Dear Friends of Silvia,
Wendy and I really appreciate all your concern, support, suggestions, and encouragement. It has meant a great deal to us. We know that everyone is feeling this loss and our thoughts and wishes go out to all of you.
The law enforcement at Point Reyes still has nothing new to report in their investigation.
However, Wendy and I have received some new information and also some clarification on a few points. We have been in communication with many people including a close friend of Katherine Truitt, surfers who were at Point Reyes Beach North at the time of Silvia's disappearance, and Silvia's friend Janet, who had lunch with Silvia on the Friday before her disappearance.
This new information has led us to conclude that Silvia and Hettie were probably hit by a rogue wave. We now feel, given this new information, that the abduction of Silvia is much less likely, despite the disappearance without a trace of Katherine Truitt of Alameda at McClure's Beach on January 8. All things considered, we feel that the rogue wave scenario for Silvia is much more likely than some malicious criminal activity. We know that there is information and circumstances that support either view. We very much respect and appreciate all of your views on this very sad situation, and we appreciate that many people have leanings toward or have come to a different conclusion about Silvia's disappearance. We are happy to continue helping anyone who wants to pursue the missing person investigation and distribute more posters.
It was a difficult and painful decision for Wendy and I to be involved in a poster campaign and missing person search, and we realized that by acting on that possibility, that this might cause even more pain and upset for some people. We felt, as many people did, that if there was any reasonable chance Silvia was still alive and could be found, even a small chance, that we should pursue that. We are very sorry if considering abduction as a possibility somehow caused some additional concern, upset, or grief for anyone.
We now feel the following is a likely scenario. Silvia arrived at the parking lot at around 12:10 PM, walked out to the beach with Hettie on her leash, leaving the other two dogs and her valuables in her locked car. She was then within a very short time hit by a rogue wave coming up onto the beach, perhaps 100 feet or more up onto the beach compared to the regular wave sets. Silvia drowned and Hettie managed to get out by swimming and/or by being deposited back on the beach by a subsequent normal wave.
For those who want some additional details, here is an update on the information we have on Silvia's disappearance on Sunday, January 24 at Point Reyes National Seashore
· Silvia bought books at the Bear Valley Visitor Center at the Seashore about 11:41 AM Sunday morning. The driving time from Bear Valley Visitor Center to the Point Reyes Beach North parking lot is about 22 to 25 minutes.
· Meanderers who know Silvia know that she would have stayed well clear of rought surf unless Hettie had entered it and Silvia was compelled to follow or try to rescue her dog Hettie. Silvia often did walk Hettie separate from her other two dogs.
· Surfers and others using the beach at about that same time were interviewed and some re-interviewed, but no one saw Silvia or anything suspicious behavior or activity. Most surfers reported that there had been no rogue waves while they were surfing at the beach, but one surfer reported a 30 foot wave once or twice. The baseline was 8 foot waves during that time frame. Rogue waves can occur in calm or rough or stormy seas, and can occur even in protected areas like Drakes Beach or Tomales Bay.
· Hettie was found by Avery, a woman who works at KGO. Hettie's leash was tangled or wedged between some rocks very near to the beach parking lot. After observing Hettie for five to ten minutes, she was driven to Drakes Beach by Avery. At Drakes Beach, Hettie was checked by a ranger there. Hettie's leash was wet, and her coat was damp. The Ranger there felt that the damp coat was from humidity and not from having been in the ocean, but we feel that it was misinterpreted and that the leash and her coat were likely damp from the sea.
· There was an extensive search of the area done by Rangers and teams of volunteers including using a GPS grid quadrant, teams with search dogs, helicopters, and more than 100 volunteers over a period of several days, and there has been a lot of media coverage as you know. Silvia's route was tracked in the parking lot by the search dogs, but there was no scent or trail on the beach.
· The disappearance of a 37 year-old woman, Katherine Truitt, from Alameda at McClure's Beach (a few miles to the north of where Silvia was) on Friday, January 8 remains unsolved. Her family said Truitt has been hiking the area on and off for 20 years. Rangers from the Point Reyes National Seashore saw her Ford Ranger parked in the McClure's Beach parking lot on Friday and became suspicious when it remained in the same spot Saturday. Her family and friends remain very concerned about the circumstances in Katherine's disappearance, especially in light of Silvia's disappearance.
· The Rangers report that they still have had no credible leads or tips.
· Silvia's computer and answering machine have been checked by law enforcement. Although it was considered by the Park Rangers, they said there is nothing at this time to suggest the possibility that a patient from Silvia's past work as a psychiatric nurse was involved in her disappearance.
Thanks so much for all your help and support.
Bill and Wendy
(415) 457-3949
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