CA CA - Richard Strehle, 26, South Lake Tahoe, 5 July 1973

[BethAnn777]

My biggest niggle with the Strehle case is the way his prolific correspondence ceases so abruptly, c. 1972. It's a real worry to me, like he's stopped talking. Paranoia increases with depression, everything in the environment seems to be a threat, and you can see it in his letters [And in the aggressive repost from Mr Greenwell] Richard was a quiet, reliable man according to his colleagues, the kind that bottles their emotions up. Contrary to perception, a determined suicide will keep up the pretence of normal because they want to succeed. I have to consider the possibility of a suicide, because his car wasn't moved.
Of course he may have been on his bike, peddlin' up to Canada...in which case he didn't take much with him.

Canada is very far from South Lake Tahoe. I may have missed it in the thread, but why is it thought to be a possibility that he would have biked to Canada? Mexico would have been closer if he was looking to get out of the country.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Hi Beth, sorry to see another of Fox's jokes has slipped up on the banana skin of reality. It was a combo of the discovery that Richard was a bit of a cyclist with a discussion about whether he'd been involved in aiding Draft Dodgers make it up to Canada...never mind, then... What's the odd 1000 miles of extra peddlin' between friends...

 

[BethAnn777]

Hi Beth, sorry to see another of Fox's jokes has slipped up on the banana skin of reality. It was a combo of the discovery that Richard was a bit of a cyclist with a discussion about whether he'd been involved in aiding Draft Dodgers make it up to Canada...never mind, then... What's the odd 1000 miles of extra peddlin' between friends...

Ah okay, makes sense! LOL! I am a very literal person and I have a hard time reading between the lines.

 

[FOXINBOX]

I am making and compiling a list of Unsolved missing persons & murder cases from South Lake Tahoe- or very close to it. Feel free to add to it.

I have so far:
Donna Lass 1970
Charles Hollingsworth 1970
Richard Strehle 1973
Julie Schossow & Marilyn Putt both abducted together in 1982, & later found murdered
In June 87, an unidentified woman's body (as of 1989)was found along Highway 50 near Greenstone Rd

July 1984, Debney Lobanoff found floating in Slab Creek anchored by a tow chain.

Also- side note re: Lass
In January, 1982, a woman walking a dog near Fallen Leaf Lake Rd found a skull and other bones of a woman determined to be in her 20's. (as of the 1989 article she was not identified) She had extensive dental work, $4,000 worth, not sure if the dental work matches Lass, or if they compared to Lass case



I am also looking at crimes with some overlap or mention of Lake Tahoe:

Anna Jeanette Anderson, a nurse from Oakland, found dead in shallow grave in Carson City, 30 miles from Lake Tahoe in 1966. When she went missing, she told her brother she was "going to Lake Tahoe or Reno for the weekend"

Morf, have you considered the other Anderson, in Sactamento. I'm pretty sure you'll be familiar with it - Denise Kathleen, another complete disappearance. When I was looking into it, I discovered she lived on 16th Street, which becomes Lincoln Highway. Is this the same Lincoln Highway on which Donna was staying? If it is then you have another connection, and likely the road travelled by the perp.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Ah okay, makes sense! LOL! I am a very literal person and I have a hard time reading between the lines.

And likely you didn't have the odd 10 hours to spare on reading previous - I am trying to make sensible responses to an Australian case with 26 pages of thread...no way am I going to tackle that lot and come out sane. Podcast recommended - more than 30 episodes - and I bet it could be summed up in one. And I thought the Strehle case would send me mad!

 

[morf13]

Morf, have you considered the other Anderson, in Sactamento. I'm pretty sure you'll be familiar with it - Denise Kathleen, another complete disappearance. When I was looking into it, I discovered she lived on 16th Street, which becomes Lincoln Highway. Is this the same Lincoln Highway on which Donna was staying? If it is then you have another connection, and likely the road travelled by the perp.

I may have missed that one

 

[FOXINBOX]

I see I can't spell Sacramento at midnight...the girl's name was Denise Kathleen Anderson, disappeared April 13 1971. I had very little luck with any details even though the case was well publicised, so I hope you will have more luck
Regards
Fox

 

[FOXINBOX]

I see I can't spell Sacramento at midnight...the girl's name was Denise Kathleen Anderson, disappeared April 13 1971. I had very little luck with any details even though the case was well publicised, so I hope you will have more luck
Regards
Fox

Too late to edit...Her mother was a legal secretary, as was Richard's.

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I am making and compiling a list of Unsolved missing persons & murder cases from South Lake Tahoe- or very close to it. Feel free to add to it.

I have so far:
Donna Lass 1970
Charles Hollingsworth 1970
Richard Strehle 1973
Julie Schossow & Marilyn Putt both abducted together in 1982, & later found murdered
In June 87, an unidentified woman's body (as of 1989)was found along Highway 50 near Greenstone Rd

July 1984, Debney Lobanoff found floating in Slab Creek anchored by a tow chain.

Also- side note re: Lass
In January, 1982, a woman walking a dog near Fallen Leaf Lake Rd found a skull and other bones of a woman determined to be in her 20's. (as of the 1989 article she was not identified) She had extensive dental work, $4,000 worth, not sure if the dental work matches Lass, or if they compared to Lass case



I am also looking at crimes with some overlap or mention of Lake Tahoe:

Anna Jeanette Anderson, a nurse from Oakland, found dead in shallow grave in Carson City, 30 miles from Lake Tahoe in 1966. When she went missing, she told her brother she was "going to Lake Tahoe or Reno for the weekend"

Not sure if you've already looked into it, but Judith Ann Hakari fits the profile. She was a 23-year-old nurse from Sacramento who was abducted, sexually assaulted, beaten, and strangled to death. Hakari was last seen on March 7, 1970 when she left work at Sutter Memorial Hospital at 11:30 p.m. Her car was found abandoned in the parking lot of her apartment at 1740 Markston Road by her fiancé a few hours later.

Hakari's body was found on April 26, in a shallow grave next to an abandoned house by two hikers on their way to visit some old mine shafts near the American River in Weimar, Placer County. The crudely-dug gravesite was located around three miles south of I-80 (at roughly the halfway point of the I-80 span between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe), nestled about 100 feet off of Ponderosa Way, a little-used country road. According to Placer County Sheriff-Coroner William A. Scott, her body had been "stuffed into a canvas-type bag" along with one of her shoes. Police also found a nylon stocking, believed to be Hakari's, which was used to strangle her. She was still wearing her nurse's uniform.

LE later connected Hakari's murder to the killing of 28-year-old Nancy Marie Bennallack, a court reporter who was brutally murdered in her apartment at 1830 Bell Street––only a block away from Hakari's apartment––on October 26.

Sources:

"Strangled: Body of Nurse Found Buried," San Francisco Examiner, 27 April 1970, pg. 9.

Warren Holloway, "Shallow Grave Found Year Ago: Judy's Killer Still Walks Streets," Sacramento Bee, 16 May 1971, pg. A3.

Warren Holloway, "Year Ends, But Hunt For Killers Of 3 Capital Women Goes On," Sacramento Bee, 1 January 1971, pg. D1.

William G. Wilson, "Body Of Missing Sacramento Nurse Is Discovered Near Weimar," Sacramento Bee, 27 April 1970, pg. A1.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Judith is certainly a case for consideration. There was extensive battery to the face and upper body, almost overkill - but serial killers do adapt to their environment, or it may just be a different perp. Her body was found in a shallow grave a some time later.
Unfortunately we are almost spoilt for suspects, if we consider the Sacramento crimes are linked. The East Area Rapist is just gearing up, Ted Bundy is lurking to the north and The Zodiac may not have retired after all...I wouldn't like to exclude the murders of Judith and Nancy from the Tahoe cluster but there are considerable differences in MO

 

[citizen_sleuth]

Judith is certainly a case for consideration. There was extensive battery to the face and upper body, almost overkill - but serial killers do adapt to their environment, or it may just be a different perp. Her body was found in a shallow grave a some time later.
Unfortunately we are almost spoilt for suspects, if we consider the Sacramento crimes are linked. The East Area Rapist is just gearing up, Ted Bundy is lurking to the north and The Zodiac may not have retired after all...I wouldn't like to exclude the murders of Judith and Nancy from the Tahoe cluster but there are considerable differences in MO

AFAK, LE believed (at least at the time) that both Judith and Nancy were victims of the Zodiac. I’m currently on my phone so I can’t quickly refer back to the articles I have saved, but I believe in one of them (off the top of my head I think it’s a Sacramento Bee article published in ‘71), a detective in the homicide division assigned to both of their cases stated LE strongly believed the two were victims of the Zodiac, although they admittedly lacked sufficient evidence to conclusively confirm their suspicions. I’m not sold on them being victims of the Zodiac, but IMO their murders were committed by the same serial killer—they share too many similarities to not be connected.

 

[FOXINBOX]

AFAK, LE believed (at least at the time) that both Judith and Nancy were victims of the Zodiac. I’m currently on my phone so I can’t quickly refer back to the articles I have saved, but I believe in one of them (off the top of my head I think it’s a Sacramento Bee article published in ‘71), a detective in the homicide division assigned to both of their cases stated LE strongly believed the two were victims of the Zodiac, although they admittedly lacked sufficient evidence to conclusively confirm their suspicions. I’m not sold on them being victims of the Zodiac, but IMO their murders were committed by the same serial killer—they share too many similarities to not be connected.

I agree that Judith and Nancy's murders are probably linked.
The Zodiac - well he's sort of become a catch-all for any unsolved murders in central California, even though the perp in the original cluster was a shooter targeting men and women, and there's no real indication he escalated to abduction and rape. Donna is only linked to him because he said so, and he said a lot of things, much of which is unproven. I think police everywhere are sometimes afflicted with conformation bias, interpreting information in a way that supports their theories, and they stick with them because there's nobody to say anything to the contrary. This is where WebSleuths is so great, because there are so many of us, with so many ideas and theories, it's possible to see real patterns emerge when everybody comes to a consensus.
And we all seem to be agreed there's something strange in the neighbourhood of South Lake Tahoe! So who you gonna call...WebSleuths!

 

[morf13]

I agree that Judith and Nancy's murders are probably linked.
The Zodiac - well he's sort of become a catch-all for any unsolved murders in central California, even though the perp in the original cluster was a shooter targeting men and women, and there's no real indication he escalated to abduction and rape. Donna is only linked to him because he said so, and he said a lot of things, much of which is unproven. I think police everywhere are sometimes afflicted with conformation bias, interpreting information in a way that supports their theories, and they stick with them because there's nobody to say anything to the contrary. This is where WebSleuths is so great, because there are so many of us, with so many ideas and theories, it's possible to see real patterns emerge when everybody comes to a consensus.
And we all seem to be agreed there's something strange in the neighbourhood of South Lake Tahoe! So who you gonna call...WebSleuths!

Zodiac was never confirmed to have abducted or sexually assaulted anyone

 

[FOXINBOX]

Zodiac was never confirmed to have abducted or sexually assaulted anyone

Absolutely, never even lifted a victim's skirts, didn't even touch or move the first four victims It is, I think, what makes the crimes so coldly fascinating.
I confess to watching Prodigal Son more than I should, but was interested in the definition of a "Comfort Killer" - someone who kills to protect their way of life, to maintain a lifestyle, to protect their family from some perceived danger or to safeguard a secret. For me, it describes the Z, but Morf is the expert.

 

[FOXINBOX]

I’ve been updating My Maps, what with it being so quiet on the Strehle thread, plotting out the South Tahoe Three.

Starting with Charles’s surgery @ 1950 Lake Tahoe Blvd, then Richard @ Maloney Realty, 2700 Lake Tahoe Blvd [Thanks, Citizen ]

and Donna’s new address @ the Monte Verdi Apartments, 3893 Pioneer Trail. This address is the same as it was in 1970, so I think we can presume there hasn’t been a seismic shift in the Tahoe lot numbering system.

Donna worked @ the Sahara Tahoe, number 50 US 50 in Stateline [I’m presuming the numbers do a reset to zero once they cross the border into Nevada]. Now, thanks to Morf , we have Donna’s original address – 4054 US 50,

At this point Google had a breakdown. It sent me to a roundabout to the south or somewhere near Carson City to the north. Discounted the north as Nevada numbering, so had another look at the roundabout. First habitation to the south, a KOA Campground @ only 760 US-50, so there should be 2000 numbered habitations in the half-mile between there and the roundabout. There aren’t any, and there never have been, so Google had a blip. However, Lake Tahoe Blvd is the same road as US 50 and next to the California / Nevada border the last odd number is 4135, and the last even number is 4130

Fortunately, we have the address Morf gave for Donna and it works out just fine if applied to US-50 / Lake Tahoe Blvd. It would have been in a lot [Now redeveloped] opposite the Stardust...

Posting a link to My Map...
Suspicious Circumstances - Google My Maps

I have to give you the key because I can’t do it on My Map. Roughly, the darker the icon, the nearer it is to the Disappearances

Cross, Dark Grey.....Immediate link to disappearances
Cross, Light Grey....Tenuous link to disappearances
Dot, Dark Grey........Workplace contemporary to disappearance
Dot, Light Grey.......Prior workplace
Diamond, Light Grey...Birthplace
“Eye” icon, black......Last Seen
Square, Dark Grey...Residence contemporary to disappearance
Square, Light Grey...Prior residence or place of education

There are 4 layers
1) The South Lake Tahoe Three
2) Donna's background
3) Charles's back ground
4) Richard's background
Use the tick boxes to see the ones you want

The data is incomplete - of course- let me know what you want to add
I hope y’all can understand that, as it’s 1 am and I’m all tuckered out.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Don't think I can post the article, but it comes from The Chico Enterprise-Record Tuesday 14 August 1979, so not so long after the disappearances. The headline is "Tahoe Organized Crime Link Explored by FBI" [Should we be surprised?] The Sahara Tahoe is specifically mentioned, as well as real estate transactions, and the corruption of at least 3 council members [No names]

 

[citizen_sleuth]

I’ve been updating My Maps, what with it being so quiet on the Strehle thread, plotting out the South Tahoe Three.

Starting with Charles’s surgery @ 1950 Lake Tahoe Blvd, then Richard @ Maloney Realty, 2700 Lake Tahoe Blvd [Thanks, Citizen ]

and Donna’s new address @ the Monte Verdi Apartments, 3893 Pioneer Trail. This address is the same as it was in 1970, so I think we can presume there hasn’t been a seismic shift in the Tahoe lot numbering system.

Donna worked @ the Sahara Tahoe, number 50 US 50 in Stateline [I’m presuming the numbers do a reset to zero once they cross the border into Nevada]. Now, thanks to Morf , we have Donna’s original address – 4054 US 50,

At this point Google had a breakdown. It sent me to a roundabout to the south or somewhere near Carson City to the north. Discounted the north as Nevada numbering, so had another look at the roundabout. First habitation to the south, a KOA Campground @ only 760 US-50, so there should be 2000 numbered habitations in the half-mile between there and the roundabout. There aren’t any, and there never have been, so Google had a blip. However, Lake Tahoe Blvd is the same road as US 50 and next to the California / Nevada border the last odd number is 4135, and the last even number is 4130

Fortunately, we have the address Morf gave for Donna and it works out just fine if applied to US-50 / Lake Tahoe Blvd. It would have been in a lot [Now redeveloped] opposite the Stardust...

Posting a link to My Map...
Suspicious Circumstances - Google My Maps

I have to give you the key because I can’t do it on My Map. Roughly, the darker the icon, the nearer it is to the Disappearances

Cross, Dark Grey.....Immediate link to disappearances
Cross, Light Grey....Tenuous link to disappearances
Dot, Dark Grey........Workplace contemporary to disappearance
Dot, Light Grey.......Prior workplace
Diamond, Light Grey...Birthplace
“Eye” icon, black......Last Seen
Square, Dark Grey...Residence contemporary to disappearance
Square, Light Grey...Prior residence or place of education

There are 4 layers
1) The South Lake Tahoe Three
2) Donna's background
3) Charles's back ground
4) Richard's background
Use the tick boxes to see the ones you want

The data is incomplete - of course- let me know what you want to add
I hope y’all can understand that, as it’s 1 am and I’m all tuckered out.

This is a fantastic summary and map, FoxInBox! Thank you for putting this all together—I plan to use this info to do more digging into possible related criminal activity in the area as well as any other pertinent info in archived local papers. I don’t know why, but the Strehle case has sucked me in—it’s so bizarre. While Lake Tahoe certainly has plenty of wilderness areas nearby one could disappear in, it seems weird that investigators found nothing that indicated Strehle travelled to one of these more remote areas (which I’m assuming he would’ve needed car to reach because if he walked, he most likely would’ve been sighted at some point by a passing motorist). Also, on a related note, I believe you’re correct in assuming the numbering system in South Lake Tahoe hasn’t changed much since 1970—I coincidentally happened to spend a week there roughly 2 months ago and the old maps I found online line up with what I remember (as well as current maps).

 

[FOXINBOX]

This is a fantastic summary and map, FoxInBox! Thank you for putting this all together—I plan to use this info to do more digging into possible related criminal activity in the area as well as any other pertinent info in archived local papers. I don’t know why, but the Strehle case has sucked me in—it’s so bizarre. While Lake Tahoe certainly has plenty of wilderness areas nearby one could disappear in, it seems weird that investigators found nothing that indicated Strehle travelled to one of these more remote areas (which I’m assuming he would’ve needed car to reach because if he walked, he most likely would’ve been sighted at some point by a passing motorist). Also, on a related note, I believe you’re correct in assuming the numbering system in South Lake Tahoe hasn’t changed much since 1970—I coincidentally happened to spend a week there roughly 2 months ago and the old maps I found online line up with what I remember (as well as current maps).

Feet-on-the-ground observation! Wow, just what's needed in this case. And funnily enough one of my sleuthing contacts was @ the casino in the '70s, but haven't yet had a chance to learn more.
I discovered one important thing when I went over the news articles - Donna was not nursing @ The Letterman during the time of the Zodiac's Paul Stine murder [Oct. '69] , Her tenure was only five months, Jan/May 1970 so there is in fact no direct connection with the Zodiac. Bit of a disappointment, that.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Have updated the Hollingsworth layer of the map.

 

[FOXINBOX]

Charles walked away from his surgery "After an argument with a family member". Do we know who that family member was? I have found no trace of children so the candidates are his ex-wife, who had divorced him that month after 14 years of marriage, and would remarry 3 weeks later. She died in South Lake Tahoe 1995. His mother, clever lady, 4 years college, had a stormy relationship with Charles's dad (She married him twice! ) but may have been ill. She died 1974 in Orange County. The elder of his two brothers died in San Diego County and the Public Record Index has no listing for any address in El Dorado County, so it seems unlikely that he was the family member. The younger brother is also deceased 1989, Orange County, but I am looking into a possible address in Stateline