Telling the Tales of the Emerald Triangle’s Missing and Murdered People
Michelle Ogletree 
Nicole Smith 
Robert Gettings 
Michael Wade 
Alianna Gordon (FOUND) 
Asha Kreimer 
Victor Medina 
Nick Vigil 
Marc Castagnetto (FOUND) 
Alicia Launius (FOUND) 
Virgil Bussel Jr. 
Faith Carrick (FOUND) 
Lewis Compton (FOUND) 
AJ Jones (FOUND) 
Norbert Anthony Dantzman 
Jonathan Field (FOUND) 
Marie Blake (FOUND) 
Walter Stuart (FOUND) 
Sienna Carter 
Diego Sandoval Ceja (FOUND) 
Duane Laurence 
Mark Burleigh 
Laila Cross 
Courtney Culver 
Michael Leon Piña 
Dylan Kurtek 
Jürgen Knemeyer 
Shannon House 
Daniel Komins 
Erik Lamberg 
Rachel Sloan 
Tellie Jo Simmons
Murdered in Mendocino County 34 Years Ago, Michelle Ogletree’s Case Remains Cold on this, her 59th Birthday
Today, Michelle Ogletree would have turned 59 years old. She’s been dead longer than she was alive. Instead, her family is left mourning the woman they lost.
The Drive-By Shooting Death of Mendocino County Coastal Resident Nicole Smith Remains Unsolved Three-Years Later
Today marks the three year anniversary of the unsolved murder of Mendocino Coast woman Nicole Smith. She was shot in a drive-by shooting on the Manchester Rancheria surrounded by her family and still today her killer walks free. Please share this story far and wide to make sure Nicole’s story is never forgotten.
[UPDATE: Located] Ukiah Woman Goes Missing After Meeting Up with Friend at Low Gap Park on Thursday Night
44-year-old Cherice Novo met a friend to have some drinks in Ukiah’s Low Gap Park parking lot on the evening of Thursday, November 5, 2020. According to her oldest daughter Nesha Beaty, her mother and the friend fell asleep in the car, and when Novo’s friend awoke the following morning, Novo was gone. Novo’s friend told Beaty all that remained was her lighter and cell phone. Beaty said her mother has not been seen or heard from since.
Human Skull Found Near the Mendocino/ Humboldt County Line Not Far From the 2012 Discovery of a Skeleton in Sneakers
The discovery of this human skull is within five-mile proximity of an unidentified human skeleton discovered on October 29, 2012.
Willits Man Missing Since Friday Leaving Behind Wallet, Keys, and Phone
Martinez expressed deep concern for her father’s disappearance: “My dad is a wonderful man that has helped many people. We want him home so bad.”
Mission Statement
Many seek the solitude and beauty of Mendocino County. For the many who call the Emerald Triangle their home, the line is thin between solitude and isolation. When living amongst the wilderness and waves, it is important citizens care about the well being of their neighbors. Cold Case Mendocino hopes to unite community members of the Emerald Triangle in the shared task of the finding those that have been lost. Families are forever affected when loved ones disappear. Citizens with boots on the ground must carry the torch of the missing forward. Please contact Cold Case Mendocino if you know of any Missing or Endangered Persons in Mendocino County and the greater Emerald Triangle
About Me
Matt LaFever has lived in the Emerald Triangle for nearly 15 years. He completes all the research, interviews, and writing associated with Cold Case Mendocino. During the day he works as an English and Journalism Teacher at a high school in Mendocino County.
