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Nevada Cold Cases

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Nevada Murders

On the websites of various law enforcement and investigation agencies, including local, state, and even federal, you may easily access historical and current statistical information and crime rates on the number of murders in Nevada by year. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, for example, creates and publishes an annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR), which provides data on the types of crimes that occur in many cities and counties in each state around the country, as well as their respective crime rates. Furthermore, Project: Cold Case, a nonprofit organization, has compiled and made publicly available an ever-growing database of almost 25,000 unsolved murders in the United States.

In addition to their rapidly growing unsolved homicide database, Project: Cold Case has also built a comprehensive webpage dedicated to sharing the number of unsolved murders as well as the homicide clearance rates for each state from 1980 to 2019 with the help of the Murder Accountability Project. According to Project: Cold Case statistics, there were about 7,203 unsolved homicides in Nevada between 1980 and 2019. Over the years, about 4,852 of those murders have been investigated and solved, leaving approximately 2,351 unsolved murders in Nevada as of the website’s most recent update.

Unfortunately, there is no centralized database or comprehensive record of Nevada’s various unsolved murders, and many local law enforcement agencies are in the same position. As a result, locating Nevada cold cases for Citizen Detectives to analyze may seem to be a very difficult endeavor, especially when looking for information on unsolved crimes in specific parts of the state. A few of the unsolved murders in northern Nevada which can be found with a bit of research into various websites and news articles, as well as within Project: Cold Case’s database, include the 2014 murder of Richard Lawson, Jr., the 1988 murder of Barbara Louise Nichols, the 2001 murder of Norma Jean Parker, and the 1996 murder of Gail Anne Thompson, among several others in the northern section of Nevada.

Other cases that may be referenced on similar lists include the numerous unsolved central Nevada murders. Some examples include the following: the 1980 murder of Karin Santos-Coy, the 2012 murder of Ryan Connelly, the 1991 murder of Vincent Trapp, and the 2000 murder of Roger Kelly, among several others. In addition to those already mentioned, a few of the unsolved murders in Carson City, Nevada, can also be found in the limited lists or within databases, including the 1997 murder of Natasha Jennings and the 1988 murder of Gene Mortarotti. Ormsby County, Nevada, was absorbed by and consolidated with Carson City, Nevada, in 1969. Research into murders in Ormsby County, Nevada, will only show information regarding murders in Washoe County, Nevada, and Carson City, Nevada.


Unsolved Nevada Murders

According to the latest data added to Project: Cold Case’s unsolved homicide statistics website, there are approximately 2,351 Nevada cold cases that remain unsolved today. This figure appears to be slightly lower than many other states, which could be due to the majority of Nevada having a relatively low population, with most of the state’s population living in big cities such as Las Vegas, Reno, and Carson City. Sadly, due to the lack of comprehensive databases in Nevada, very few unsolved Nevada murders are listed on the websites of municipal and county law enforcement organizations, in local news stories, and few are included in Project: Cold Case’s unsolved murders database, which provides basic information on almost 25,000 cold cases, but is being constantly updated.

A few of the many northern Nevada unsolved murders that are listed on various law enforcement websites include the 2014 murder of Richard Lawson, Jr., the 1988 murder of Barbara Louise Nichols, the 2001 murder of Norma Jean Parker, and the 1996 murder of Gail Anne Thompson, among others. Also among the lists are unsolved murders Carson City, Nevada, which include the 1997 murder of Natasha Jennings and the 1988 murder of Gene Mortarotti, as well as the seemingly countless unsolved murders Las Vegas, Nevada.

Some examples of the several Las Vegas, Nevada, cold case homicides include the 1979 murder of Laurie Gay Hesselink, the 1978 double murder of Saundra Owens and June Noah, the 1989 murder of Tracy Jackson, and the 1998 murder of Shauna Maynard, along with several others. In addition to those previously mentioned, other unsolved murders Nevada included in the lists of cold cases are the many east Nevada unsolved murders. These include the 1975 murder of Gerri Ann Ralston and the 1994 disappearance of Camille Dardanes Dotson.


Joseph Smedley
Joseph SmedleySuspicious Death, 2015
Asha Degree
Asha DegreeMissing, 2000

Consider this

More than 200,000 unsolved cases have gone cold since 1980, and murder clearance rates continue to drop. With equity for BIPOC, LGBTQ+, and other underserved victims not prioritized in the true crime community—together we can do better.

Famous Nevada Murders

Many of the names that can be easily discovered among the different lists of unsolved homicides in Nevada are most often some of the state’s most famous unsolved murders. Many of these names, which can be found within the many lists of all murders in Nevada, notorious Nevada criminals, and other lists of Nevada murders have seemingly become easily identifiable over time, whether or not you live or have lived in Nevada at any point.

Some examples of a few of the most well-known or infamous Nevada murders and disappearances that have yet to be solved include the the 1996 murder of Tupac Shakur, 1997 murder of Natasha Jennings, the 1994 disappearance of Camille Dardanes Dotson, and the 1992 disappearance of Jean Moore, among countless others.


Homicide Rate in Nevada

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Uniform Crime Report, the 2019 violent crime rate in Nevada was approximately 493.8 per 100,000 people at the time. In all, nearly 494 individuals per 100,000 Nevada residents were directly affected by violent crime in 2019. To clarify, the FBI defines violent crime as sexual assault and rape, in addition to homicide, burglary, and physical assault. According to the same 2019 Uniform Crime Report, the homicide rate in Nevada was about 4.6 per 100,000 inhabitants, meaning that almost 5 persons per 100,000 Nevada residents were murdered in 2019.

Carson City, Nevada’s capital, has a population of only around 57,000 people, significantly less than the state’s largest cities like Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno. In 2019, the violent crime rate in Carson City, Nevada, was about 347.8 per 100,000 people, while the murder rate was stable at 0 per 100,000 people. Although there is no clear method for predicting how many murders in Nevada 2021, as well as how many murders in Carson City, Nevada, 2021, we can go through past crime data and Uniform Crime Reports to make an informed prediction based on statistics and crime trends throughout time. According to historical FBI Uniform Crime Reports, the homicide rate and number of murders that occur each year in Carson City and Nevada as a whole appear to have remained stable, only wavering slightly from 2012-2019.


Ormsby County Murders

Ormsby County, Nevada, was absorbed into and consolidated with Carson City, Nevada, in 1969. Research into Ormsby County murders, Ormsby County murders trial, Ormsby County murders evidence, and Ormsby County murders crime scene photos will only provide you with information regarding Washoe County and Carson City, Nevada. Based on this information, it is nearly impossible to look into updated homicide statistics and population counts for Ormsby County, since it no longer exists in the state of Nevada.

Listed within archived Federal Bureau of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports instead of Ormsby County is an area named Carson City County, which makes sense considering that Carson City took in the small area that was once Ormsby County. According to the FBI’s archived Uniform Crime Reports, we are able to see approximately how many homicides occurred in “Carson City County” in recent years, to gain a good idea of the current crime trends in that area. Based on these archived reports, in “Carson City County,” which was once a part of Ormsby County, there was one murder in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. This shows us that the number of homicides that occur in that area each year have remained completely stable over a five year period.


Carson City, Nevada Murders

Homicides in Carson City, Nevada, tend to occur much less frequently than those in other urban cities in the state, such as Las Vegas and Reno, owing to Carson City’s comparatively small population. The number of unanswered cold case homicides in Carson City, Nevada, has declined significantly in recent years, owing to breakthroughs in DNA technology in addition to several improvements in law enforcement and investigative processes; nonetheless, authorities continue to pursue the many unsolved cold cases.

As one might predict, there are numerous Carson City murders discussions on a variety of popular social media sites, most notably Facebook, Websleuths, and Reddit. Users on these social networking sites frequently engage in discussions centered on speculating on various aspects of the cases, discussing the specifics of the case and investigation, and many other opinions about Carson City murders pictures, Carson City murders crime scene photos, and Carson City, Nevada, murders autopsy photos, among several other themed discussions.


Nevada Serial Killers

Presumably due to its large population, Nevada has been faced with a relatively high number of Nevada killers and serial killers. Any category of serial killer list, such as a Nevada serial killer list or list of serial killers in Nevada, can enable you to discover more about some very well-known or otherwise famous Nevada serial killers. Among the most infamous or notorious Nevada serial killers are Gerald and Charlene Gallego, also known as the “Sex Slave Killers,” who brutally tortured and murdered 10 teenagers between 1978 and 1980 in Nevada, California, and Oregon.


Crimes in Nevada

If you want to learn more about the various types of crimes that occur in Nevada, along with their statistical frequency, a number of law enforcement and investigative organizations publish annual reports on their websites outlining the various types of crimes in Nevada, as well as archived reports. The Federal Bureau of Investigation, for instance, provides a yearly Uniform Crime Report that includes crime statistical data, such as crime levels, for most cities and counties in every state in the United States, including a thorough report on crime in Nevada.

Unfortunately, it appears that the number of Nevada homicides and true crime stories in Nevada will never be entirely eradicated. Between 1980 and 2019, there were about 7,203 homicides in Nevada alone, according to Project: Cold Case’s unsolved murder data page. According to the most recent website update, around 4,852 of those killings have been solved, leaving over 2,351 murders unresolved in Nevada alone. Regardless of how long it ends up taking or even how many resources are needed, Nevada’s state and local law enforcement and investigation departments will strive tirelessly to solve all of Nevada’s true crimes.


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Additional Nevada Cold Cases

Tupac ShakurTerri FourcherCamille Dardanes DotsonJamie SheldonRobert HeissenbergerJames BarrierLindsay HarrisPatricia DemarcoRebecca DunnNancy RobinsonKael JohnsonKarla RodriguezAlina SettlesStefanie StrohNicole SalazarBarbara SiegalDiana LeonePhillip KahnStar PalumboKinsey OttoEverlyse CabreraGlenn CarrollChris CondosDonald CowanQin CuiLorree DennisAnique BeauregardRobert BefortBrad BoothBeverly BrehmGordon BrehmKay DellerBarbara HooverMargaret PenningtonJill BeatyCherl BeardallRoy FrischTrevor AngellDaniela AmaroJames AllenJuanita BaldwinEstanislado Camarena-GonzalezArmando CardenasFrank CollinsMason DennisRobert ElderRandi EversAnthony FrankoLeonardo GalindoWalter GeorgeJohn HahnJeffry HerbergRachel HofbergChristina HugginsKerry JohnsonCharles KenworthyMalisa KerrEnoch Kimmel JrGerald LayneLandon LeaguePatricia LeeHeather LewisGwen LewisJoe LuizSherise MageeJennifer MartinDavid MeachamGordon MiklethunLeo MispagelTimothy MoenTania Olmos-LopezCesar OrtizJohn PappasFrancillon PierreMary PikeWilliam PilgrimJohn PorepDaniel RezaThomas RobertsCary SayeghJames ShawEdward SheaJoaquin SierraJanita SitesCarroll StreichJames ThurmanIsbela VelasquezDiego VelasquezZaela WalkerKent WareBrianna WarnesAntoinette WilsonMaria AguilarPatrick CarnesRobert ArcarisMaureen FieldsHyman WolfeMartin SullivanSherry YatesJulion JasinskiYul NaVance McDermidCheyenne DennisFrancis RossanaPhillip JohnsonAbby RobertsKathy DiamondWanda SandersJoshua BroadwaterAndrew BriggsDonald WarrenVictoria ShoupeKathleen McCahillIrma MkrtchyanJulianna AlvarezLinda LoganJohnsie BameTimothy FarmerJohnson WhiteDavid ChristensenMichael SasinaJohnthan HallMary CarterKenneth FunkAnne SuazoJames BaileySteven BradleyO'Ryan JonesShinobu HorieMaria BoziRaiko MarquezCarl SandersRobert TurnerShantelle HudsonTammie MooneyNeva LindleyRachel KarrHeriberto HerreraApril SchellMichael AthanasoglowRoberta GirardCynthia JabourJean MooreRichard CambriaAnn NarusVicente NunezScott PetersenMarie MorganKenneth AlexanderPhillip BarrettJoseph BreenErick CaballeroTera CiminoDarryl ClarkMarcus CovingtonTiffany CoxPatricia DarrahArie de SleggeMichael DoaneWilliam GuruleTeresa GuzmanPhinnis JordanKatharina KiszonakPavel KocsisCarl KonoskiRobert LongsonEdward MeyerAnn NevinsOpal ParsonsJames PerrymanMichael PetersonDevinee PingulGustavo PirirBrian SedgwickWilliam ShawBradley TrimbleKenneth VeachGabriel VincentJames WoodDavid MillerJacob LevinsonJoseph BowserNan DixonJessica FosterBrigitte MitchellBlanca CuevasPatricia WeeksBarbara FearsDanney WoosleyTercel Samayoa-MenendezAmanda FravelSandra ButlerNoel DavisEmma Jiminez-CoronelTammy LopezMagdalena RamosRoberto PerezRichard GoodwinJeffrey SuttleJeanette CorpuzJennifer Casper-RossEdgard JamiasBill WheelerDavid BoradaSerena AndersonDonald StanleyTiffany StanleyDalton DunnJo JamesAudree GagneDouglas HenryGloria AguilarIsabella GonzalezAngela MartinezJudy CasidaTeresa RigsbyStephen FernandezNancy WiesniesNita MayoPeter ThuoAlejandro Oneill