50th anniversary of the disappearance of Donna Ann Lass from South Lake Tahoe

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - It was 1:15 a.m. on the morning of September 6, 1970 when nurse Donna Ann Lass was working in the first aid room of the Sahara Tahoe Hotel & Casino in Stateline, Nevada. She made a log entry just before her last patient entered the room 15 minutes later, one-half hour before getting off duty.

Donna was scheduled to make a log entry at 1:45 a.m. but it was never completed and she was never seen again. Although her car was found parked at her apartment she wasn't seen leaving the Sahara. All of her personal belongings were left behind at her home, except her purse and the clothes she was wearing the night she vanished. The next day, an unknown male called her landlord and employer, stating Lass wouldn't be returning due to a family emergency. The call was a hoax, and there has been no trace of Lass ever since.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the disappearance of Donna Ann Lass and her family and friends are still looking for answers, and closure.

The young nurse had moved to South Lake Tahoe in June of that year after living in the Bay Area and working as a registered nurse at Letterman General Hospital at the Presidio in San Francisco. Before disappearing, Donna was preparing to spend a second night in her newly rented apartment at the Monte Verdi on Pioneer Trail.

Donna’s case remains open and unsolved.

"Our family is still mourning her loss and seeking closure," said Donna's family in a statement. "Donna was a beautiful, responsible, caring and compassionate young lady who remains deeply missed by her family and numerous friends. We continue to request that anyone who has any information as to what happened to Donna Ann Lass to please contact the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. We also want to thank everyone who has tried to help solve Donna’s case over the years."

Even though 50 years have passed since her disappearance, the Cold Case Squad of the South Lake Tahoe Police Department (SLTPD) and El Dorado County District Attorney's Office have continued to work on the case. They have collaborated with outside agencies, private investigators, amateur investigators, and various authors for this case.

At one time Lass was identified as a possible victim of the Zodiac Killer, though the facts didn't match behavior of the serial killer who terrorized the Bay Area in the 1970s. A postcard had been mailed to the San Francisco Chronicle in March 1972 that tied Lass to the Zodiac but in 1999 a retired detective revealed a former Zodiac investigator had admitted to forging the postcard.

As technology has changed over the years there is hope new forensic processes can identify Lass some day. They have been able to extrapolate Donna's DNA profile and it has been entered into the Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Anyone with new information is asked to call the South Lake Tahoe Police Department detectives at 530.54.6100.

A video of the Lass disappearance case can be seen here