Do you know who murdered Evelyn Grace Shank? In the winter of 1959, the city of Las Vegas was rattled by the disappearance and subsequent murder of a 45-year-old Caucasian female named Evelyn Grace Shank. On the night of February 4th, Shank was working her shift as the night clerk at the Travelodge Motel located at 2830 S. Fifth Street. Sometime between 11:00 P.M. and 11:40 P.M., the ordinary quiet of the motel lobby was broken by a crime that would leave a lasting mark on the community.
When her relief worker arrived to take over, he found the switchboard and desk area eerily empty. A quick search of the premises for Mrs. Shank proved fruitless, prompting a call to the police.
Investigators arriving at the scene determined that a robbery had taken place, with approximately $174.50, including rolled coins, missing from the motel. It soon became clear that Evelyn Shank had not just been robbed; she had been abducted. An immediate and widespread alert was issued, leading to the setup of roadblocks in Henderson, Boulder City, and other outlying areas of Clark County in a desperate attempt to apprehend the kidnapper and rescue Shank. A witness reported seeing a dark-colored 1949 or 1950 Ford Sedan parked near the front of the motel around the time of the disappearance.
The search for Evelyn Grace Shank came to a tragic end three days later, on February 7, 1959. A group of people riding horses in a flood drainage area near Mountain Springs, off the Pahrump Valley Highway, discovered her body. An autopsy revealed that she had died from a gunshot wound to the head, likely from a. 32-20 caliber revolver. Evidence suggested that she had been forced to walk to the remote location where her life was brutally taken.
In addition to the money stolen from the motel, personal items were taken from Shank, including a 14-karat yellow gold ring with two large white cultured pearls and a Gruen wristwatch with a yellow gold 'snake' band. These items were never recovered. Despite a thorough investigation, no arrests were ever made in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Evelyn Grace Shank. The identity of the person or persons responsible remains unknown, and her case is still considered an unsolved homicide by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, who continue to ask for anyone with information to come forward.
