Four years ago today, 23-year-old Anna Marie Scott, a Paiute mother of two small children, was found shot to death and left in the trunk of a burning car on the I-580 overpass between Carson City and Reno, Feb. 3, 2022.
Since that time, despite multiple requests for information from this and other news agencies, the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office and Washoe County District Attorney’s Office has blocked all requests for information. This includes requests for even the most basic of details, like what color the car was, who it belonged to, and whether or not Scott’s movements for the days leading up to her murder were known.
A full month passed before the Washoe County Regional Medical Examiner released information that Scott had been killed by a gunshot wound, officially naming her death a homicide.
When Carson Now reminded WCSO of the anniversary of Scott’s death with a renewed request for information in 2024, then-WCSO public information officer Sergeant Kristin Vietti ignored the request for information, and instead issued a press release with photos of Scott and her children asking for the public’s help, without providing any additional information that could help witnesses come forward.
When asked to confirm that WCSO was refusing to provide basic details such as the make and model of the car, how long before being discovered Scott had been dead, or what her movements were leading up to the discovery of her body, Vietti responded: “This case is still an active and ongoing investigation. Today’s press release is the only information available for release regarding this case at this time.”
Now, in 2026, these details have still never been released. All formal document requests have been denied based on the claim that the homicide is still “actively being investigated” despite no proof that is the case.
Today, Carson Now renewed its annual request for information from WCSO and we are waiting to hear back.
The only possible lead in her case was a man named Jacori Shaw, who was wanted not as a suspect in the case, but for questioning as he may have had some insight into the murder.
However, while attempting to bring him in for questioning, Shaw was shot dead by a Sparks Police officer in 2022. The officer was later cleared by the Washoe County District Attorney’s Office, despite major inconsistencies between body cam footage and statements from other officers on scene.
To date, aside from the belated release of Scott’s identity and later, her cause of death, no agency has ever provided additional information into her killing, and has blocked all requests for information.
An award was increased to $5,000 in 2024 for any information that could help lead to finding Scott’s killer(s).
The award is being offered by Secret Witness. If you have any information that could help solve Scott’s case, please contact the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office Detective Division at (775) 328-3320 or Secret Witness at (775) 322-4900. Refer to case #WC22-563.
