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2005 Mayo, Nita - (08/08/2005); Sonora Pass
Topic Started: Jul 14 2006, 05:19 PM (370 Views)
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http://www.modbee.com/local/story/11923672p-12690505c.html


By ROSALIO AHUMADA
BEE STAFF WRITER


Last Updated: March 12, 2006, 05:42:35 AM PST


Tracy Mayo's mother has been missing since August, so she wanted to lend support to the foundation that has helped in her family's search.
She was one of about 200 people who marched in downtown Modesto on Saturday as part of the eighth annual Vigil of Hope sponsored by the the Carole Sund/Carrington Memorial Reward Foundation.

"I think it's shocking to know there are so many families affected by this," Mayo said. "It's just overwhelming."

Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, was the guest speaker at this year's vigil, and he talked about the tough stance he believes is necessary to reduce the number of violent crimes.

"Zero tolerance is a deterrent," Cardoza told the audience at First Baptist Church. "I believe in the 'three-strikes' law and we must preserve it. And I believe in the death penalty in premeditated murder, in the murdering of our officers and in murdering to cover up a sexual crime."

Saturday's venue gave victims' families a chance to get public attention and support for their search for missing loved ones or tips that might lead to those responsible.

This was first time Mayo, 37, attended the vigil, but she plans to make the trip from her North Dakota home each year.

The foundation is offering a $10,000 reward for information that leads authorities to her mother, Nita Mayo, of Hawthorne, Nev.

The 65-year-old nurse left her home on Aug. 8 for a drive over Sonora Pass and a day of shopping. Her car was found at Donnell Vista Point on Highway 108 in eastern Tuolumne County, with her keys, purse, wallet and cell phone locked inside.

"The big picture is that my mom is missing and we want her home," Mayo said.

Kim Petersen, the foundation's director, said many attend the vigil for the same reason — to find out what happened to their loved ones.

Many were wearing T-shirts or holding up posters with pictures of those missing or victims of violent crimes as they marched in the vigil.

"These families never give up their fight, and that's why they're here today," Petersen said.

The families also form a lasting kinship with people they meet at the vigil.

"In this room, there are people who truly understand their fear, their pain and their nightmare," Petersen said.

That's not what Francis and Carole Carrington envisioned when they organized the first vigil eight years ago.

The Carringtons wanted the public's help in finding their daughter and granddaughter, who disappeared for five weeks before their bodies were found in Tuolumne County.

"I didn't realize how many people were out there missing," Francis Carrington said.

They established the foundation after their daughter, Carole Sund, granddaughter Julie, and a family friend, Silvina Pelosso of Argentina, were murdered by Cary Stayner in February 1999 while they were vacationing near Yosemite National Park.

"There was nothing we could do to help our family, so the only thing we could do is help other families in need," he said. "And there's more awareness now than there ever was before."

Sharon Rocha, who has written a book about the case of her murdered daughter and mother-to-be Laci Peterson, thanked the Carringtons for their support.

"We all have a common bond," Rocha said to the audience. "This is your safe haven, knowing nobody here is going to judge you."

With the help of the foundation, Petersen said, 29 murder suspects and three kidnapping suspects have been apprehended, and nine missing persons have been found.

Carole Carrington said she hopes those numbers grow.

"We hope that it gets better for you," she said to the audience at the vigil. "You never know when that little clue is going to solve your case, find that murderer or convict someone."

Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at 578-2394 or rahumada@modbee.com.
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'America's Most Wanted' focuses on missing Hawthorne nurse case

Posted: 6/19/2006

FRANK X. MULLEN JR.

fmullin@rgj.com

The case of a 64-year-old Hawthorne nurse who vanished in August is scheduled to appear on the June 24 episode of "America's Most Wanted."

Despite numerous searches in Mineral County, the Sierra overlook where her car was found and places in between, no trace of Nita Mayo has been found. Another search is planned for next weekend, said daughter Tracy Mayo.

"I have to keep believing she is alive," she said. "That's what keeps me looking."

Nita Mayo, 5 feet and 140 pounds, left her home in Hawthorne the morning of Aug. 8 planning to take a day trip over the steep and winding Sonora Pass in California, possibly to go shopping in small villages along the highway.

She never made it home.

Her car was found about 2˝ hours from her home at the Donnell Vista Overlook on California 108 about 12 miles east of Strawberry, Calif.

The keys were locked inside, but she could have opened the door with a keypad. Nita's purse, wallet and cell phone also were in the car. Her camera and prescription sunglasses were missing.

A search June 24-25 at the Donnell Vista area will include the treacherous cliffs beneath the overlook. Another search is planned of the surrounding area in July.

Tracy Mayo asked anyone who would like to help to call her at 701-730-4949 or Joe Fedor at 408-365-9191. She said the ground search will need hikers and rock climbers as well as people with ATVs, dog teams or four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The "America's Most Wanted" segment is scheduled to air at 9 p.m. PST Saturday.

She said a volunteer group, Racing for the Missing, also is helping in the search for her mom. The group posts photos of missing people at sporting events including NASCAR.

"We're still trying to get the word out in the hope that someone knows something about what happened to my mother," Tracy Mayo said.

New searches are scheduled June 24 and 25 for the Mineral County woman who vanished in August.

Websites: groups.yahoo.com and
Racing for the Missing, www.theyaremissed.org

http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?...EWS01/606190330

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100PercentFound
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http://nitamayo.com/

This Web Site is for those who would like to help the Mayo Family find our Mother,
Nita Mayo.


Nita Mayo left her home in Hawthorne, Nev., the morning of Aug. 8, 2005. She had planned to take a day trip over
the Sonora Pass in California, HWY 108. She may have possibly been planning to do some shopping in small villages
along the highway. Nita Mayo never made it home. Nita’s car was found about 2˝ hours from her home at the
Donnell Vista Overlook about 12 miles east of Strawberry, CA on HWY 108. Her keys were locked inside the car
(her car did have a keypad she could have used, but usually did not) along with her purse, wallet and cell phone also
were in the car. She had her camera and was wearing prescription sunglasses. Nita Mayo is 65-years-old, 5 foot tall,
140 pounds, has black hair w/ highlights. Nita was born in England and has a British accent.


Contact Numbers for Information:

Tuolumne County Sheriff 1-800-228-3592
Carol/Sund Carrington Foundation 1-888-813-8389
email info@carolesundfoundation.com
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http://z10.invisionfree.com/usedtobedoe/in...topic=396&st=0&
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http://www.mymotherlode.com/News/article/kvml/11550747

Investigators Asking For Help With Mayo Case
Tuesday, August 08, 2006 - 05:05 PM

Sabrina Sabbagh
MML News Reporter

Sonora, CA -- The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department is asking for public assistance in its ongoing investigation into the disappearance of Hawthorne Nevada woman, Nita Mayo.

Since being reported missing on August 8th, 2005, there have been extensive searches and investigators from the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department, the Mineral County and Mono County Sheriff's Departments, the California Department of Justice and the FBI have put in hundreds of man hours trying to locate the 65 year old woman.

Reports indicate Mayo left her home in Hawthorne Nevada at approximately 10:00am on Monday, August 8th, 2005, telling friends she planned to visit a “village” on the west side of the Sonora Pass. She did not return to work as expected, and on Wednesday August 10th, her vehicle was found abandoned at the Donnell Vista Point on Hwy 108, just west of Dardanell's Resort approximately 40 miles east of Sonora.

Investigators believe there were more people at the Donnell Vista Point last year than they have identified and spoken with to date.

If you were in the general area of Donnell Vista Point during the date in August; or, if you are traveling in the area and see anything suspicious such as clothing, personal items appearing to have been abandoned, anything that might relate to the investigation call the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department at 209-533-5815.

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http://www.nevadaappeal.com/article/LF/200...90027/-1/REGION

One year later, no clues surface for missing Hawthorne nurse

Marlene Garcia
August 9, 2006

Tuesday marked one year since a Hawthorne nurse went missing at a rest area on Sonora Pass in a case that still baffles her family and police.

Even though no clues to Nita Mayo's disappearance have surfaced, her children vow they will never give up searching for their mother.

"It's definitely been a long year but we're not too tired and not giving up. We're going to keep searching for her and trying to find somebody who knows something," said Tracy Mayo, a daughter who lives in North Dakota. "I'm a firm believer that somebody knows something."

Nita Mayo, 64, vanished from the Donnell Vista Overlook on Highway 108, a winding mountain road that begins from U.S. 395 in Nevada and leads to Sonora. It is a popular route for people traveling to Yosemite, Death Valley and Lake Tahoe, said Investigator Ed Warnock of the Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office in California.

Details about Nita's disappearance are few. Her family knows she left Hawthorne on the morning of Aug. 8, 2005, for a day trip over the Sonora Pass, possibly to shop at little towns along the way. She never came home.

Her car was found at the overlook, which is about 12 miles east of Strawberry, Calif., two days later. Nita's purse, car keys and cell phone were found in her locked vehicle, which could be opened via a keypad.

"We're assuming she had her camera and her prescription sunglasses. We think she was at the vista between 3 to 4:30 p.m.," Tracy said.

The family also discovered magnets, postcards and other trinkets purchased in Strawberry, along with a lunch their mother packed for the day-trip but never ate.

Beyond those few clues, nothing else is known.

"We think someone took her, maybe somebody she knows or a psycho," Tracy said.

She believes her mother may have stopped at the lookout to use the bathroom because facilities are rare on the pass road. She may have also wanted to take in the view of the mountains and a reservoir below.

Nita would not have purposely vanished, Tracy said, and her mother didn't show any signs of memory problems.

"She was still a practicing nurse at Mt. Grant Hospital. We asked the physicians she worked with and they said she was in good health," Tracy said.

Police and the family conducted numerous searches below the overlook, which consists of a 1,000 foot drop-off, Tracy said. She and her siblings hired rappellers to scour the terrain below the Donnell Vista parking lot. The most recent search was done after the snow melted.

"The run-off could have pushed piles of debris off a shoe, a camera or glasses. We searched the same areas because statistics show when someone is found it is usually in an area that was searched before," Tracy said.

About a dozen faithful friends helped search for Nita over the weekend.

"If there is an upside to this it is the people we have met. They are amazing. We have had some very, very dedicated people there for every search we've had," said Tracy. "It's definitely hard to live our lives because this is still there every day. I feel guilty if I go out for supper because I know she would have enjoyed it too."

Tracy's three sisters live in Oklahoma. She has a brother in Tennessee.

Investigators are also stymied over the case. Nita's disappearance was featured on the television show "America's Most Wanted" last month, and produced about three dozen tips. None have proven fruitful.

"I have a year invested in this case," said Investigator Warnock. "It's important for the communities up here and those in-between," he said Monday.

The area has been searched by ground, air, by dogs and rappellers without a trace of the missing woman. Volunteers from the U.S. Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center also combed the area, said Warnock. Hundreds of hours have been devoted to the case, with assistance from the FBI, the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, the Mono County Sheriff's Office, Tuolumne County Sheriff's Department and the California Department of Justice.

He is asking anyone who was at the Donnell Vista Point on Aug. 8, 2005, to call the sheriff's office at 209-533-5815.

"Even if you don't think you have anything to add in the investigation, there is no way we can discount what you may or may not have seen without speaking with you first," he said in a prepared statement.

He is also asking anyone who plans to be in the area hunting, fishing or hiking this summer to watch for items that might be related to the case.

"...if you are traveling in the area and see anything suspicious such as clothing, personal items appearing to have been abandoned, anything at all you think might related to this investigation could be of value to us," Warnock states.

On Sunday, Nita's family and friends held a dedication ceremony in Strawberry. A plaque with Nita's picture was cemented into the ground.

"On the plaque it says we are still dedicated to search for her until we bring her home," Tracy said. "I hope someone shows some compassion. We are appealing to the public if they know any piece of information, big or small. I honestly believe someone knows something. We are appealing to their memory or their conscience, either one."



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http://www.uniondemocrat.com/news/story.cfm?story_no=24144

Search for missing woman renewed

Published: August 15, 2007



By ALISHA WYMAN

The Union Democrat


It's been two years since Nita Mayo left her Hawthorne, Nev., home for a day trip to Tuolumne County and never returned.

It's time that has stretched her families' grief into a mix of frustration and heartbreak.

"It's the not knowing that will keep you awake at night, that just eats at your insides," said Tracy Mayo, one of Nita's daughters.

Tracy hasn't given up hope of finding her yet.

"Bottom line is, I think something really bad did happen to her," she said. "I don't know what that means, but I don't think she's out there knowingly letting her family go through this."

Nita Mayo, a nurse, has been missing since Aug. 8, 2005, when she took a day trip over Sonora Pass.

Her silver station wagon was found at the Donnell Vista overlook with her purse inside, but there's been little other trace of her since.

Her family, friends and even strangers are organizing a search this weekend starting at Donnell Vista.

It will be the 10th or 11th time they've combed the forest and granite in the area, looking for any sign of Nita.

"I do believe that we're going to get answers," Tracy said. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think that."

They have also launched new efforts to get the word out, hoping that someone somewhere may know something.

Two weeks ago, an Arkansas-based nonprofit advocacy group, Let's Bring Them Home, joined the effort.

It will be sending out postcards along the Highway 108 corridor, hoping to jog the memories of those who may know any details. The organization's staff members will also be advertising its 24-hour tip line and has been recirculating press releases about Nita's disappearance.

"We do believe that somebody saw something and just don't know what they saw," said LaDonna Meredith, director of the organization.

While her organization won't be participating in the upcoming search, there will be others, Meredith promised. Let's Bring Them Home also plans to offer a reward to anyone who gives information leading to Nita's location.

This is in addition to an award the Carole Sund/Carrington Foundation has offered. The Modesto-based organization has been involved in providing emotional support to the family.

The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office also hasn't given up. Detective Bill Burr, with the office's investigations unit, has taken over the case.

"We are receptive to any information that we get," said Lt. Dan Bressler, spokesman for the office.

He declined to disclose further details of the case's status.

But the Sheriff's Office won't be participating in the search either.

"We simply don't have the manpower, however, if we do get any information at all, we will be there," he said.

Pleasanton pilot Mike Melson will be there — for the eighth time — to look for her.

He never knew Nita or her family until he saw an announcement advertising search efforts shortly after she went missing in 2005 and joined in.

But that search was the first of what has becoming ongoing and expanding search and rescue efforts for other families. In fact, he quit his job in the high tech industry to pursue it. He and his wife, Bridget, have founded a counseling center that focuses on missing teens.

It's a ministry of sorts.

"I just felt like witnessing should be done through actions not just words, so for me, this is the way to show people the love of God," he said.

He also sympathizes with the family, who was left without many options after the initial search efforts faded.

"I just think that Nita could be anybody's mom," Melson said. "She could be my mom, and I would appreciate if someone helped me if I were in Tracy's shoes."

It's important to not give up until they find her, he said.

"I'm optimistic that this may be the chance to bring some answers to this family," he asked. "But even if it's not, how can someone give up on mom?"

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