NV NV - Sandra Kaye Butler, 16, Sparks, 26 June 1978

New Posts

IMHO...it is a much better theory that Gerald Gallego either on his own or with his wife Charlene murdered Sandra Butler. Sandra went missing on June 26, 1979 from Sparks, NV.

Two days earlier on June 24th, 1979 Charlene Gallego lured 14-year old Brenda Lynn Judd and 13-year old Sandra Kay Colley from the Washoe County Fair in Reno, NV (just a few miles away from Sparks, NV where Sandra Butler disappeared from) to a van on the premise of a job handing out flyers at the fair. Gerald Gallego was waiting near the van armed with a gun to kidnap the two teenagers. Charlene testified at trial that Gerald raped, killed, and buried both teenagers and he was found guilty of their murders and the bodies of both teenagers were not found until 20 years later.

After kidnapping and murdering 2 girls in Sacramento in September 1978 and Gerald Gallego's teenage daughter filing child molestation/incest charges against him a few weeks later, Gerald and Charlene had to flee the area of Sacramento, CA. They received help from Charlene's family in obtaining a false identity for Gerald Gallego and shortly after the fled Sacramento they were wed under the aliases of Mr. and Mrs Stephen Robert Feil. In December of 1978 Gerald got a job with the help of Charlene's father driving a truck in Houston, TX. By the spring of 1979 he lost that job and the couple moved to Reno, NV.

Gerald Gallego was living in Reno, NV just a few miles away from Sparks, NV where Sandra Butler disappeared from and was convicted of killing 2 teenage girls in Reno, NV just 2 days before Sandra disappeared whose bodies were not found until over 20 years later during excavations for a construction project. Most of Gerald's known and suspected victims were young teenage girls and he was living just a few miles from where Sandra disappeared from during the time she disappeared. Unfortunately he wasn't arrested until November 1980, but I am sure he has to be a prime suspect.

Her body is probably somewhere in the desert or another remote area of Nevada as Gerald was known to dispose of his victims in remote areas of Nevada, even some of his victims from California were disposed of and found in remote areas of Nevada.

I pray someday that Sandra will be found and justice/peace are given to her loved ones.
 
Thewop356 said:
IMHO...it is a much better theory that Gerald Gallego either on his own or with his wife Charlene murdered Sandra Butler. Sandra went missing on June 26, 1979 from Sparks, NV.

Two days earlier on June 24th, 1979 Charlene Gallego lured 14-year old Brenda Lynn Judd and 13-year old Sandra Kay Colley from the Washoe County Fair in Reno, NV (just a few miles away from Sparks, NV where Sandra Butler disappeared from) to a van on the premise of a job handing out flyers at the fair. Gerald Gallego was waiting near the van armed with a gun to kidnap the two teenagers. Charlene testified at trial that Gerald raped, killed, and buried both teenagers and he was found guilty of their murders and the bodies of both teenagers were not found until 20 years later.

After kidnapping and murdering 2 girls in Sacramento in September 1978 and Gerald Gallego's teenage daughter filing child molestation/incest charges against him a few weeks later, Gerald and Charlene had to flee the area of Sacramento, CA. They received help from Charlene's family in obtaining a false identity for Gerald Gallego and shortly after the fled Sacramento they were wed under the aliases of Mr. and Mrs Stephen Robert Feil. In December of 1978 Gerald got a job with the help of Charlene's father driving a truck in Houston, TX. By the spring of 1979 he lost that job and the couple moved to Reno, NV.

Gerald Gallego was living in Reno, NV just a few miles away from Sparks, NV where Sandra Butler disappeared from and was convicted of killing 2 teenage girls in Reno, NV just 2 days before Sandra disappeared whose bodies were not found until over 20 years later during excavations for a construction project. Most of Gerald's known and suspected victims were young teenage girls and he was living just a few miles from where Sandra disappeared from during the time she disappeared. Unfortunately he wasn't arrested until November 1980, but I am sure he has to be a prime suspect.

Her body is probably somewhere in the desert or another remote area of Nevada as Gerald was known to dispose of his victims in remote areas of Nevada, even some of his victims from California were disposed of and found in remote areas of Nevada.

I pray someday that Sandra will be found and justice/peace are given to her loved ones.
Click to expand...
Sandra went missing in 1978 not 1979. We should still consider Long because he was active in the 1970s and he only has a few known victims, he could have more.
 
OMG!!! I am so embarrassed. Thank you Mysteries1974 for pointing that out, I cannot believe I made that mistake. Please disregard the "uniqueness" of my above post about my opinion of the involvement of Gerald Gallego. I somehow overlooked the fact that the 2 disappearances actually happened A YEAR AND TWO DAYS APART and not just two days apart, which does not factually put Gallego in or near Reno, NV during the timeframe of Sandra Butler's disappearance. He could still be involved, but not because or supported by the facts I have stated in my above post. I tried to edit it, but I guess you can't do that after a certain time. Sorry about the misleading info, it was not intentional.
 
Thewop356 said:
OMG!!! I am so embarrassed. Thank you Mysteries1974 for pointing that out, I cannot believe I made that mistake. Please disregard the "uniqueness" of my above post about my opinion of the involvement of Gerald Gallego. I somehow overlooked the fact that the 2 disappearances actually happened A YEAR AND TWO DAYS APART and not just two days apart, which does not factually put Gallego in or near Reno, NV during the timeframe of Sandra Butler's disappearance. He could still be involved, but not because or supported by the facts I have stated in my above post. I tried to edit it, but I guess you can't do that after a certain time. Sorry about the misleading info, it was not intentional.
Click to expand...
It’s fine, I just want to find out if Long is involved in her case.
 
Thewop356 said:
Sandra Butler definitely fits Long's victim profile. Also by some accounts I read (on *****************) that Sandra had called her mother and asked permission to go to the Reno Rodeo and on the same thread it mentions that "by some accounts Sandra was reported missing from a Reno Rodeo". Here is the link : https://*****************/forum/ind...sing-from-sparks-nv-26-june-1978-age-16.6149/

That all being said...Long is a very good suspect especially considering his working at traveling carnivals and Sandra going missing so close to the fairgrounds in Reno, NV. Also two of Long's presumed victims (Carlene Brown and Christy Gross) disappeared from rodeos. Long was certainly capable of this type of crime and with his background in traveling carnivals, rodeos, and long haul trucking; he should have been considered a suspect by LE. I am gonna look some more into his known whereabouts and timeline. I will post what I find.

EDIT : Wow...couldnt post the link. I apologize if I somehow broke a rule at WS but I just wanted to post a link to the thread from crime watchers that had an article and other info about Sandra disappearing/inquiring about the Reno Rodeo.
Click to expand...
This makes it even more likely that she was a long victim.
 
Agreed...I am still looking for a verified timeline on his whereabouts. I have been busy early this week, but I will jump into this rabbit hole at the end of this week and into this coming weekend.
 
We know he was in WY in 1974 and in Oklahoma in 1981. We just have to figure out where he was between 1974 and 1981. He kidnapped 6 girls in total maybe more:

Carlene Brown and Christy Gross (07/04/1974)

Deborah Rae Meyer (08/04/1974)

Jayleen Dawn Banker (08/23/1974)

Cinda Leanne Pallett (09/26/1981)

Charlotte June Kinsey (09/26/1981)
 
There isn’t much on royal Long on the internet. If Sandra was in fact at the fair then Long May have lured her with a job opportunity as he did with Cinda Pallett and Charlotte Kinsey
 
Sandra Kaye Butler
  • butler_sandra.jpg
  • sandra_kaye_butler_2.jpg
  • sandra_kaye_butler_3.jpg
Sandra, circa 1978; Age-progression to age 50 (circa 2012)

  • Missing Since06/26/1978
  • Missing FromSparks, Nevada
  • ClassificationEndangered Missing
  • Date of Birth03/27/1962 (57)
  • Age16 years old
  • Height and Weight5'0 - 5'1, 110 pounds
  • Distinguishing CharacteristicsCaucasian female. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Sandra's nickname is Sandy. Her middle name may be spelled "Kay" by some agencies. She has a freckled complexion and hears are pierced. Both of her second toes are much larger than her big toes.
Details of Disappearance
Sandra was last seen in Sparks, Nevada on June 26, 1978. She was walking to the Greenbrae Shopping Center, across the street from her family's apartment at Fourth and Greenbrae Streets. She has never been heard from again. At the time of her disappearance, she was considered a runaway and authorities did little to find her.

It's possible that Sandra was a victim of the serial killer couple Charlene and Gerald Gallego, who were ultimately convicted of the kidnapping and murders of several teenage girls in California, Oregon and Nevada. The Gallegos had abducted two teenage girls from the Sparks fairgrounds on June 24, 1979, a year almost to the day after Sandra vanished. On the day Sandra disappeared, she had gotten permission from her mother to ride her bike to the Reno Rodeo at the fairgrounds. The Gallegos are known to have been in the area that day.

Gerald was sentenced to death in California for murder, and died of natural causes on death row in 2002. Charlene testified against her husband in exchange for a reduced sentence, and was released from a Nevada prison in 1997. She was last known to be living in California under a new name. The police have not been able to interview her about Sandra's disappearance, but they continue to pursue leads in the case.

There has been no trace of Sandra since her disappearance in 1978. She was a student at Reed High School. She had moved to Nevada with her family from California; her family stated she would have never run away from home.
 
Could Sandra be this UID found in California in 1980:

One of the sandals had "Kay" written on it. Some sites give her middle name "Kaye" as "Kay", so close enough--i.e. a letter(s) could have faded, etc. Interesting, at least.

If Sandra did run away, or was taken by the Gallegos, or even on the off chance she could have been the girl in the Alcala photo mentioned earlier in this discussion by a former member, there would be connections to California, where she was from originally and where the Gallegos and Alcala had connections.

Sandra does appear to have a reddish tint to her hair in some of the photos. Her complexion is listed as freckled.

Against the match: The height is a bit off, and what would she have been up to for roughly 2 years?

I think she is worth considering.

CA - CA - Montecito Heights, Wht/HispFem UP4368, 12-18, 'Kay' on sandal, Aug'80

The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs)
 
Schmurm said:
This girl is a UI Jane Doe in Colfax, Placer County, CA. Colfax is half way between Sparks, Nevada and Sacramento, CA along
I-80. Perhaps the route of the Gallegos mentioned above. The National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) . I haven't submitted this yet.
Click to expand...

There is a strong resemblance between her photos and the sketches of the UID, and the stats line up. You should submit.

To compare, a photo of Sandra from NAMUS, and a sketch of UID #UP17572 from NAMUS: Original.jpg Original-1.jpg
 
Beekarina said:
There is a strong resemblance between her photos and the sketches of the UID, and the stats line up. You should submit.

To compare, a photo of Sandra from NAMUS, and a sketch of UID #UP17572 from NAMUS: View attachment 312262 View attachment 312263
Click to expand...

I will submit this one. After all I've read about the serial killers active in the area at the time it makes sense. Sandra was written off as a runaway by the cops so her case was ignored at first. I find in old newpaper articles on missing kids that the cops often assumed teens just ran away all the time. Serial killers probably knew that would buy them time .
 
sandra-kaye-butler.jpg

The Disappearance of Sandra Kaye Butler
EARLY LIFE:
Sandra Kaye Butler was born on March 27, 1962 in California. When she was in her teens, her mother and her moved to Sparks, Nevada, a suburb of Reno, where they lived in an apartment at Fourth Street and Greenbrae Street. The complex was across from the Greenbrae Bowling Alley and Shopping Center, both of which were popular hangouts for the area’s teenage population.

Sandra was a student at Reed High School in Sparks. At the time of her disappearance, classes had recently let out for summer vacation.

DISAPPEARANCE:
On June 26, 1978, Sandra’s mother left early for work, leaving her daughter home alone. At some point that afternoon, the teenager called her mother and asked if she could ride her bike to the Reno Rodeo at the fairgrounds across town. While the journey would require Sandra to cut through neighbourhoods, the area was relatively safe, so her mother granted her permission.

Sandra was last seen walking to the Greenbrae Shopping Center on her way to the rodeo. It’s currently unknown why she made the detour.

SEARCH:
At the time of her disappearance, Sandra was considered a runaway, despite her family saying she would never have left home without telling anyone. This meant local authorities did very little to find her. There were no officers canvassing the area or speaking with witnesses. This distinction also meant the case didn’t receive a lot of media attention and her disappearance went largely unnoticed by the public.

Eventually, the case was reclassified as a missing persons investigation. It has passed through many detectives, primarily those new to the Sparks Police Department. With so little evidence, finding credible leads has proved to be difficult.

Sandra’s DNA and dentals have been uploaded to national databases.

THEORIES:
1) The primary theory in the case is that Sandra was a victim of serial killers Charlene and Gerald Gallego. The pair were known for kidnapping, sexually assaulting and murdering teenage girls in California, Nevada and Oregon, and were active around the time of Sandra’s disappearance. They are said to have been near the Reno Rodeo on June 26, 1978.

They have 10 known victims, including Brenda Judd and Sandra Colley, who both went missing from the Sparks fairgrounds on June 24, 1979, a year after Sandra went missing. The pair were eventually arrested, and in 1983 were convicted of kidnapping and murder. Gerald was sentenced to death in California, and died in prison of rectal cancer in 2002.

Charlene testified against her husband in exchange for a reduced sentence. She was released from a Nevada prison in 1997 and relocated to California under a new name. Investigators with the Sparks Police Department have been unable to interview Charlene about Sandra’s disappearance, but have said they continue to pursue leads in the case.

2) Sandra is also believed to have been the possible victim of another serial killer, Royal Russell Long. Long, a part-time carnival worker and long-haul truck driver, was convicted in the disappearance of 12-year-old Sharon Baldeagle and the kidnapping of her friend, Sandi Brokenleg, in September 1984, and is a suspect in the disappearances of Cinda Pallet and Charlotte Kinsey, among others.

Many of his presumed victims went missing from fairgrounds, leading some to theorize he may have been involved in Sandra’s disappearance.

3) A Websleuths user has put forward the theory that Sandra could be a Jane Doe who died after being hit by a tractor-trailer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The deceased, who went by the name “Donna”, shares similarities to Sandra, including her height, weight, and hair and eye colour. Detectives believe she may have had family in Nevada, and it’s thought she’d hitchhiked across the country, with stops in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Canutillo, Texas; and West Monroe, Louisiana.

The only difference online sleuths have been able to come up with regarding the pair is that the age estimate for Jane Doe doesn’t match Sandra’s. It’s currently unknown if the possible connection has been investigated by the Sparks Police Department.

CASE CONTACT INFORMATION:
Sandra “Sandy” Kaye Butler went missing from Sparks, Washoe County, Nevada on June 26, 1978. She was 16 years old, and what she was last wearing is currently unknown. At the time of her disappearance, she stood between 5’0″ and 5’1″, and weighed 110 pounds. She had blonde-to-light brown hair and brown eyes, and had a freckled appearances. Her ears are pierced, and both her second toes are much longer than her big toes.

Her middle name is spelled “Kay” by some investigating agencies.

Currently, the case is classified as endangered missing. If alive, she would be 59 years old.

Those with information regarding the case are asked to contact the Sparks Police Department at 775-353-2231. bbm

Image Credit: Soapboxie

» Source Information «

The Disappearance of Sandra Kaye Butler
 
Last edited:
  • MISSING PERSON
Sandra Kaye Butler


Sandra-Butler-76410_1.jpg

Sandra-Butler-76410_2.jpg

MISSING SINCE:
06/23/1978
SEX:
Female
DOB:
03/27/1962
RACE:
White
HEIGHT:
5' 1"
EYES:
Brown
WEIGHT:
110 lbs.
HAIR:
Brown
DENTAL X-RAYS AVAILABLE:
Yes
Sandra was last seen on June 23, 1978 in Sparks, NV. Photo on the left is age progressed to 40 years old. Age progression is provided by National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Contact
AGENCY:
Sparks (NV) Police Department
PHONE NUMBER:
(775) 353-2231
CASE NUMBER:
78-5476
Missing Persons Home
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

DNASolves

Who is Escambia County John Doe (1989)?

Members online

... and 74 more.
Total: 2,874 (members: 75, guests: 2,799)

Online statistics

Members online
75
Guests online
2,799
Total visitors
2,874
Totals may include hidden visitors.

Forum statistics

Threads
592,621
Messages
17,972,031
Members
228,846
Latest member
butiwantedthatname
Back
Top