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| Truitt, Katherine 1-7-10; Alameda, CA - age 37 | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jan 11 2010, 07:30 AM (590 Views) | |
| tatertot | Jan 11 2010, 07:30 AM Post #1 |
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http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_14163016 Missing Alameda woman sought in Point Reyes National Seashore By Brent Ainsworth Marin Independent Journal Posted: 01/10/2010 08:58:44 PM PST Updated: 01/11/2010 12:05:40 AM PST Rescue personnel Sunday searched coastal Marin County for an Alameda woman who had not been seen in four days. A brown Ford Ranger pickup owned by Katherine Truitt, 37, parked at McClures Beach, about 11 miles northwest of Inverness, sparked an investigation that began at about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, said Marin County Sheriff's Sgt. Debra Barry. ``We haven't found anything suspicious at this time,'' Barry said. Truitt is described as white, 6 feet tall, 145 pounds with dark, shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing bluejeans and a light-colored sweatshirt. Members of her family, including her parents, went to the search headquarters set up at the Pierce Point Ranch parking lot Sunday, said search participant John Dell'Osso, spokesman for the Point Reyes National Seashore. The family said Truitt has been hiking the area on and off for 20 years. A roommate told a sheriff's investigator that Truitt was last seen at home Thursday morning. McClures Beach, at the northern tip of the Point Reyes peninsula, is accessible only by a short, steep hike from the parking area, according to the U.S. National Park Service Web site. The beach is known for intense surf, and several beach spots are only accessible during low tide. ``There are rocky promontories that go out into the ocean, and you can walk around those from one beach to the other at low tide,'' Dell' Osso said. ``But if you are on the wrong side of them, you can't go around them or scamper up the cliffs because they are so sheer and rocky.'' Rangers from the Point Reyes National Seashore saw the Ford Ranger parked in the lot Friday and became suspicious when it remained in the same spot Saturday, Barry said. Dell'Osso said a cell phone was found in the truck and the outgoing and incoming calls were checked. ``We're really hoping somebody had seen her or seen something that will help us,'' he said. ``There are a lot of unanswered questions at this point.'' About 40 people from the county's search and rescue team, the U.S. Coast Guard and the California Rescue Dog Association started searching late Saturday afternoon, and the number increased to 80 people Sunday, Barry said. Search and rescue teams from Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Alameda and Contra Costa counties were participating. Boats from the sheriff's office and Coast Guard and one Coast Guard helicopter were used in the search. |
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| burnsjl2003 | Jan 11 2010, 02:52 PM Post #2 |
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http://cbs5.com/crime/point.reyes.national.2.1417192.html PIC: |
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Lisa “Thou shalt not be a victim. Thou shalt not be a perpetrator. Above all, thou shalt not be a bystander.” (On a plaque at the Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C.) | |
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| tatertot | Jan 12 2010, 07:11 AM Post #3 |
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...BGMOF.DTL&tsp=1 No sign of missing woman at Point Reyes Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, January 12, 2010 (01-11) 18:03 PST POINT REYES -- A search along the Point Reyes National Seashore for an Alameda woman whose pickup was found in a parking lot at McClures Beach was called off Monday after investigators could not find even a footprint. Investigators spent the day searching through 37-year-old Katherine Truitt's computer files and phone records and running forensics on her truck, but so far nothing has come up that would indicate what happened to the pastry chef, said John Dell'Osso, chief of interpretation for the Point Reyes National Seashore. Truitt's Ford Ranger was found at McClures Beach on Saturday. Her roommate said she last saw her Thursday. Tracking dogs picked up Truitt's scent on a trail leading to the beach, Dell'Osso said, but no further trace of her was found. Investigators said there was no indication of foul play. Truitt has worked at numerous restaurants, including Fog City Diner and Mexico DF. She suffered a neck injury 2 1/2 years ago and has been on disability since, relatives said. Anyone with information is asked to call Alameda police at (510) 337-8340 or the National Park Service at (415) 464-5170.
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| monkalup | Jan 12 2010, 12:07 PM Post #4 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Woman who went for Pt. Reyes hike remains missing The Associated Press Posted: 01/11/2010 03:55:26 PM PST Updated: 01/11/2010 03:55:26 PM PST PT. REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif.—An Alameda woman is still missing after dozens of rescue workers searching along the Marin County coast over the weekend failed to find her. On Monday Alameda police took over the investigation into 37-year-old Katherine Truitt's disappearance, and have opened a missing persons case. Authorities say Truitt was last seen by her roommate on Thursday before leaving for a hike. Her truck was spotted by park rangers at McClures Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore on Friday. The rangers say they don't suspect foul play. National Park Service spokesman John Dell'Osso says Truitt's truck did not appear to have been disturbed. He says hikers can get trapped in coves on the beach when the tide comes in. http://www.mercurynews.com/news/ci_14167507?nclick_check=1 |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| mimi | Jan 17 2010, 08:50 PM Post #5 |
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...BGMOF.DTL&tsp=1 No sign of missing woman at Point Reyes Peter Fimrite, Chronicle Staff Writer Tuesday, January 12, 2010 (01-11) 18:03 PST POINT REYES -- A search along the Point Reyes National Seashore for an Alameda woman whose pickup was found in a parking lot at McClures Beach was called off Monday after investigators could not find even a footprint. Investigators spent the day searching through 37-year-old Katherine Truitt's computer files and phone records and running forensics on her truck, but so far nothing has come up that would indicate what happened to the pastry chef, said John Dell'Osso, chief of interpretation for the Point Reyes National Seashore. Truitt's Ford Ranger was found at McClures Beach on Saturday. Her roommate said she last saw her Thursday. Tracking dogs picked up Truitt's scent on a trail leading to the beach, Dell'Osso said, but no further trace of her was found. Investigators said there was no indication of foul play. Truitt has worked at numerous restaurants, including Fog City Diner and Mexico DF. She suffered a neck injury 2 1/2 years ago and has been on disability since, relatives said. Anyone with information is asked to call Alameda police at (510) 337-8340 or the National Park Service at (415) 464-5170. |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:47 PM Post #6 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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Alameda woman's disappearance remains a mystery By Christian Goepel Marin Independent Journal Posted: 01/18/2010 06:10:28 PM PST Updated: 01/19/2010 04:34:24 AM PST An investigation into the disappearance of an Alameda woman who went missing at the Point Reyes National Seashore on Jan. 8 continues. "We're working with the Alameda police, but we haven't run into any new information," said John Dell'Osso, spokesman for the Point Reyes National Seashore. "It's kind of a mystery ... there has been no evidence found as far as foul play is concerned." Discovery of an unoccupied brown Ford Ranger pickup owned by hiker Katherine Truitt, 37, parked at McClures Beach, about 11 miles northwest of Inverness, and word from her roommate that she had not been seen since Jan. 7 sparked an investigation and a hunt for her by Bay Area search and rescue teams. Her whereabouts remain unknown more than 10 days later. Truitt is described as white, 6 feet tall, 145 pounds with dark, shoulder-length hair. She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a light-colored sweatshirt. Anyone with information should call the Marin County Sheriff's Office at 415-479-2311. http://www.insidebayarea.com/news/ci_14218066 |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:48 PM Post #7 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_141...sidebayarea.com Search called off for Alameda woman missing in Marin County By Sean Maher Oakland Tribune Posted: 01/11/2010 07:33:56 AM PST Updated: 01/11/2010 03:31:16 PM PST Click photo to enlargeKatherine Truitt, 37, of Alameda. (Truitt Family/Contributed)«1»MARIN COUNTY — Investigators have stopped searching the coast for an Alameda woman last seen Thursday and today will begin trying to track her by looking at computer and credit card records, an official said. Katherine Truitt, 37, was last reported seen by her roommate on Thursday, and on Friday park rangers saw her brown Ford Ranger in the parking lot of McClure's Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin sheriff's Sgt. Debra D. Barry said. When the truck was still there Saturday, officials began a search that included about 80 people over the weekend. Nothing turned up in that search, but at this point there is no indication of foul play, Barry added. Truitt is 6 feet tall, weighs 145 pounds and has dark, shoulder-length hair, Barry said. She was last seen wearing bluejeans, a light-colored sweatshirt and black shoes and was carrying a green or black backpack. Alameda police met with Marin investigators today and opened up their own missing persons case on Truitt because she lived in the Island city. "We have spoken with her family," Alameda police Lt. Bill Scott said. "And according to different people who knew her, it would not be unusual for her to disappear for several days at a time and not tell someone where she was going." Scott said that so far investigators have no evidence Truitt is a crime victim and said Alameda police have had no history of calls for service at her residence. Anyone with information may call the Sheriff's Office at 415-479-2311. Staff writer Peter Hegarty contributed to this story. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:49 PM Post #8 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_141...sidebayarea.com Woman who went for Pt. Reyes hike remains missing The Associated Press Posted: 01/11/2010 03:55:26 PM PST Updated: 01/11/2010 03:55:26 PM PST PT. REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE, Calif.—An Alameda woman is still missing after dozens of rescue workers searching along the Marin County coast over the weekend failed to find her. On Monday Alameda police took over the investigation into 37-year-old Katherine Truitt's disappearance, and have opened a missing persons case. Authorities say Truitt was last seen by her roommate on Thursday before leaving for a hike. Her truck was spotted by park rangers at McClures Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore on Friday. The rangers say they don't suspect foul play. National Park Service spokesman John Dell'Osso says Truitt's truck did not appear to have been disturbed. He says hikers can get trapped in coves on the beach when the tide comes in. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:52 PM Post #9 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../BADS1BGC7A.DTL Point Reyes search fails to find Alameda woman Tom Abate, Chronicle Staff Writer Sunday, January 10, 2010 (01-10) 19:20 PST -- A weekend search has turned up no sign of an Alameda woman whose pickup truck was found in a parking lot at the Point Reyes National Seashore. Marin County Sheriff's Office spokesman Debra Barry said 40 rescue workers searched unsuccessfully on Saturday and 80 more hunted by land, sea and air on Sunday without finding any sign of 37-year-old Katherine Truitt, who is thought to have gone hiking on the wave-swept coast last week. Barry said authorities have no reason to suspect foul play, but after two days of extensive but fruitless searching, they will begin looking at Truitt's computer and phone records for clues to her whereabouts. "All we know right now is that her truck is out there," Barry said. The search began after a National Parks Service ranger noted that a brown Ford Ranger pickup parked at McClures Beach on Friday was still there on Saturday. The truck was traced to Truitt, whose roommate reported having last seen the Alameda woman on Thursday morning. A personal and professional friend, former Bay Area chef David Rosales, said Truitt is a graduate of the California Culinary Academy who has worked as a pastry chef at Grace Bakery in Berkeley and Citron in Oakland. Rosales, now an Oregon restaurateur, recalls Truitt as an avid hiker and outdoorswoman. A National Parks web site describes the beach were Truitt is thought to have been hiking as a "small but exciting cove with intense surf," portions of which can "only be safely accessed during the outgoing low tide." |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:53 PM Post #10 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=n..._bay&id=7210726 Teams scour beach for missing Alameda woman Sunday, January 10, 2010 About 80 people searched the Marin County coastline Sunday in hopes of finding a missing woman. Katherine Truitt, 37, was last seen by her roommate Thursday after leaving her home in Alameda to go on a hike. The rescue effort is being led by the Marin County Sheriff's Department. "We're told she is very familiar with this area; she's been hiking here for 20 years or more," National Park Service spokesperson John Dell'Osso said. Truitt never called her parents like she normally does after a hike. Park rangers discovered her Ford Ranger parked at McClures Beach on Friday. "The vehicle and items inside are intact, nothing seems disturbed; the only question is, 'Where is she,'" Dell'Osso said. Park rangers say they do not suspect foul play. Instead, they suspect the allure of the cliffs and their natural beauty. "There are precipitous cliffs out here and people come out only to be trapped," Dell'Osso said. Rangers say hikers have been cornered in cove beaches when the tide comes back in. Helicopters have been grounded because of the low cloud ceiling and searchers hope they will spot her when the weather lets up. Truitt is 6 feet tall and weighs 145 pounds. She was last seen wearing blue jeans, a light-colored sweatshirt and black shoes. She was also carrying a green or black backpack. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Jan 19 2010, 06:53 PM Post #11 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.contracostatimes.com/news/ci_14...?nclick_check=1 Alameda police, park service continue search for missing woman Staff Report Posted: 01/11/2010 11:06:16 PM PST Updated: 01/11/2010 11:06:17 PM PST The search for a missing Alameda woman was scaled back Monday at the remote Marin County beach where her pickup truck was found Friday. John Dell'Osso of the Point Reyes National Seashore said only a few people are searching for Katherine Truitt, 37, at McClures Beach on the north end of the Point Reyes peninsula. The investigation was diverted Monday to locations where Truitt might have visited since she was last heard from by her mother Friday morning. About 80 people participated in the search Sunday at McClures Beach. "If any new evidence comes up and we need to reconvene the search parties, we will do that," Dell'Osso said. National Park Service rangers are working with the Alameda Police Department on the investigation. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Alameda police at 510-337-8340 or the National Park Service at 464-5170. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| Ell | Feb 5 2010, 07:01 AM Post #12 |
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Heart of Gold
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Family, friends still search for missing Alameda woman By Peter Hegarty Staff Writer Posted: 02/04/2010 01:28:20 PM PST Updated: 02/04/2010 02:16:16 PM PST Nearly a month has passed since Katherine Truitt vanished at Point Reyes National Seashore while hiking her favorite beach. Her family and friends still nurse a faint hope the 37-year-old woman is out there somewhere, alive. But with each day bringing no word from Truitt or fresh clues as to what happened to her, it's getting more and more difficult for them to believe the Alameda resident will one day return home. "I'm just dealing with it day-by-day," said Truitt's best friend, Anna Christie, who has scoured McClure's Beach for any trace of the missing woman. "It was her favorite beach," Christie said. "She loved the elk that were on the nearby hills. It was a place that gave her peace." n n The rugged beauty also struck Alameda police detective Sgt. Pat Wyeth when he visited McClure's Beach after Truitt disappeared. But Wyeth also noted the power of the waves slamming the shoreline. "It's the force of Mother Nature," Wyeth said. "I would not call it an especially treacherous area. But it can be dangerous and it's a place where you have to be mindful of your environment." Investigators suspect a rogue wave may have washed over Truitt as she hiked, pulling her into the water and sweeping her out to sea. Storms were pounding the Bay Area around the time Truitt was reported missing on Jan. 11, the wind whipping trees and muddying the trails at Point Reyes, making the rocks at -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Advertisement -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- the beach slippery. "At any time you can have sneaker waves or rip currents," said John Dell'Osso, a spokesman for Point Reyes National Seashore. "But in winter time, you can also have exceedingly large swells." Less than three weeks after Truitt disappeared, 77-year-old Silvia Lange of Nicasio also vanished at Point Reyes. Lange trained dogs for the disabled and frequently walked the animals at the seashore. Rangers began searching for Lange after her dog, Hettie, was found unattended with its leash caught in rocks at North Beach, about eight miles south fof where Truitt vanished. Friends described the elderly woman as an avid hiker, which for police underscored just how dangerous the ocean was off Point Reyes when the two women vanished. Despite the disappearance of Truitt and Lange, someone dying at Point Reyes is rare, Dell'Osso said. More than 2 million people visit the 70,000-acre park annually. "In my 24 years in this job, I honestly cannot think of it ever happening before," Dell'Osso said. "To have one person missing, let alone two in a few weeks, it's unheard of." n n Known to her friends as Kat, Truitt lived in her family's condominium on Shore Line Drive, which skirts Robert Crown Memorial State Beach and offers a view of the San Francisco skyline. Truitt played piano, and from her window she would watch walkers and joggers on the beach as her fingers skimmed the keys, Christie said. "She was very artistic," Christie said. "She loved the visual arts, drawing and sculpture. She was a photographer and a musician. Her passion was 'art healing,' using art to overcome things." Christie and Truitt met at the University of California at Davis, where Truitt studied art. They became such close friends that Christie described it as an almost spiritual connection. Truitt later graduated as a pastry chef from the California Culinary Academy, which led her to jobs at San Francisco's Fog City Diner and other restaurants. But then a neck injury from a kitchen fall on top of a recurring spinal problem left Truitt in constant pain. It made working in the controlled chaos of a professional kitchen impossible. Truitt was determined to overcome the setback, however. She took computer graphics classes and taught art to children through an internship at Habitot Children's Museum in Berkeley. Truitt also walked. "Moving was the only time she was pain-free," Christie said. "Walking was really her therapy." Truitt began her recovery with short walks at Alameda beach. As she got stronger, Truitt took to the trails at Berkeley's Tilden Park and started visiting Point Reyes again. n n Truitt was last seen Jan. 9, when she told her roommate she was going hiking. Despite her disappearance taking place in Marin County, Truitt's friends distributed missing person fliers around Alameda, hoping someone would know her whereabouts. Investigators also searched Truitt's computer, checking her e-mails and other records to find out if she was set to meet someone on the day she went missing. Alameda police impounded Truitt's tan 2003 Ford Ranger, which was found parked near McClure's Beach. So far police have found no evidence of foul play in Truitt's disappearance, Wyeth said. Investigators do not think she took her own life. "She most likely had an accident," Wyeth said. "That's what my gut feeling says." The Alameda police investigation into Truitt's disappearance will officially remain open until investigators know what happened to her. At the time Truitt was reported missing, the swells at the beach were running about 15 feet, Dell'Osso said. About 120 people searched the shoreline and hillsides for her, including four teams with search-and-rescue dogs. They found nothing. "It was really disheartening," Dell'Osso said. n n Christie remembers visiting McClure's Beach with Truitt about 20 years ago. It was a beautiful day, Christie said, and she was sitting on a rock when a surprise wave swept over her, dragging her down into the ocean. "My feet could not touch the bottom and I was struggling in the water," Christie said. "Luckily, our friend was there. He was able to grab me." The experience left Christie scraped and shaken. During last month's search for Truitt, a dog tracked the missing woman's scent to the same place where the wave caught Christie all those years ago. The animal then lost the scent. "It was very surreal," Christie said. "It's something that still crosses my mind now when I think about my friend and what may have happened to her." To help Anyone with information on Katherine Truitt can call Alameda police at 510-337-8340. To learn more about Truitt, go to www.findmykat.org. http://www.insidebayarea.com/timesstar/localnews/ci_14334601 |
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Ell Only after the last tree has been cut down; Only after the last fish has been caught; Only after the last river has been poisoned; Only then will you realize that money cannot be eaten. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 7 2010, 08:18 AM Post #13 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.marinij.com/westmarin/ci_14421264 Cases of 2 women missing from West Marin beaches remain a mystery Brent Ainsworth Posted: 02/17/2010 05:27:52 PM PST The search has stalled for two women who went missing at West Marin beaches within two weeks of each other, the chief parks ranger at the Point Reyes National Seashore said Wednesday. Alameda resident Katherine Truitt, 37, disappeared from McClures Beach on Jan. 9, and Nicasio resident Silvia Lange, 77, has not been seen since Jan. 24, when she went for a hike at North Beach. "It makes everyone frustrated - the families, the friends, the rangers and the investigators," said David Schifsky, chief ranger at the National Parks Service's office in Olema. Two park service investigators spent about a week in West Marin handling the cases and are now back at their respective offices, Schifsky said. "They have followed any leads that have come to us," he said. "There is nothing new to report." Friends and families congregated on the coast as search-and-rescue efforts took place in the days after each woman was reported missing. Initially there were worries about possible abductions or "sneaker" waves pulling them into the ocean. Schifsky described that as "total speculation." "Officially they are missing persons," Schifsky said. Truitt's brown Ford Ranger pickup was found parked at McClures Beach, about 11 miles northwest of Inverness. The beach is near the tip of the Point Reyes peninsula and is accessible only by a short, steep hike. Truitt's family told investigators that she had hiked the area on and off for 20 years. Lange's car was found at the North Beach parking area with two dogs in it, and another dog was found nearby with its leash wedged into some rocks. North Beach does not have rocky outposts, but has waves that can be just as dangerous as those in rocky coves, rangers said during the search. Lange was a retired nurse and renowned hike leader at Angel Island State Park. Anyone with information about the whereabouts of either woman is urged to call National Park Service rangers at 415-464-5170. |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 7 2010, 08:19 AM Post #14 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/t/truitt_katherine.html |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 7 2010, 08:22 AM Post #15 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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See Spot: Investigating Pt. Reyes' Missing Women by Beth Spotswood February 1, 2010 2:10 PM I love a mystery. I was raised on them, spending rainy school nights watching Poirot with my father in my childhood home in Mill Valley. We'd discuss the case, him smoking his pipe, me in footed pajamas and quite frankly, growing up to become a gay, Belgian detective seemed like an attractive option throughout my youth. Marin is a relatively small place. Anyone going missing is a pretty big deal. And unlike most parts of the county that are overrun with designer moms pushing designer strollers in designer fleece, West Marin is still home to old timey locals in mud-covered Wellies, reading the local paper and discussing migratory patters. At least that's how I view it. It almost feels like rural England, and I love it out there. Early last month, a 37-year old Alameda woman named Katherine Truitt was last seen hiking around McClure's Beach at Point Reyes National Seashore. The local authorities, who incidentally have a fantastic reputation, chalked her disappearance up to a rogue wave. Weather's been bad, the surf's really dangerous. Sad as they are, these things happen. In November of 1980, 4 bodies were found on the same day, and the murders turned out to be the work of David Carpenter, aka: The Trailside Killer.Last Sunday, 77-year old Silvia Lange of Nicaso disappeared while walking her dogs. Last seen at the Point Reyes Visitor Center at 11am, one of her dogs was found with his leash caught on the rocks at the North Beach Parking Lot at 12:30pm. 2 more dogs were found in her car. Again, authorities are suggesting she fell into the ocean's clutches somehow. That's 2 women in 2 weeks. My folks and I discussed this over dinner. Weird, we thought. But without any kind of statistics on how often people fall into the ocean at Point Reyes, we figured it must be the storms. Maybe it's just incredibly dangerous there. Odd, really, that I've been to Point Reyes on dozens of field trips, explored the Miwok village and walked the Earthquake Trail. Who knew the whole place was a casually regarded death trap. Last week, my father forwarded on a Press Democrat news article that hadn't yet trickled down south to the big city. A 34-year old woman named Erica Shane from Glen Ellen was found dead in Cazadero Creek on Tuesday. Her car, parked "unusually" was found 200 yards away and no cause of death was given. I looked up Cazadero Creek on the map. It's a hell of a long way from Glen Ellen. And it's 60 miles north of Point Reyes. But on the same road. Seriously. My father and I were thinking the same thing. It's important to note a piece of Point Reyes history. In November of 1980, 4 bodies were found on the same day. 2 pairs, one couple and a pair of female hikers were killed 6 weeks apart, and the murders turned out to be the work of David Carpenter, aka: The Trailside Killer. Carpenter killed people in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Point Reyes National Seashore and Mount Tamalpais State Park, the same mountain on which I was watching those episodes of Poirot. David Carpenter is currently 79 years old, on Death Row in San Quentin and still looks pretty goddamn creepy. The point I'm getting at is, could there be a serial killer working the same area? 3 perfectly healthy, happy women are GONE, 2 missing and 1 in a creek. SFist editor and my very good friend, Brock Keeling and I drove up to Point Reyes yesterday to look around, see what the locals had to say and check out these rogue waves. "I just love these criminis. So what's up with the missing hikers?"We whizzed across the Golden Gate Bridge and passed San Quentin before heading west on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard. The scenery gets pretty rural pretty fast, at least by my Starbucks standards, and a little over an hour from the city, pulled into the Point Reyes National Seashore Visitor Center Parking Lot. We hopped out of the car, ready to begin our investigation and check out the fungus fair, which happened to be going on and where Brock hoped to find a rich stew. He'd already planned his interview questions. "I just love these criminis. So what's up with the missing hikers?" But 10 feet from the car, right by the big "YOU ARE HERE" map of Point Reyes, was a missing poster for Katherine Truitt. Seeing it kind of jolted us back to somber reality. We quietly headed into the visitor's center and grabbed a map, noting that this was the last place Silvia Lange bought a book at 11am exactly a week before. Brock and I decided to head out to North Beach, where Lange's car and dogs were found. We stopped in Inverness and bought some jerky, asking the clerk if the town was a'buzz with the mystery of the missing women. "Oh yeah." He said, bagging our Diet Coke. "Everyone's talking about it." Outside, another missing poster, this time one for Silvia Lange. Parking at North Beach, Brock and I looked around. I guess we were expecting treacherous cliffs where one misstep could land someone in the water. But it's a beach, just a regular, foggy, NorCal beach with bathrooms, warning signs and now, missing posters. But head over a bluff, walk behind the bathrooms and you're suddenly alone. It was spooky and Brock and I both got the creeps. Heading back to the car we noticed a man sitting in his Mercedes alone, drinking from a paper bag and staring at the ocean. Mercedes became our first person of interest and we have his license plate number. I'll admit, we need to work on our subtlety. Brock and I trying to take an iPhoto of this guys' car had a Jack and Karen element to it we should have done without. We decided to head out to the lighthouse, but found the road closed and a Park Ranger standing there, pointing at a detour. Apparently, it's the beginning of tourist season out in Point Reyes, what with the whales leaping out of the water on their trip down south and wildflowers on their way. If we wanted to go to the lighthouse, we'd have to park and take a shuttle down there. With 800-900 cars a day, the lighthouse parking lot couldn't handle the traffic, he explained. "Oh, makes sense." We said. "Hey, what do you think about the missing women?" The Park Ranger, or as we now call him, Brock's boyfriend, said several interesting things. Before we drove off, the ranger did point out that "they usually wash up by now."Basically, he thinks that Katherine Truitt, the woman who went missing from McClure's Beach was "unprepared and caught in high tide." But Silvia Lange was a former park worker. He mentioned this at least twice and it was clear he identified with her. She was used to Point Reyes and despite her age, in great shape. She knew what she was doing and as we saw, North Beach is just a plain old, seemingly harmless beach. "She just vanished." He said. "It's really weird." But then, he offered, why would anyone kidnap her? She was 77 and she didn't have a ton of money. This isn't Honduras. If she was kidnapped, she was grabbed by a nut. Why is no one considering this!?!? Looking around, a creepy guy seems a lot more likely than a rogue wave. Before we drove off, the ranger did point out that "they usually wash up by now." And he advised us that when visiting Point Reyes, "Come in numbers." Heading up to McClure's Beach in the north end of the park, we passed a huge oil truck that had been run off the road. Stuck in the mud, the driver told us that a car had come barreling down the road in the opposite direction and he'd swerved to avoid a head-on collision. After checking that he was okay and help was on the way, Brock and I ventured onward. "Getaway car?" "I was thinking the same thing." We drove mostly in silence, gazing at the scenery and thinking about those missing women. It was all very Stand By Me. Passing Tomales Bay, Brock asked if anyone had dragged it. Seems like a good question to me, but again, it feels like the local authorities seem convinced the Pacific is to blame. I don't know that the search parties are looking anywhere else. We also passed several ranches, which we started calling the Alphabet Ranches. They were all named "B Ranch" and "D Ranch." Some of them were obviously in use, in fact one seemed part of Clover Stornetta Dairy Farms, but others looked like abandoned buildings. Open doors swung back and forth in the breeze. Someone could wander around in there, undetected for ages. By the time we made out way to McClure's Beach, it was 4pm. It was getting a little dark. As much as I love a mystery, I really wish I could convince myself this is all accidental.The parking lot where Katherine Truitt's car was found was tiny. It was very different from the popular North Beach lot. To get to McClure's, one needs to walk down a little winding trail through a narrow, isolated valley. Brock and I started down the trail but after that first bend, we suddenly felt very alone in the middle of nowhere. "Someone's coming up the trail!" Brock hissed. You could kind of see through the bush, but it was basically that scene from Zodiac where the couple are having a picnic at Lake Berryessa and Zodiac appears in a mask from behind a tree. That's all I could see, some dude in a mask pointing a gun at us and telling Brock and I to remain calm while he tied our hands and pulled us off the path into the untamed wilderness. It was a fisherman, by the way, the man coming up the path. But we were scared, truly frightened at how isolated we were. A month ago, wandering down there would have seemed like no big deal. Yesterday, I'd have rather strolled down a Tenderloin alley at 3am than braved the trail at McClure's Beach. Brock and I called it a day and headed into Point Reyes Station, the little village with a population of 350. We took a seat at the bar of the Old Western Saloon, a watering hole right out of a movie, and over drinks asked the bartender what she thought of the recent mysteries. The town was definitely talking about it, she said. But with the storms, the rough surf, who knows. "Maybe she was trying to get the dogs in the car and one ran back onto the beach." Maybe. It was dark before we headed back to the city, and I think I can speak for both of us when I say that our day in Point Reyes was a pretty intense experience. I'm more convinced now than I was before that something is up. And as much as I love a mystery, I really wish I could convince myself this is all accidental. These ladies seem like nice, normal, interesting women. But looking at those parking lots and those beaches, talking to the ranger, seeing for ourselves just how isolated the whole park is, I can't help but wonder. http://sfappeal.com/news/2010/02/see-spot.php |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| monkalup | Sep 7 2010, 08:30 AM Post #16 |
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The Old Heifer! An oxymoron, of course.
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http://z13.invisionfree.com/PorchlightUSA/...pic=17491&st=0& |
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Lauran "If you have a chance to accomplish something that will make things better for people coming behind you, and you don't do that, you are wasting your time on this earth." The late, great Roberto Clemente. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment for non-profit research and educational purposes only. | |
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| Begood | Apr 29 2012, 12:41 AM Post #17 |
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Advanced Member
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https://www.findthemissing.org/cases/4756 |
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3:35 AM Jul 11