Murder of Mary Silvani

Mary Edith Silvani (September 29, 1948 – July 17, 1982), known as "Sheep's Flat Jane Doe" and "Washoe County Jane Doe" while unidentified, was an American woman found shot to death near Lake Tahoe in Washoe County, Nevada in July 1982. She was unidentified for 37 years, the investigation becoming a cold case. The Washoe County Sheriff's Office announced her identity on May 7, 2019. Silvani was identified through DNA analysis and genetic genealogy with assistance from the DNA Doe Project and utilizing the public genealogy database GEDmatch.

The Sheriff's Office announced that her murderer had been confirmed as serial killer James Richard Curry.

Born in Pontiac, Michigan, Silvani was 33 when she was killed.

Discovery The body of a woman aged between 25 and 35 was found by hikers on July 17, 1982, in Sheep's Flat, a popular hiking area in Washoe County, Nevada, near Lake Tahoe. The woman had been sexually assaulted and shot in the back of the head as she was bending over, possibly to tie her shoes. The bullet hole on her head had been covered with men's underwear.

The victim wore a light yellow pair of tennis shoes, a sleeveless blue shirt, Lee brand jeans, and a one-piece swimsuit underneath. The shirt had been sold at stores in California, Washington and Oregon.

Investigation A reconstruction of Silvani by Carl Koppelman, approximating her appearance at the time she died.

At her autopsy, a vaccination scar was located on her left arm, and another on her abdomen, possibly from a Caesarean section.

Her last meal was a salad. She was originally believed to be from Europe, due to the nature of an inoculation scar on her arm and her dental work. An independent dental examination in 2010 discredited this original assumption.

She was dressed for a day at the lake: jeans and a tee-shirt over a blue bathing suit. Close forensic inspection helped police determine the t-shirt was sold only on the West Coast of the United States, leading investigators to believe that she may have visited or had been residing in one of the Western United States before her murder.

She was buried at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Cemetery in Reno, Nevada.

Mary Edith Silvani was born in Pontiac, Michigan on September 29, 1948, and grew up in Detroit. Another classmate Paula Headley, said Silvani had an affinity for art and reading, visited the Detroit Institute of Arts frequently, was quiet and kind-hearted, and never talked about her family.

Curry was arrested January 6, 1983 as a suspect in another murder. He confessed to two more murders to police. He committed suicide in the Santa Clara County, California jail a day after his arrest. He is a suspect in a fourth murder.

As of May 2019, Silvani's case is considered closed. It is the first known case in which both the victim and perpetrator were identified through the use of investigative genetic genealogy.