Body of missing Petaluma woman found
Updated Jan. 4 2pm:
El Dorado County sheriff’s Lt. Pete Van Arnum said while there appears to be no foul play in the death of Petaluma resident Alyssa Byrne, the investigation is ongoing to determine how she ended up off the side of Pioneer Trail.
“There is conflicting information about this case. We aren’t exactly sure what happened,” Van Arnum said at a Jan. 4 press conference.
He said it’s easy to become disoriented when hypothermia sets in, so that could be why she was in a location that would have been going away from the casino where she was staying. This is assuming she walked up Al Tahoe Boulevard from the SnowGlobe event at Lake Tahoe Community College.
Kim Miller-Byrne, mother of the deceased 19-year-old, had earlier told Lake Tahoe News that her daughter was not familiar with the South Shore. This could also have contributed to why she ended up between Al Tahoe Boulevard and Black Bart.
Van Arnum said it’s also possible she left the college and trudged through the snow to get to Pioneer Trail. Her body was found about one-half mile from LTCC.
Search and rescue teams were expected today to comb the area where her body was found. It was an employee with South Tahoe Public Utility District in a truck who spotted the body and called authorities.
Van Arnum told Lake Tahoe News that it was frustrating to know that so many people drove by that spot since she was reported missing three days ago. No one could see her because of the snowbank.
A forensic autopsy will be conducted in Sacramento this weekend. Toxicology reports take about a month to be released.
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By Kathryn Reed
The body of missing Petaluma teen Alyssa Byrne was found Friday morning just off Pioneer Trail.
Authorities say a utility worker discovered the body about 8:30am down a short embankment on the south side of the road.
A law enforcement official told Lake Tahoe News it appears the body had been there a couple days and that foul play was not involved. The body was fully clothed.
An autopsy will determine exact cause of death.
Law enforcement examine the area Jan. 4 where the body of Alyssa Byrne was found just off Pioneer Trail in El Dorado County. Photo/LTN
Byrne, 19, had been at the SnowGlobe music festival in South Lake Tahoe on New Year’s Eve. She left before her friends did. They were all staying at the Horizon hotel-casino in Stateline.
A friend had reported seeing her in the casino just past midnight on New Year’s. However, officers began doubting whether it was actually Byrne who the friend encountered that night.
Law enforcement expect to have Pioneer trail blocked for the better part of the morning on the west end at Al Tahoe Boulevard and the south at Cold Creek/Black Bart.
The location is an easy walk from the music venue site at Lake Tahoe Community College, but would be the opposite direction of the casino had she walked up Al Tahoe Boulevard. Temperatures in the area have been below zero and hypothermia would set in fast.
Her father, Kevin Byrne, has been in town this week assisting with the search that has included more than 100 people, K-9 units and a helicopter. He was not answering his cell phone. The person answering the Byrne residence in Petaluma Friday morning said, “We are not taking any calls now.”
How sad! My heart goes out to her family and friends.
Of course they’re not taking calls, my god leave them in peace to grieve! This is so heart breaking my daughter is just a year younger, attended snow globe and even walked same trail/ path from where she lives near Blackbart to festival. So sad, love your loved ones. Hopefully media will not hound family to bad.
This is an aweful end. I’ve been following and I prayed she would be reunited with her family. Prayers go out to the parents and family.
This is so sad and a difficult time for family and loved ones. RIP.
A sad day indeed :(
My condolences to the family, and I hope that LTNs can respect the privacy of the family after the tragic news.
Oh God…blessings upon her soul, and comfort to her family…
i have a 19 year old grandson and my heart and soul go out to this girls family….God bless
why would anyone besides police and family and close friends be calling her father’s cell phone????
Because the story will die, no bad pun intended, and now is the time for family to say what a great kid they have/had. You and others won’t want to read about her in a week. That’s just how news is; that was not a personal comment about you. Having been in the news business, I can tell you calling/talking to family members in situations like this is very difficult and no one likes to make that call. But it can be cathartic for the family.
On the Tribunes website:
“While Howell (undersherriff) did not want to speculate on the circumstances, he said the location could have been along a route someone who missed the shuttle may have taken.”
That is NOT a route that someone who missed the shuttle would take, not even someone who lived on Black Bart, let alone Someone staying at Stateline. This was totally the wrong direction.
Prayers to her friends and family. snowglobe stopped providing shuttle service between 11:30 and midnight, her friends said she left before them and they were at the casinos sortly after midnight. I wonder if she wanted to leave during that break in service, she may have felt walking was her only way home?
If she would’ve passed out due to hypothermia, then, how did her body end up on the other side of the snow And Why did her friends let her leave by herself?
My heart goes out to Alyssa’s family and friends. What a tragic ending to what started out as a wonderful trip to Tahoe.
I’d like to thank Linda for offering to volunteer her time and and tracking dogs. Thank you Robin from Deerfield Lodge for offering rooms to those involved in the search.
I was hoping this ordeal would have ended on a happy note. Sadly not.
Take Care, Old Long Skiis
Sarah, We have the information we need. There is no reason for media people to be calling the family so close after this tragic event. Many problems in our country today are tied to the aggressive and insensitive, media
Interesting she was located between Black Bart and Al Tahoe. You would think if she was headed back to the hotel she would have been east of Al Tahoe.
I think its pretty obvious she just got a little turned around. But with temps near zero the consequence was death. I had a conversation with people about this before the event. This was predictable. Maybe the city council can see the folly in having the event so far removed from the hotels. Having the event downtown would have prevented this tragedy.
Sooo sad my prayers to the family. God guide her soul home.
I was hoping for a better outcome, this was just crushing, I’m really sad.
Important to let the details play out here however. No time to rush to judgement.
They must have been letting people exit that direction, instead of only letting them exit onto Al Tahoe, maybe they need to close that route, though it probably will inconvenience attendees that live over in that direction.
So sad.
John’s post about the location is on the money. I know before the event I posted a comment about how dangerous it could be so cold and so far away from where everybody is staying, and to keep track of your buddies. Sadly, this girl got confused and wandered away from her group.
If Snowglobe is going to come back next year, they must talk about either a different location, or MUCH better transport for the people. We can’t have this happen again.
I didn’t even even know her, and I feel hopelessly sad today.
Leave the family alone. Can’t even imagine the questions you would have asked.
Agree with Dee regarding the other side of the snow bank.
So sad for this family, but I hope that knowing gives them a little bit of peace. Praying for no foul play to be discovered and it is just a tragic accident.
As for all those that think moving the venue to the casinos I believe that this is an event that SOUTH LAKE TAHOE needs, not stateline…. There are many great hotels, restaurants and shops away from there that these people experience and enjoy and hopefully return to.
This is exactly why this event should NOT be here in Tahoe. Where is the Snowglobe organizers response? Seems like they are trying to distance themselves from this story. The terrain is TOO BAD here for drug using concert goers (not saying she was using, but *lots* of the other attendees were.) Go take this concert somewhere else.
A very, very sad day. Alyssa’s family, my heart breaks for you and you will be in my prayers.
For those questioning why someone would be on that section of Pioneer: people were walking up Black Bart during the event and through my neighborhood (opposite direction from Hwy 50). They are visitors and get turned around. Not saying that is what happened though. Last year during Snow Globe I had a young man approach me in my driveway, 2 miles from Hwy 50, .75 miles from Pioneer. He asked me where the highway was.
My heart just sank as I logged on to get a status on Alyssa. May I suggest we keep our comments to this article on condolences and not the politics of SnowGlobe, judgement on the attendees, nor who is at fault until we get facts? For now, let’s just hug our children and send our best wishes to the parents and friends. No politics PLEASE?
I was thinking the same thing that Anne said. This was preventable, completely. Let’s wait for the tox screen to determine if she had been given something. It doesn’t need to come back. Hope the Council is proud of themselves.
To the folks that think SnowGlobe should be cancelled due to the possibility of this happening, should we therefore cancel all Major League sports in stadiums where people have fallen to their death over the railings in the upper tiers of a stadium and died? Should the organizers of every event be responsible for the people that attended said event even after those folks have left the venue? Have the casinos been held responsible for the few people over the years who have walked out of the casinos snot flinging drunk and stepped into traffic on highway 50 and been killed by a passing car?
This is a very sad outcome, but in no way, shape ,or form should the event organizers be held responsible for something that happened to a concert goer AFTER OR BEFORE attending the event.
yes, if there is a high possibility of these people taking drugs that they might not normally do. at altitude, in low temps and if you think the amnesty tent allowed folks to “turn in their drugs” without consequence, how many do you suppose didn’t. Biggerpicture, look at the image this will send. Whatever, I’m leaving Tahoe. It’s going to you know what.
Heartfelt Prayers to everyone who know Alyssa.
Peace be with you.
First, it saddens me to hear that she passed away. I know much our community hoped for the best for her and are actually truly impacted by the news that she was found dead. As a mom, this is the worst nightmare for any daughter or son.
Second, I wanted to mention that although I haven’t gone to either Snow Globe, I have welcomed it’s presence and followed the event on Facebook. That is how I first learned she had disappeared…a post from Snow Globe organizers asking for help from the attendees and Facebook followers, I just wanted to mention that since some people have noted Snow Globe has been silent. They posted her picture and what was known and for help finding her. They also posted their condolences today. I don’t know the organizers, but I have to say they used the media they know best to communicate to their attendees.
Again, my most sincerest condolences to the family and friends of Alyssa.
I tend to think that this poor young woman did nothing more than get her direction turned around in a town with which she was unfamiliar, in the dark, when she was probably already cold and tired. I think that this is one of those truly horrible tragedies that sometimes occur and there is no one to blame. It’s just incredibly sad, and my heart goes out to her parents, family and friends for their loss.
My sincere condolences to Alyssa’s family and friends. One comment on the exit set up my 19 year old said when she was leaving (at the end) they were all funneled to the shuttles, would have been hard to go the wrong way. But if she left early before the crowds left she could have gotten turned around. Next year they need to have more security or other patrols on Al Tahoe to direct way ward people.
Here’s an idea:
Maybe the organizers could aid in forming a voluntary local group of citizens to be, for lack of a better name, kinda ski patrol/mountain hosts in strategic locations dressed in extreme weather gear (to be provided by concert promoters)around the Al Tahoe to Pioneer Trail bike trails, Johnson Blvd, and surrounding area. These folks could aid in giving directions and be on the lookout for those that may not be handling the elements so well.
We will walk from Al Tahoe to the site tomorrow at 5pm on 1/5/2013. Come if you would like. Please park on our street Ralph. Please dress warm and bring a flash light.
and another thing, where was the concern when kids were seen wearing flipping tank tops? End it now. NEVER let it happen to someone elses child. NEVER.
how many of you parents commenting on this blog have ever talked to your kids about drugs??
if you dont know that your kid is going to use at these type of events than you are blind, festivals and drugs are one in the same and if any of you think that alcohol had nothing to do with this then you are being very naive.
as for the city council, shame on you for ever putting money in front of our youths well being.
We will contact the police. Lets walk.
please be there to support.
Our house is available for friends to stay.. kimmoore@comcast.net
It is also too bad there was confusion about her disappearance. She wasn’t reported missing until late the next day rather than by someone she was rooming with that night. She was seen by a friend at the Horizon just after midnight but apparently that was wrong. I believe that fact transferred the responsilbity for the search from the SLT Police to Douglas County. So sad.
Thanks to all in the community who are and did offer to help.
That is really sad lik alot i had hopes dat she was just partying a little more nd would appear safe nd sound….RIP my prayers to da famliy nd sorry ur lost…..She was young she was my age nd it is just very sad to think only 19 years old…..i also have to baby girls nd i cannot imagine dat….i think snow globe shouldnt be anymore cuz diz could happen again…nd i do blame da snow globe cuz da person dat does da event should hav more carefully cuz in da first place minora come out of there drunk nd maybe even something else tooo thats dq first foul thing about it i hav a 15 year old cuzin dat went nd came out super drunk soo i think no more
Maybe the local media could have articles directed towards Snowglobers a few days to a few weeks before? Maybe not too many would read them, but the few who did could pass it on. LTN could post links on Snowglobes Facebook page.
Topics:
1. Factual information about how cold it gets, and what cold can do to you.
2. How to dress for cold, and tolerate time spent out in it.
3. Maps of town to help orient people to the surroundings.
4. Modes of transportation available, and their phone #’s.
Also a big problem was phone communication was very sketchy, it was super hard to get a phone call to go through, we used text, and that would even take a long time. Is there a limit in capacity to the cell towers in the area? so that when our town swells with tourists the phone system becomes inadequate?
We have all done stupid things in our youth, had too much fun, and gotten lost, drank too much, tried different things, and luckily we survivied, sometimes, being young, naive, and bad luck are not on your side. I am sad that she had to loose her life, and am hoping it wasn’t some bad person that did anything to her, only a very tragic accident. Hugs to her family and friends, so sorry!
Something doesn’t quite add up. I hope a thorough investigation is done and all possibilities taken into account. Why would her friends say they saw her at Horizon? And now it turns out it wasn’t her? They forgot what she looked like? And how would her body get behind the snowbank out of sight? There was no fresh snowfall between then and now.
Careaboutthecommunity,
Good ideas you have for SnowGlobe! I have a few of my own. They may not be feasible but I’ll throw em’ out there anyway.
1. Someone here mentioned glow sticks be given to the Globers so they would be more visible if they’re walking at night. I would go one step further and provide them with small inexpensive flashlights. It would be a big help in walking our dark unlit streets also making them more visible to oncoming cars as well as reading the maps that you suggested. Stamp the lights with SnowGlobe on the side and they become a cool souvenir.
2.Incorporate our school buses into the transportation of the concert goers. The school district could bill the promoter and get some much needed cash as well as our local bus drivers get a few hours in during the holidays when they’re off on winter break.Nobody knows the streets of So. Shore like our local school bus drivers! The bus garage is right down the street from LTCC so it’s a short trip and would help our local economy.
Maybe unworkable, just thought I’d throw those thoughts out there to see what people think.Let me know LTN readers!
As always, take care, Old Long Skiis
Very sad but everyone wants to place blame on snow globe. As locals we have all heard of people ducking a rope and passing away at the resorts. Do we blame the resort for not building a brick wall? If its going to be zero out I don’t grab my yoga pants to keep me warm. Have you seen how the kids dress to go to an event like that? Personal responsibility as sad as it is.
She was found next to the bike/walking trail that goes along the snow bank on Al Tahoe Blvd (not near Black Bart)… about 1/4 block from Pioneer Trail. That paved trail had snow on it – but was obscured by the snow bank from street clearing. I happened to drive up Al Tahoe around 10:30am & the Sherriff & news trucks were there, and a photographer was taking pictures of where she was found. It wrenched my gut to think of the mising young gal, and my deepest sympathies to her family. Prhaps an info-warning about hypothermia on the event ticket might help. No one should be walking out there at night.
Irish,
What you wrote is not true.
She was found on Pioneer Trail between Al Tahoe and Black Bart. There is no trail there. She was on the far side of Pioneer Trail, so she had to cross the street if coming from LTCC.
Kathryn Reed, LTN publisher
what you people are failing to speak of is the drug problem that exists inside events like this, an ‘amnesty’ can to voluntarily throw your drugs away is a joke.
How about fixing the real problems here:
first we need to tighten security and arrest ANYONE selling and/or doing drugs this is a community college field and as far as I know drugs are illegal on college campus.
second, the fact that the city didnt lock down some sort of transportation deal with the promoters goes to show you how unfit they are to hold events such as snowglobe, yes bluego was given some of the routes, but this was only after the promoters noticed that their buses were unfit to transport 10,000 people at once.
and last the 30$ charge that was mandatory to even get on these buses needs to be included in the festival ticket itself to make sure no individual is left walking, this will also help with those complaining of seeing people urinate and puke outside their homes.
lets not forget we are a community not a vacation rental.
This was a horrible tragedy. We can try to point the blame at the city or the event itself. But what they could do to pre-plan and attempt to prevent this from happening was done. I was personally impressed with their transportation plan. They had security conducting sweeps on foot and by snow mobile at the end of each event looking for wayward kids. Their search area was just not all the way to Pioneer Trl. They even packed down the walking trails to attempt to keep the kids on path. I’m sure that they will make changes to next year’s event to help prevent this and I like the idea of making the shuttles mandatory and including that in the ticket price. They cranked 30,000 people of all ages and physical ability through this event over three below freezing cold nights. If you think that accidents don’t happen, they do. How many people die on the slopes each year, but we don’t point the finger and say that they don’t do enough up there to prevent it.
My heart breaks for Alyssa’s family and my prayers of comfort go out to everyone affected by this tragedy, including the first responders who were personally affected by this.
Youhave, reasonable people disagree. It appears that there was inadequate planning to move people back to whereever they were parked or staying. Obviousely a kid got lost and paid with her life. I think it is entirely fair to question whether this location is the right place to have this event. I believe and so do others that having this adjacent to where the people are going to be staying makes more sense. Always did. Me and a group of people discussed this eventuality before the event, its not that we were smart, its that this was obvious. Unlike skiing, there is an alternative location that would be safer.
Maybe the Casinos could work together and come up with their own concert.
LTCC is a great location for this concert, very beautiful grounds, that become magical when dressed up, and being in the center of town is ideal, as people come from a wide radius.
I believe this very sad outcome, was a flukish accident, that could more likely be blamed on mother nature than Snowglobe and it’s location.
also the town did a horrible at clearing the streets and sidewalks for an event of this size, if we wish to host 10,000 extra guests (not 30,000 or 40,000) then we should organize some of that money you claim to be making from this event and begin to clean up our town a bit more efficiently, and this goes as far as paving our roads also.
if were going to host events that supposedly bring revenue to our economy well then let that revenue be put back into our community, pave some roads and bike trails and please fix our sidewalks I know driving by they look fine but try and ride your bike or skate through our town and youll notice what Im talking about.
Kae,
Thanks for the facts.
I read your earlier article and distinctly remember you writing the south side of Pioneer. I remarked to my friends how strange it was she crossed Pioneer and hiked over a large snow berm before collasping or lying down.
Hypothermia can be one reason, or part of a combination of reasons.
Truly tragic.
It is natural for people to want answers as to why this happened. It was tragic. But it might not be fair to blame the casinos or the event. They can only do so much. That girl was an adult and intoxicated.
I know two of the people who were staff over the festival. Both are upset and one of them has been having dreams of finding the girl alive and saving her – very, very upset and grieving.
One of the problems is that they had paid staff but also requested volunteers to work at the Snowglobe festival.
Volunteers only received admission to the festival. Many of the volunteers didn’t show because of the extreme temperatures, especially on the last night. So they were short handed.
They need to ‘hire’ everyone who works the show and pay a fair wage as well as making sure they have proper outdoor gear to work in. No more ‘volunteers’. My friends who were paid staff said they saw a few volunteer workers wearing little more than hoodies and jeans and who had to keep going to the warming rooms- barely able to work, let alone pay attention to details.
Stanley, yes she was an adult. I dont know intoxicated is a fact. But, the penalty for getting lost shouldn’t be death.
Here is where I get frustrated. The kids that attended snowglobe by in large stayed downtown. The transportation need was from downtown to the event and back. On a daily basis, the after parties downtown ran more hours than snowglobe. So we have an event that is creating a huge amount of income for downtown business, but we cant just have it downtown because the City is so afraid to cooperate with businesses located downtown. And, as many of us predicted, a person died over it. A kid got lost and died. That should not happen. It particularly shouldnt happen because the City cant work with other jurisdictions.
There is however a problem. Nobody wants to deal with the City on anything. Just ask around town. Try to find a single entity out there that actually wants to work with the City.
Stanley, that is true- she was an adult and intoxicated.
At the same time people from the valleys may not understand that when they are visiting Tahoe -once they go just a short way out of town they are in wilderness. This is not some sort of mountain suburbia – and with all of the pine trees one area looks just like the next without a marker of some sort.
I think all events that are held in Tahoe that draw people up from the valleys in CA and NV need to have an informational warning delivered with the ticket that very clearly and simply states this fact.
even if she was an adult and intoxicated, the legal drinking age is still 21. this girl was 19 and there was a younger girl in the group, she is 16 and said ‘everybody was intoxicated’ this alone makes me question what type of security they hired for this event, and also makes me wonder why cops werent making arrests as they do around the stateline area on a weekly basis, did they let them party for the sake of income??
well, I like lfrissueubio’s take on the college and the drugs on school campuses aspect. maybe their grant funding for future years will come in to scrutiny as a result. that may get the idiotic event cancelled for good. god knows a 19 year olds death won’t stop them because the almighty dollar is more valuable.
I would have to say the issue here is how serious was this situation taken @ first report. If someone is missing at heavenly. They put helicopters in the air immediately when the lifts stop. I feel that should gave been the case here. The friends didn’t have their facts straight. The community was informed too late to make a difference. Her friends knew she didn’t take the bus from the event. We could have found her sooner if we looked. To
the family and friends may peace find you.
If LTCC sponsors this event again they need to have their heads examined. They dodged a bullet last year, no snow and warm temps. Snow, cold temps, drugs and under age drinking, in the woods do not mix. This will happen again if you hold an outdoor concert in the middle of winter.
Why did Snowglobe leave Colorado and move to Tahoe? I’d be curious what the motivation was.
In Colorado, I would imagine there was less of an issue of people not being prepared for bitter winter conditions. I mean, it was Colorado. Folks there know what winter means. But moving it to Tahoe created a whole different market. We have people driving up from the temperate zones who have no idea what they’re going to be dealing with. Kids don’t always think things through. To tragic result.
But likely you have the answer, moving here opens up a big market with Sac and the Bay area. I think its great, just not off in the woods where the transportation needs cant really be handled. If it was downtown then this probably never would have happened.
It all sounds too conflicting. How can her friends see her at the lobby of Horizon AFTER midnight then she would have had to walk 2-3 miles down one of the busiest roads New Year’s Eve back to Al Tahoe crawl over a snow bank and collapse. She would have had to pass hundreds of houses and thousands of cars including law enforcement. Smells fishy. Why would her friends (support group) leave town with her belongings but not her?? Prayers to the family.
Interesting where this goes.
Guess what, 19 year old Drink and take some drugs. I did, you did. they still do.
What would be sad is if this young women out there got in trouble, knew she was in trouble. Had a cell phone but becasue of the ever punitve legal ation we take for underage drinking, the last thing she would do is call for help?
I don’t know but put that dynamic of the What if’s that led to this tragic end to a big night.
The festival continues in Colorado: http://snowballmusicfestival.com/
Wait for the autopsy to have all the information.
SuperWowNow, you are so right. Something is not right at all, a big piece missing. Her friends didn’t “watch” her. They did not work as a group. The locals all assumed the area up from AlTahoe to Black Bart to the college had been searched. We all would have jumped and helped and did a grid search in that area. Something is just not right. I pray the truth comes out, at the cost of this young ladies life.
Something odd here about this South Tahoe area where young girls go missing and plolice never find them. How could 100 volunteers all searching with trained police dogs searc and reacue experts miss a dead body near an easy trail between casino and college? Something is very odd with this South Tahoe area in my opinion.