Washoe County Sheriff’s Office detectives seek to find family, friends of woman found deceased

WASHOE COUNTY, Nev. - Detectives from the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office would like to speak with anyone who might have had contact with Trena Bristol. The 56-year-old woman's body was found last week in the remote hills of the southwest Peavine Mountains.

They believe Bristol may have worked in South Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Sacramento, and Reno.

Foul play is not suspected but detectives are seeking to speak with anyone who knows, or has had contact with, Bristol in an effort to resolve this case.

Intelligence gathered by detectives determined that Bristol was a graduate of Harvard University, and she earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Davis. They also learned that Bristol had been experiencing homelessness for some time.

Patrol Deputies were called to the Hawk Meadows Trail last Thursday, February 17, 2022, on reports of a deceased woman. The reporting party had come across the woman’s body in a very remote area while riding his dirt bike. The sheriff’s office’s Regional Aviation Enforcement Unit (RAVEN) was deployed to the reporting party’s location, roughly two miles north of Somersett, and confirmed the findings.

That evening, detectives were escorted to the scene by members of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Specialized Vehicle Unit. Preliminary findings led detectives to believe no foul play was suspected in her death. The Washoe County Reginal Medical Examiner’s Office (WCRMEO) positively identified the woman as Bristol. The WCRMEO will determine Bristol’s cause and manner of death.

Anyone with information that may help detectives locate family members, friends, or recent contacts should call the Detective Division at (775) 328-3320.