Bones believed to be those of murdered man

By Anjeanette Damon
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL
May 9th, 1999

Washoe County sheriff's detectives have unearthed the body of a man they think may have been murdered nearly four years ago.

Based on tips received by Reno police, who investigated the original missing-person case, officials found the man's bones late Thursday night in a grave dug about 3 feet deep underneath a home in the 10000 block of North Virginia Street. Both agencies will investigate the death.

The victim's identification and cause of death will not be released until the Washoe County coroner autopsies the body Monday, sheriff spokesman Scott Shields said.

Detectives have interviewed two suspects in the case but have not charged them with the crime, Shields said. Charles Delavega, 40, of Yerington is an inmate at Lyon County Jail on contempt-of-court charges for child support. Nell Johnston, 36, is a Nevada State Prison inmate in Las Vegas, serving time on a weapons charge.

Assistant Sheriff Jim Lopey said charges are pending upon completion of the investigation. "They are both in custody, so now we're just piecing the case together, connecting the forensics with what we've been told by the suspects and our so-called informants," Lopey said. "The case is progressing fairly well."

The people who now live in the North Virginia Street home are not connected to the investigation, Lopey said. They were not available Saturday.

After Reno police received a tip about the homicide, the Washoe County crime lab searched the home for traces of evidence with high-tech laser beams. For example, a faded stain on the crawl-space entrance in the master bedroom closet was determined to be blood, Shields said.

The body was placed in a 3-foot-deep grave under the master bedroom and covered in lye to help with decomposition, investigators said.

Neighbors watched as police vehicles swarmed the area for three days, their questions going unanswered. "I've seen them (police) lined up all over the place and just thought it was a mass murder that was happening," said John Riley, who drives past the residence every day on his way home. "It gets you nervous when nobody knows what's going on."

The sheriff's office and district attorney allowed news photographers onto the crime scene Friday afternoon, with the condition the story be held until investigators had a chance to interview the suspects.

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