Just after midnight on April 26, 2000, a woman was seen roaming around a restricted area of the Reno-Tahoe International Airport in Reno, Nevada. An airport officer went looking for her and found the woman cowering behind a truck.
She said her name was Star Palumbo and that she was looking for her younger sister who was running around the tarmac. He did not believe her. She seemed to be hallucinating but did not pose a danger, according to the officer. He dropped Star off at the nearby Reno Hilton Hotel and Casino at 1:30 AM.
Star was seen entering the hotel but she didn’t check in. She was never heard from again.
The next day, Star’s car was found illegally parked at the airport. Her cell phone and purse, with $600 in it, were inside. There were also three copies of emails she had sent to the White House. Apparently, she believed the federal government was trying to kill her. Also inside the car was a drawing of a bound and gagged woman fitting her description. Moreover, there were two books on how to change one’s identity.
Star Palumbo / Unsolved Mysteries Wiki
25-year-old Star was originally from Tucson, Arizona, where she had lived with her family. However, she decided to move in with her grandmother in Reno, Nevada, in 1999. She had been a happy person with a bright future but after her move to Reno, her life took a turn.
She became involved in drugs, namely methamphetamines. According to her friends, her job as a clerk at a pawn shop did not pay enough to support her addiction. As a result, it is believed she turned to prostitution — authorities found numerous phone numbers of men in her phone book.
Star and her mother Gail talked on the phone every week. During their last call, on April 25, Gail noticed that her daughter seemed paranoid. Star was convinced that she was being followed and that someone tapped her phone. She was afraid for her life and wanted to move back to Arizona.
Though authorities were never able to confirm the sighting, a woman believes she met Star in December of 2000 — eight months after she went missing.
Linda Fields owned the Silver Dollar Casino in Elko, Nevada, about four hours away from Reno. A woman, who said her name was Star, was at the bar one day. She claimed she was being chased by a pimp. When a man looked through a window, she became anxious and left with another young woman.
There are a few theories as to what happened to Star. She might have suffered from some sort of drug-induced psychosis or had an undiagnosed mental illness. It is possible that she has forgotten who and where she was.
However, foul play has not been ruled out. Due to her involvement in drugs and prostitution, it is possible that she ran into the wrong person.
According to rumors, Star died of an overdose and her body was dumped in the desert. Sex trafficking has also been suggested.
Nevertheless, her mother believes she is alive. If true, she is now 48-years-old.
