Sandra Whitlock was 29 years old when she was murdered. Her body was found in a river in Reno, Nevada, more than three decades ago, and the person responsible for her murder has yet to be brought to justice.
On Feb. 23, 1985, law enforcement was dispatched to the Truckee River near Painted Rock on Interstate 80 after receiving a call about a body in the river.
When officers arrived on the scene, they spotted the fully clothed body of a woman submerged in water near rocks.
The body was later identified as that of Whitlock, who lived in the area on Wrondel Way while her ex-husband and their children were living in South Carolina.
An autopsy revealed that she died from a gunshot wound to the back, and she was the fourth murder victim the city had within nine days.
Investigators are unsure when the shooting occurred, where it happened, why it happened, and who did it. They did, however, uncover that she had been reported missing earlier that year.
On Jan. 16, 1985, Whitlock’s boyfriend told law enforcement that he last saw her on the afternoon of Jan. 5. She was downtown, about to head to a casino to gamble, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal.
He also mentioned that she was wearing designer jeans and a suede jacket, and they were supposed to meet up later that night.
She never arrived.
In May 1985, a $1,000 reward was offered for more information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for Whitlock’s murder.
Anyone with information regarding the unsolved murder of Sandra Whitlock is encouraged to contact the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office’s Detective Division at (775) 328-3320.