She Was Found Fatally Shot And Locked In The Trunk Of A Burning Vehicle 9 Months Ago, But Her Case Has Made No Progress Ever Since And Nobody Witnessed The Crime
Twenty-three-year-old Anna Marie Scott was a mother, sister, daughter, and beloved member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe. But, in February of this year, she died a tragic and mysterious death that has remained unsolved.
On February 3, Anna was discovered deceased inside the trunk of a car parked along I-580 between Carson City and Reno, Nevada. The car had been set ablaze and abandoned, but this fact hardly tells the whole story.
The vehicle was torched in the early morning hours at about 4:00 a.m., and there were no witnesses to the crime.
Additionally, even though there are surveillance cameras stationed throughout I-580, the footage is not continuously recorded; instead, the cameras provide a live feed for traffic monitoring.
And upon conducting an autopsy, it was discovered that Anna had been fatally shot before being locked in the trunk and set on fire.
So, Anna’s cause of death was determined to be a homicide, but the community has still been left searching for more answers.
In the over nine months since the twenty-three-year-old was found dead, there have been virtually no updates on Anna’s case.
“Our detectives are actively working the Anna Scott case, but we have no new information to share at this time,” said Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Jeffrey McCaskill.
Facebook; pictured above is Anna
And unfortunately, Anna’s homicide represents how countless crimes against Indigenous women are seemingly provided with less effort and media attention as opposed to white women.
This pattern continued from the start of Anna’s case investigation. Her body was found on February 3, yet investigators did not even identify her remains until February 7– despite countless social media posts reporting that Anna had been missing and murdered.
Plus, it took the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner another month to share that Anna had actually died via a gunshot wound– not the fire. It was also at this point that her death was finally declared a homicide. And in the time since these discoveries, no more progress has been made in finding Anna’s killer. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has not released any vehicle or suspect descriptions, found possible witnesses, or held a single press conference.
In fact, the type of vehicle Anna was found in– as well as who the car was registered to and what other evidence was recovered from inside– has also never been shared with the public.
So, ever since Anna’s death, her family, tribe members, and representatives of the American Indian Movement (AIM) have rallied together to make sure that Anna’s death is not forgotten. They have held marches numerous times in hopes of reminding the Sheriff’s Office, Anna’s killer, and the greater community that her case is still awaiting justice.
A month after her death, AIM also hosted a prayer circle at the Washoe County Detention Center in order to raise awareness about both Anna’s case and the unsolved cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women throughout the U.S.
“We’re trying to create awareness, to show there is accountability. Perpetrators prey on our women because they know [there is often a lack of accountability.] We want those who were responsible to be brought forward,” said AIM leader Bacasegua Valdez.
Secret Witness is now offering an increased reward of five thousand dollars to anyone with knowledge of Anna’s case. If you have any information, you are urged to contact the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (775) 328-3320 or the anonymous Secret Witness tipline at (775) 322-4900.
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