Next week will mark 6 months since the body of 23-year-old Anna Marie Scott was found inside the trunk of a vehicle left on the highly-trafficked bridge between Carson City and Reno. Just after 4 a.m., the car was set on fire and abandoned. There were no witnesses and, though there are cameras set up along the I-580 freeway for traffic reasons, those cameras apparently do not record but instead only relay a live-shot to those watching.
It was later determined that Scott had been fatally shot before the car was set aflame.
Since that time, updates regarding the case have been almost nonexistent. Carson Now has reached out since the incident for updates and received no new information.
“Our detectives are actively working the Anna Scott case but we have no new information to share at this time,” said Sgt. Jeffrey McCaskill of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office.
There has been no response to questions asking whether there are any descriptions of suspects, vehicles involved, or possible witnesses, or any direction on how the community can help detectives find answers.
Scott was a member of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, and her death continues to highlight the stark contrast between how crimes surrounding missing and murdered indigenous women and white women are treated on a nationwide level.
Around the same time that Scott’s body was located in a highly-visible and trafficked area, Fernley teenager Naomi Irion went missing and was later found murdered. However, despite both women being of similar age and residing in the same region, only one case made headlines across the world.
Indigenous women and girls are murdered at 10 times higher than all other ethnicities, and more than 4 out of 5 indigenous women have experienced violence in their lives.
A month after Scott was found murdered, the American Indian Movement (AIM) held a prayer circle at the Washoe County Detention Center in Reno.
The circle was held not only to ask for accountability in Scott’s murder, but to bring awareness for all missing and murdered indigenous women.
“In the end, justice is in the hands of the creator,” said Ray Bacasegua Valdez, Director of AIM Northern Nevada. “What we’re asking for is accountability.”
Despite Scott being found on Feb. 3, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office did not identify Scott until Feb. 7, even though numerous social media posts reported Scott had been the person murdered and left inside the car.
Then, it wasn’t until a month had passed that the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner announced that Scott had been killed by a gunshot wound, officially naming her death as homicide.
By comparison, Naomi Irion was kidnapped on March 12, her body discovered on March 29, identity confirmed on March 30 along with her suspected killer taken into custody, and a criminal complaint was amended to include the cause of death on April 5, spanning less than four weeks from beginning to end.
During that time period, law enforcement agencies held multiple press conferences updating the public on what was known regarding the Irion case and how the public could help. Multiple search parties were organized across the region to search for clues regarding Irion’s whereabouts and then, evidence surrounding her murder.
During the six months since Scott’s body was discovered, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has not held a single press conference or released any new information surrounding the circumstances of her death.
On March 21, WCSO issued a release stating that the public should only deem information released by the sheriff’s office to be credible, and asked for any additional information who may have information on Scott’s movements and interactions leading up to Feb. 3.
However, WCSO did not provide details on where Scott’s movements could have occurred during those days, and had also not released any information regarding her movements prior.
It has also never been shared what type of vehicle Scott’s body was found in, who it was registered to, or if any evidence had been recovered from the vehicle.
The last press release regarding Anna Marie Scott came at the end of March, assuring the community that Irion’s case was not connected to Scott’s.
Since her death, tribe members, family members, and AIM representatives have gathered several times to march with the intent of raising awareness surrounding Scott’s death and to remind the killer — and the sheriff’s office, they say — that her death will not be allowed to be swept under the rug without justice being sought.
Following the first prayer circle held at the Washoe County Detention Center, a Washoe County sheriff’s deputy approached AIM leaders and asked what they were there for. Bacasegua Valdez responded they were there to raise awareness surrounding the recent killings of indigenous people — during the same time period, 23-year-old Jacori Shaw was shot and killed by Sparks Police following a foot chase while being sought for information relating to Scott’s case.
The deputy then asked, “What killings are those?” in response. Bacasegua Valdez simply walked away.
“We’re trying to create awareness, to show that there is accountability,” Bacasegua Valdez later said. “Perpetrators prey on our women because they know (there’s often a lack of accountability). We want those who were responsible to be brought forward.”
After stating again on Tuesday that the Sheriff’s Office has no new information to share, Sgt. McCaskill did not return comment on whether there was anything the community could do to assist detectives, or if there were any specific periods of time or places that potential witnesses could be found by.
There is currently a $2,500 reward offered by Secret Witness for any information that help find Scott’s killer and can be reached at (775) 322-4900.
To learn more about Scott’s murder, please see our previous reporting here.