Silvia Lange 77, disappears at Point Reyes, CA 1/23/10

[MuffyBee]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/01/25/BA0U1BN7L1.DTL

(Video Available in Article)
Woman, 77, disappears at Point Reyes
Henry K. Lee, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, January 25, 2010

(01-25) 15:43 PST POINT REYES NATIONAL SEASHORE -- Search crews are looking for a 77-year-old woman who disappeared at Point Reyes National Seashore over the weekend.

Nicasio resident Silvia Lange's dog, Hettie, was found near a parking lot in the North Beach area Saturday night, but there was no sign of Lange, authorities said. Park rangers later located her vehicle with two other dogs, Neria and Sika, inside.
<snip>
Lange is white, about 5 feet tall and 145 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes. The circumstances of her disappearance haven't been determined, but a friend said she feared Lange fell while walking Hettie and was swept away by a wave.
<snip>



http://**/portlet/article/html/render_gallery.jsp?articleId=14264425&siteId=571&startImage=1

[Nut44x4]

Search continues for missing Marin County hiker, 77

MARIN COUNTY — Search and rescue teams today continued looking for a beloved Bay Area parks volunteer who went missing over the weekend in the Point Reyes National Seashore.

Michael St. John, unit leader of the Marin County sheriff's search and rescue team, said Silvia Lange, 77, of Nicasio, was known to hike often with her dog in the area and that 26 people were there searching for her Sunday night.

Monday morning fog and rain prevented helicopters from joining the search efforts, but volunteers on horseback worked in the area near the North Beach parking lot, according to seashore spokesman John Dell'Osso. Two teams from the California Rescue Dogs Association were there as well, he said.

"It's a full-scale search again with probably 50 people on the ground," Dell'Osso said.

Lange, last seen Saturday night, is white, 5 feet tall, 145 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. Rescuers do not have a clothing description.

National Park Service rangers were alerted Sunday afternoon when her dog was found adjacent to the North Beach parking lot with its leash hung up in some rocks. Lange's car was found in the lot with two more dogs inside, St. John said. Searchers worked until about 11 p.m. Sunday until the rain became too heavy to continue.

Lange worked for the National Park Service and was a volunteer for the Marin Agricultural Land Trust, Angel Island State Park and the Nicasio Historical Society, said Elaine Doss, president of the historical society.

"She is an active person for that age and a good hiker," Doss said. "Certainly she could handle rocky hilltops and such."

A 2006 Bay Area News Group story featured Lange, who was known for leading spirited wildflower walks at Angel Island where visitors would be encouraged to sing as they hiked.

"She's a wonderful lady. Even if you only met her only once, you would not forget her," said Roy McNamee, a spokesman for Angel Island State Park. "She has a wonderful bubbly personality and is enlightening on her tours. It is fun to be around her."

Danita Rodriguez, superintendent of the Marin district of the state parks service, said Lang appeared at the centennial celebration for the Angel Island's United States Immigration Station on Thursday at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre.

"She is an icon on the island," Rodriguez said. "This is very upsetting."

Lange also is a longtime volunteer for Canine Companions for Independence, a Santa Rosa-based nonprofit that trains dogs for people with disabilities.

"We are devastated," said Jeanine Konopelski, director of marketing. "She's trained many puppies for us."

The search comes two weeks after search and rescue crews looked for 37-year-old Katherine Truitt of Alameda at McClures Beach, eight miles north of the Point Reyes North Beach area. Truitt has not been found.

Anyone with information about Lange's whereabouts is urged to call National Park Service rangers at 464-5170.

http://**/news/ci_14264425?source=rss

[Nut44x4]

Searchers Fear Missing Woman Was Swept to Sea
Silvia Lang, 77, knew her way around Point Reyes National Seashore

Tue, Jan 26, 2010
Search crews are battling the wind and rain as they scour the Point Reyes National Seashore looking for a missing Marin County woman.

77-year old Silvia Lang of Nicasio has been missing since yesterday when searchers believe she went for a hike on the beach with her dog.

Searchers speculate Lang, who trains dogs for the disabled,  may have been hit by a "sneaker" wave. Those are powerful waves that sneak up suddenly on the shore.

"Our best guess is she was on the beach doing dog traning," said John Dell'Osso with the National Park Service. "We don't know what happened at that point."

Lang's car was found in the North Beach parking lot yesterday with two of her dogs inside.  A third dog was found running loose with its leash attached.

About 50 searchers combed the area today. They say they're being challenged by the weather, which is making it tough to track Lang's scent.

"It's very windy, cold and the rain's coming down sideways," said Dell'Osso.

Lang's friends are worried sick. Grace Farley, who serves with Lang on Nicasio Historical Society's Board of Directors, said her friend is an avid hiker who knows the area and is in great shape.

She believes if anyone can survive it's Lang.

"I'm just feeling devastated," said Farley. "I hope they find her. She's a wonderful lady and I'm very sad."

Search teams have suspended their efforts for the night.  They say they will scale back their operation tomorrow.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Search-Crews-Battle-Rain-Wind-in-Quest-for-Missing-Hiker-82651472.html

[Nut44x4]

IMO Silvia Lange's case is not connected to the other two. The other 2 cases may or may not be related.

One Woman Dead, Two Missing In Sonoma/Point Reyes

Three women, ages 37, 77 and 34, have disappeared since January 10. The locations are "approximately 60 miles apart if you take Highway 1 straight up from Pt. Reyes to Calzadero." Sleuth Beth Spotswood has a theory that this might be the work of a serial killer. Which, of course, we hope isn't the case.

Anyway, let's go to the facts:

A 34-year old Wine Country Film Festival Volunteer named Erica Shane was found dead in a creek on Tuesday afternoon. "Her Subaru Forrester was parked 'unusually' 200 yards away." Spotswood goes on to speculate, "Just off the top of my head, she was run off the road, ditched her car and ran."

Silvia Lange, 77, went missing on January 23 while walking alone on the cliffs of Pt. Reyes.

Before that, on January 10, a Ford Ranger belonging to Katherine Truitt, 37, of Alameda was discovered in a parking lot at McClures Beach. She is described as 6 ft tall, 145 lbs, with shoulder length brown hair.

Neither Lange nor Truitt have turned up.
http://sfist.com/2010/01/29/sonomapoint_reyes_serial_killer_on.php

[chi-monkey]

http://sfappeal.com/news/2010/02/see-spot.php

I suspect much of this article is imagination, but very interesting.   The couple went to the town and beach to check out for themselves what might have happened.   Video of the area is included and helpful for those of us who have not seen it.

 

[MuffyBee]

http://**/breaking-news/ci_14427309

No leads in case of two women who disappeared near Marin County beaches
By Brent Ainsworth
Marin Independent Journal
February 18, 2010
MARIN COUNTY — 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 Park 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.