[UPDATE 4:31 p.m.] Human Remains Found Not Far From Missing Berkeley Woman’s Vehicle
Please note that due to a misunderstanding, this article has been substantially changed as a crime is not suspected in this case, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Please see note at the bottom for more.
Yesterday evening, social media rumors began to circulate claiming the body of Betty Baxter Simmons (Beebee), a Berkeley woman whose vehicle was found abandoned on a rural Humboldt County road, had been discovered by searchers. Earlier, a spokesperson for the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department told us that they suspected a crime had occurred.*
Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Samantha Karges confirmed last night, “Human remains were located today in the area of Snow Camp Road. We are unable to confirm that they belong to Simmons but it is possible. We will have more information Monday after the coroner’s office obtains identify confirmation.”
The search for Baxter began after the September 24, 2020 discovery when her abandoned Toyota Prius was found by a timber company employee on Snow Camp Road near Korbel, according to Karges. Karges told us the employee found a note on the vehicle’s window, which read “Tow to Berkeley.”
On Thursday, Karges told us in a written response that deputies had found evidence at the scene indicating the vehicle had been parked on the logging road for an extended period, becoming stuck after trying to turn around at a locked gate. Karges told us that “deputies located a cell phone, luggage, and food” in the vehicle and she said unspecified “evidence indicates a crime has occurred, which we are unable to determine at this time.”*
Karges said investigators have surmised Simmons could have been traveling to a Buddhist temple in Trinity County after locating “a sheet of paper with instructions to a temple in Junction City.” Karges explained, “The instructions were reportedly given to Simmons by a State Farm Insurance Agent a few days prior to her leaving the Bay Area. We cannot confirm that she was attempting to visit the temple.”
Linda Cashen, a neighbor of Simmons in West Berkeley, told us on Saturday, September 5 she overheard Simmons packing up her vehicle. When Simmons did not return after three weeks, she informed the landlord out of concern for her friend. Cashen said the landlord then contacted the Berkeley Police Department and a missing person report was taken.
Cashen said when she moved into the West Berkeley apartment complex she remembers Simmons welcoming her into the neighborhood. “She helped me do laundry,” Cashen explained. “She is a really friendly person.”
Cashen described Simmons as comfortable in the outdoors, being an avid walker, and active for her age. “She’s 75 and acts like she’s in her 40s,” Cashen told us
Lolita Porlaris, another neighbor of Simmons, provided a different timeline of events finding Simmons packing up her vehicle in a rushed, hurried manner on Thursday, September 3, 2020.
Porlaris described finding a guitar case outside Simmons’s Prius that day and proceeded to let her know. Porlaris said she did not notice any problems with Simmons. She thought she could be on her way to a local club or open mic night. Porlaris did recall Simmons mentioning something about a “five-hour drive” and seemingly “rushing around.” Simmons said something about picking someone up, which Poralris attributed to why she was hurrying that afternoon.
Anyone with information about Simmons’ circumstances is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
*NOTE: The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office has informed us that we misunderstood and there is no evidence that there was a crime involved in Ms. Simmons disappearance nor is there a crime suspected in the death of the human remains found near her vehicle.
UPDATE 4:31 p.m.: Press release from the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office:
On Oct. 2, 2020, at about 10:49 a.m., the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office Emergency Communications Center received a call from a timber company employee regarding human remains located in the area of Snow Camp Road, near Korbel.
Humboldt County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene and recovered the remains. The identity of the deceased has not been confirmed at this time.
Foul play is not currently suspected, and no evidence of a crime has been located at this time.
More information will be released when available.
Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to call the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.
Earlier Chapter: Law Enforcement Looking for Missing Berkeley Woman After Her Car Was Found Near Korbel
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Not the usual route to JC from 101, and definitely not in a prius. Scenic detour or…
I used to live out there in Korbel. She may have gotten off the freeway in Blue Lake and gotten confused as to how to get back on 299 east. If she missed that turn she would go straight to the Korbel area. Sad story.
Green diamond has cameras up there… I wonder if they got anything on them
There is a Buddhist Temple near the old Post Office in Kneeland.
AFAIK unless things have changed since I was last on Snow Camp Road, you can’t get to Kneeland from there!!! Just saying!!!
I think you could at least quite awhile back but it’s a long way over Butler Valley to Maple Creek to Bald Hills. That’s a heck of lost way.
It IS!!!! I’ve lived around here for 60 + years, grew up in Blue Lake & drove Snow Camp Road LOTS of times & I wouldn’t consider going that way!!!
I tired to make that drive about 5 years ago but on snow camp road the signs seems to be telling me that the road became private so I altered my route.
Map aps often are grossly inaccurate in rural areas and try to lead people crazy places on routes that don’t quite exist. Perhaps she was following her ‘smart’ phone. I suppose a forensic search of it, if she had one, could answer that question.
This is a fact. They depict public through roads where there are none… where roads that were once pubic have become private, or where time and vegetation have overtaken them entirely. I myself was once duped by these maps, and since then, I’ve had to warn others when I see them lost… never trust the google maps for roads.
Of course you can. You proceed to maple creek and take butler valley road to kneeland road, a long drive with narrow twisty roads.
The Buddhist temple in question is the Chagdud Gonpa on Red Hill Road in Junction City, across the road from the Junction City School. As with all religions, there are some good people who immerse themselves in and consistently practice their faith… However, particularly in our western culture, there are also those who seek out the Gonpa who are unstable and troubled, looking for salvation or peace – or worse, looking for a religion that’ll forgive and camoflauge their questionable behaviors. Sounds like this poor woman may have given a ride to one of the latter.
Website: https://chagdudgonpa.org/
I am going to have to agree with your deductions. Although we can only surmise she was not the one with the questionable morals. Seems to me like she was too trustworthy and friendly to the wrong person. I have lived in Humboldt all my life (45 years) and have no clue where Snow Camp Rd is. I do know Butler Valley and Maple Hills though. Not really roads or places a tourist would likely end up on their own. I pray for peace and justice for her loved ones…
Snow Camp Road is out of Korbel, close to Blue Lake!!!
Coyote waits.
Perps walk.
I’m pretty sure Beebee was lost. Her friends (I’m one) and family are waiting for more details, especially about the nature of the crime police say they suspect.
Best wishes to you, sir, and to all of Beebee’s friends and family in your quest to find the truth. I want to offer my condolences, and say that I hope, now that she is off to the temple in the sky, that she finds the peace and serenity she was looking for. Rest in peace, Beebee.
Is it just me or does anyone find it strange that 2 women have been found dead in the last couple of months?
Are you referring to the gal they found in the pullout in Kneeland area? There was also the young lady found dead under a van in a parking lot in McKinleyville. Odd they say there was no foul play there. Hmm something tells me that can’t really be true!
Way too many missing and murdered. Seems almost no one gets justice. Difficult to understand why the county doesn’t have the necessary capacity for solving murders. Leaving cases unsolved allows for dangerous people to roam freely among us. Who will be next?
I think I read that the young woman who was found near her van in McKinleyville was a known addict and that she had overdosed.
The Dark Heart of Humboldt rears its ugly head.
The dark hearts of mankind. Humboldt is far from being the only place women go missing or are taken and murdered. This is a worldwide issue. Women are less valued and often seen as disposable.
And even after they are missing and murdered, their cases often go unsolved by authorities… files can just get thrown in a box somewhere. After the rape kit debacle, some of us see the issue as systemic.
There have been a couple of similar situations in Mendocino county. One was an elderly man found on a logging road near Fort Bragg, and another similar last year here. Both Senior people, in locations no one goes to.
elderly on road no one goes to could be suicide or if vehicle broke down the cold might have gotten them. sad and hopefully not part of a serial killer’s trail.
They have a ton of cases tied to the Ft. Bragg Willits road 6 missing persons cases.
Hope they catch the person lotta cameras out there. Rip
A 5 hour drive is about right from Berkeley to Arcata. From there, on a following day, she could have taken 299 East to the temple near Redding. On 299 before Blue Lake there is a sign that says there are no services for the next 34 miles. Seems entirely possible she stopped off in BL and somehow got lost.
GPS tells folks erroneously to take snow camp to the 299 out of Blue Lake. Also to take power line road to snow camp to 299. Also incorrect. Many a semi stuck and tourists stuck out that way
Don’t forget about the lady on 299 that ended up 800′ over the bank into the river.
Vehicles associated with dead people have been suspiciously common lately.
Only reason I say female was a comment attributed to her nephew.
I don’t think the driver has been otherwise officially identified.
Also eerily similar to the old guy found out the road near Westport.
299 or 96?
Each road had a similar incident.
I believe the 299 incident was most recent. The 96 incident was before Bussel and Tripp disappeared.
So many incidents they blur into each other.
I hope someone is paying close attention, but I am afraid nobody is.
Scary.
Also, I don’t think someone intending to commit suicide would pack luggage and bring extra food.
Good point, Guest. I think there are a lot of people who could excel at detective work, whose services are not called upon.
As I said earlier, I don’t understand why the county doesn’t have the necessary capacity for solving murders. We HAVE a serious problem, and we need to fix it… Do we hire more detectives? Do we hire better detectives? Do we re-think the protocols that surround how we investigate homicides? Do we find ways to involve the community?
What we are doing isn’t working. We need to find ways to do better.
Hi Guest-Please check out my comment below. BeeBee’s investigation really needs advocacy right now. Thank you for your thoughts & concerns.
DONT USE GPS!!! It will show the ‘shortest’ route NOT – the safe or reasonable way to get there and will choose ANY road as the route…dangerous for those who dont have a sense of direction or navigation skills. USE A PRINTED MAP!
Is the Mexican cartel still a presence in Humbolt Co.? I doubt it just magically disappeared completely. Tend to agree with the people who suspect foul play. Would like to know in whose handwriting “Tow to Berkeley” was written in, if all her personal belongings (cell tel, musical instruments etc.) & food left in car.
Hitchhiking IS dangerous, either picking up or being picked up in rural N. Calif. I speak from experience.
I surmise that she was killed in another location and the killer drove her there to hide the evidence but got stuck. Excellent opportunity to catch the person unfortunate if the scene was disturbed bc that could be crucial. Whoever was with her had to get to blue lake and back likely to Arcata and there are very limited public transit there. Amtrak I am unsure of but I believe greyhound has cameras and cameras shots of her driving north with the perp would be ideal.
You surmise all that based on what?
I think she got lost and her Prius died, and then mountain lions got her of course.
Well, like, duh they’re still a presence as in they exist. But, huh?
How did this story get so much bs? Kym can you please explain?
I’m sorry, Kris. I’m not sure what you mean.
People were responding to the earlier press release about this being a ‘crime scene’… and
offering all sorts of comments.
I am a friend of BeeBee. Folks, we could really use some community advocacy with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Department right now. As of Monday, one of BeeBee’s family members was told that a forensic examination of the car will not be done. Perhaps this is due to the fact that one of the deputies actually got into the car after it was pulled out of wherever it was found (we still can’t get a straight answer on that) and drove it to the Coroner’s office. The sheriff’s office keeps insisting that there is no evidence of foul play, but there has never been an official family briefing on what has been examined so far and why the Sheriff’s office seems to be labeling BeeBee’s disappearance and possible death as “not a potential crime.” To our knowledge, although BeeBee’s cell phone was found in the car, they have not examined the phone saying that “it would need to be charged” for them to do that.
There are other potential leads that we would like the sheriff’s office to look into, which I won’t list here, but our main request right now is to have the car swabbed for DNA. We believe this to be important, and in our opinion, a basic request given the extremely suspicious nature of BeeBee’s disappearance and possible death, (her remains have yet to be officially identified via DNA).
Folks, please help us. Please contact the sheriff’s department and submit a comment asking that BeeBee’s car and the contents therein, be swabbed for DNA, before it’s too late.
(707) 445-7251
Lazy Humboldt county detectives . If you’re going to disappear or get murdered don’t do it here, they don’t care.
Hi! I went to CCAC with BeeBee and she was an inspiring, refreshing person. So open and friendly and warm, she was really unique. In recent years I just keep in touch with Facebook, but there may be clues on social media. I want to know what happened to her. Was it foul play? Did she just get lost/car broke down/phone out of juice? This is so heartbreaking. Sending love to BeeBee’s family and friends. Does anyone know what really happened?
https://www.berkeleyside.com/2020/10/03/human-remains-found-near-missing-berkeley-womans-car-in-humboldt
Beebee is/was an old family friend and I am just mortified to find this out. We chatted on and off on FB chat. I tried to contact her about another friend last Nov and never heard back…now I know why. She and my brother had gone to see mark Stickman in the hospital early last year and she got dreadfully lost three times my brother said. She was not using her iphone for maps, so it’s quite possible she was not using it on this trip either. She was always highly energetic and enthusiastic, talented and friendly. My heart goes out to all her friends and family. Happy Birthday my sweet friend, say hi to my mom, I know she will be happy to see you.