Identified! NV - Washoe Co., WhtFem 156UFNV, 25-35, Sheep's Flat Trail, Jul'82 - Mary Edith Silvani

[Rindicella]

Whew! A lot going on the few weeks I was gone.....lots to think about.

Charlie, your latest questions are excellent.
I especially like #7. Kinda touching to think she is still "with us" and hoping, through us to "get home".

Regarding earrings - it's hard to tell from the photos (I have them all printed out). But looking at just the post-mortem, it doesn't like they were....but it's a photo and maybe they kept that secret? Further, I think you should ask about any other kind of jewelry. As in the Pope's Island Jane Doe, which had a very unique, and very unusual ring, that experts said came from Belarus --- sorta pinpoints a place to start digging huh?

Also, was ANYTHING (even "garbage") found near or around the area where the body was found?

Were there any casings found indicating type of gun used?

Was ANYTHING found on the body that might indicate her origin? Tickets to the opera?
Movie ticket stub? coins in her pockets? Anything?

If I were a killer, I would strip the body of anything in the pockets. And that might alter the actual position of the body - leading me to set the body up after searching. Which may mean she wasn't really "bending over to tie a shoe".

I keep obsessing over the dental work. Ask if the teeth were capped with "tin cans" (that's what dentists call them.) They are pre-made, one size fits all, caps made of cheap stainless steel or nickel. Very common in the former eastern bloc, for the "little people". Party members of course, had access to much higher quality dentistry, both in their home countries, but also in the west, as they were priviledged to travel.
If she had hih quality dentistry (like the pounded 18 k gold, like i mentioned way back) and she was eastern european, that would indicate a Party membership, or a connection to one.
If her crowns were "tin cans", that means an even bigger mystery: How the heck did she get here without being a Party member????? No way in 1982, and especially not earlier, would that even be likely, much less possible or probable.


God bless you Charlie --- we're behind you all the way!

 

[Charlie99909]

Rindi good to see you're not MIA.


Things I know for sure, she had no jewelry or any coins, things like that on her. Now if she had it taken from her before or after she was shot, I don't know.

The dental is interesting. I took note of the two styles and I will ask.

Never got my call back, he could be busy. I'm going to wait a day or so and get back to him.

 

[Rindicella]

I just want to add a few thoughts on the eastern european angle:

IF she was eastern european, another likely choice for country of origin would be : East Germany and even more specifically, East Berlin (aside from the former Yugoslavia, already mentioned way back). At that time, it was not unheard of for people to make a run for the border at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin and remember too, the several incidents at the Fulda Gap. Some of them actually made it. Others were turned away in the name of "diplomatic relations". Sad, eh?

Being who I am, I would dispute a few of the "official" facts, in these articles about Fulda Gap, Eastern bloc emigration, and Checkpoint Charlie from Wiki, but they are still basically good sources of information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulda_Gap

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checkpoint_charlie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Bloc_emigration_and_defection

I remember as a high school student in Frankfurt, many shall we say "tense moments" from 1980 to 1984 when I left, at the Fulda Gap. Young people today have no idea how close we came to nuclear war with the Soviets. I hope they never have to experience that kind of "tension" in the future.

 

[Charlie99909]

Ok so i added the dental part into my questions.

I found a few local cemeteries have jane doe plots. Get this, I found the infant from 2/82.

Maybe if I call the cemeteries and enqire about plots belonging to Jane Does I can find a match. As far as I can tell there is no potters field in town.

 

[Charlie99909]

I never thought to do it before, but I'm talking to people who lived in Reno at that time that I work with. None of them remember this homicide. But remember how a lot of murders rocked the then small community.
You could leave doors unlocked all the time and never worry.

 

[Rindicella]

Great to hear Charlie. Hope you are making progress with the detective?

Just so you know, I am not idle --- I am tackling the task of making an actual painted portrait of this woman. I'm hoping if I do in a more traditional way, and I can upload a photo of it, maybe that might help. At least it will give us something new to look at. I can only hope my poor efforts will be worthwhile for HER. Lord, guide my hands!

Best,
R.

 

[Rindicella]

Also, just as an aside for curiosity sake' I read the other day that someone auctioned off the actual piece of property known as Checkpoint Bravo. Also from Berlin. Kinda interesting. When I read the news story, I immediately wondered if our girl once went through there...I can very well imagine it.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1312818/Checkpoint-Bravo-sold-mystery-buyer.html

 

[Charlie99909]

Really?

I real portrait of this woman? That would be something to see. For her sake, all I ever could hope is to crack her name. That is so awesome that you're doing that. I can't wait to see it finished.

 

[tamar]

I also worked on touching up the photo... I can't do the eyes (not that talented) but if someone would like to take over from here please feel free.

 

[Charlie99909]

Whoa that looks much better than what washoe came up with. Carl is great when it comes to this. Maybe he can add the eyes.

 

[tamar]

Thanks Charlie,

Here is one more, I used the HDR to bring out her freckles a bit, and downplayed the "made up" look.

Carl if you could overlay a picture of brown/hazel eyes, I think it would help make this reconstruction more convincing.

 

[CarlK90245]

thanks charlie,

here is one more, i used the hdr to bring out her freckles a bit, and downplayed the "made up" look.

Carl if you could overlay a picture of brown/hazel eyes, i think it would help make this reconstruction more convincing.

Here you go.

 

[CarlK90245]

Here you go.

View attachment 11394

The eyes that I did on Tamar's version are much better than the ones that I had on my own version. I decided to replace them with the ones that I just did for Tamar.

 

[tamar]

Carl,

Thank you for your contribution. Your artistic ability is well placed.

 

[tamar]

Newer Washoe Jane Doe Recons compiled

 

[Charlie99909]

I might take a trip up to the trail this weekend. I want to get some photos of the area for everyone.

 

[tamar]

I wonder about her being an Army wife. My father was stationed in Germany and several of his army buddies brought back German wives in the 80s. A soldier who wanted to off his foreign wife could easily claim that she 'ran off' or was 'only interested in the green card' making it very difficult for her family to investigate. I will check to see which military installations are close to Tahoe. I bet they can be cross referenced with American bases/posts in Germany and perhaps even to the units stationed there in the 70s & 80s). That may at least point us to German city/town to research missing women.

Anyone know of a good Missing Persons site for Germany?

Here's one more recon. I superimposed my own eyes on the UID, which was actually a little creepy when I started it, but I think it makes this kind of reconstruction (photo touch-up) more realistic. I might try a few other eye shapes as well, because Carl observed that her eyes look like they have a bit of a downward slant.

 

[Charlie99909]

Holy hell!

That post mortem with the eyes is easily the creepiest thing ever!

I know we have Fallon navel station south east about 1 1/2 hours away. There are a couple military/ former military installations aroun here.

 

[Charlie99909]

Also, if she married a serviceman, she wouldn't be reported missing in her hometown or country.

I believe the key to finding her is in her fingerprints. She would have to have them on file if she came here legally, like with a visa or even if she was married. When I asked if the embassy had been checked for any visas they said they need a name to check visas.

 

[Charlie99909]

I don't mean to side track here but look at this.

http://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1282umco.html

He was killed about a month and a half after our Jane here. He has the appearance of eastern European. His shirt is from Fallon Nevada. Only an hour an a half south east from me. Also he was shot with a small caliber gun. Possibly the two cases are related somehow?