There is a difference between real illness and drug induced hallucinations. Perhaps the police have seen so many druggies that they no longer take them in just over halucinating. Having said that, I too feel badly that the officer did not take the lady in to be looked at by doctors. I am just not conviced it would have turned her around.
 
It was a terrible mistake of the officer not to take Star in for an evaluation, given her later disappearance. But it was an understandable mistake. Reminds me of how one time the police stopped the then-teenage Jeffrey Dahmer driving in the middle of the night, gave him a citation for something or other, but didn't bother to search his car. He had a dismembered body wrapped in trash bags in the backseat.
 
Yes I would think a wrongful death suit would be in order if they ever found a body!
 
Wait. A police officer found her, thought she was hallucinating, and then just dropped her off somewhere? I realize that many on this forum believe that LE are not babysitters. However, I thought it was their responsibility to take mentally ill persons to a hospital for evaluation.

Hi, everyone... When I read "officer", I immediately thought of a security officer, not a police officer. He found her around midnight but didn't drop her off until 1:30? According to the hotel's website (seems like it has since changed to the Grand Sierra), it is about five minutes away:

Directions From:

•(A) Reno / Tahoe International Airport to
•(B) Grand Sierra Resort and Casino below:
•(DRIVE) 2.3mi - about 5 mins:
 
On the myspace page Blog they put the first post on this thread noting that this was on websleuths.

This is an interesting case and I too am curious why the guard took 1 1/2 hours to take her where he dropped her off.
 
I remember first hearing about Star on Unsolved Mysteries. Star sounded like a good person that got caught up in drugs and then her life quickly spiraled out of control. As for where Star is now...well I guess the most optimistic idea would be that she is alive but too ashamed to contact family. Otherwise she could be 1. still on drugs, prostituting etc...whether homeless or not or 2.Dead and unidentified.

I hope Star if found soon so her family can have her back with them.
 
Anyone ever find out if the drawing ever surfaced? It might be a good clue as to who drew it.
 
did they not track her phone records and see who she had last spoken to? also, i wonder if there were any people around at the hotel who may have noticed her during the time she was "dropped" off by the officer and if there was, were they ever interviewed? how far was her location from where the officer found her to where her car was found? and the emails must have been printed out right?
 
:bump: for Star. :beats:

Snipped:

Palumbo's vehicle was discovered illegally parked and abandoned at the airport on April 27, one day after her disappearance. The majority of her personal belongings were found inside the car, along with her cellular phone and her purse, which contained $600 in cash.

 
I know no one has commented on this page for some time. I thought I would reply to your question that Star Palumbo drew this drawing/sketch herself.
 

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