The Skeleton Key Chronicles

17 hours ago

A two-week solo trip across the American West was supposed to end with a flight home to Australia. Instead, 26-year-old Melbourne resident Sally Grace Contarino has been reported missing, leaving her family searching for answers from thousands of miles away. Sally traveled to the United States alone with plans to visit Las Vegas, Mount Charleston and Southern California. She had been staying at Bungalows Hostel on South Las Vegas Boulevard for five days.
Surveillance cameras captured her returning there during the early hours of June 20 after leaving Timbers Bar & Grill.

According to her family, she was last seen in the Mount Charleston area, a popular mountain destination about 35 miles northwest of the Las Vegas Strip. Australian media also report the last photo she shared from her trip was taken there. Her family says Sally had stayed in regular contact throughout her vacation before communication suddenly stopped on June 20th.

Sally was due to return to Australia on June 21st. She had reportedly purchased a bus ticket from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to catch her flight home, but the ticket was never scanned. She never boarded the bus, never got on her flight, and hasn't been heard from since. Exactly what happened after her time in the Mount Charleston area remains unclear. Police have asked hospitals throughout the Las Vegas area to check their records as investigators continue piecing together Sally's movements, hoping someone remembers seeing the young Australian traveler before she was due to begin her trip home.

Details👇 … See MoreSee Less

The Skeleton Key Chronicles

22 hours ago

A missing teenage girl from Arizona has been found safe more than 1,300 miles from home after investigators tracked a lead to a large homeless encampment in Olympia, Washington. The girl was reported missing from Mesa, Arizona, in May. On June 18th, NCMEC alerted the U.S. Marshals Service that she might be in Washington. Investigators followed that lead to the encampment known as "The Jungle," where they located her on Thursday.

Authorities have released very few details about what happened while she was missing. They have not said who she was with, how she traveled from Arizona to Washington, or whether she was there voluntarily. As of now, no arrests have been announced in connection with the case, and investigators say the girl has been placed in protective care and is receiving support services while the investigation continues.

"The Jungle" has existed for decades in a heavily wooded greenbelt along Interstate 5 near the Sleater-Kinney Road exit in Olympia. Covering roughly 150 acres of steep ravines and dense vegetation, it has long functioned as a hidden community where hundreds of people have lived at a time. Despite being surrounded by the city, its rugged terrain makes large sections difficult to access, adding another layer to an investigation that is still unfolding.

For now, the biggest news is that she has been located and is reunited with family. With the investigation continuing, many of the answers about how she ended up there have yet to be released.

Details👇 … See MoreSee Less

The Skeleton Key Chronicles

1 day ago

Authorities are excavating new locations in Hernando County this week as they revisit old leads connected to Billy Mansfield.

This week's search is taking place near Dry Creek Ranch and Sunshine Grove, not on Mansfield's former Spring Hill property. Over the years, Mansfield made various claims about other burial sites in the area. Authorities have never been able to determine how much of what he said was true, but those statements, along with other information developed during the investigation, are behind the renewed search.

When authorities searched Mansfield's Spring Hill property in the early 1980s, they discovered the remains of four women buried there. Three have since been identified as Theresa Fillingim, Elaine Ziegler and Sandra Jean Graham. A fourth victim still has not been identified.

Officials say they don't know whether this latest search will uncover additional victims. There could be more, or there may be none. Even so, they're taking another look in hopes of answering questions that have remained unresolved for more than four decades.

Details👇 … See MoreSee Less