SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – The South Lake Tahoe Police Department received an anonymous tip in 1992 that asserted South Tahoe resident, Brian Ranken, had been killed. The 31-year-old had gone missing nearly a year prior.

Detectives pursued the tip, but mystery remains around what happened to the South Tahoe man who disappeared under suspicious circumstances over three decades ago.

“He has a daughter that would really like to know what happened,” Doug Sentell said, Lieutenant with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department, “as she’s always wondered.” At the time of Ranken’s disappearance, she was nine years old.

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Ranken’s father, Ed Ranken, had been extremely involved and invested in solving his son’s case, sharing information and thoughts through letters to the South Lake Tahoe Police Department. His pursuit ended in 2010 when he passed away. “He died not knowing,” Sentell said.

A court had declared Ranken dead in 1999 and issued a death certificate despite having no body. At that point, it had been eight years since his disappearance.

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Known Person

Detectives have collected DNA from family members for comparison in the event a body is found. However, without a body or other substantial physical evidence, the investigation has relied on interviews, which is where detectives gathered a description of the last known sighting of Ranken.

It was at this last known sighting that the police department discovered Ranken was with a certain “known person,” as Sentell described. The identity of this person has been withheld to maintain the integrity of the case and this person will be referred to hereafter as Known Person.

This last known sighting of Ranken came from his ex-girlfriend who saw him in a car with Known Person, driving away in October of 1991. Prior to that, Ranken had told this ex-girlfriend he was going to leave town with Known Person.

Nearly a day or two after leaving town together, Known Person returned—but Ranken did not.

At his absence, family and friends started wondering and making inquiries amongst other friends, including Known Person.

Known Person provided an alibi as to why they were no longer with Ranken.

Out of character

Ranken had received an inheritance on account of his mother’s death not long before his disappearance and had made several purchases. One of those purchases was a street motorcycle.

The motorcycle provided an avenue that introduced Ranken to several people in the motorcycle community in South Lake Tahoe. One such connection was Known Person.

Within days of Ranken going missing, Known Person came to collect Ranken’s motorcycle, claiming they had loaned Ranken money and Ranken had put his motorcycle up for collateral.

“Several of his friends and family members believe this to be out of character for Brian,” Sentell explained, “as he highly valued his motorcycle as one of his prized possessions, thinking that he would never do that for collateral.”

Ranken had worked odd jobs and couch surfed prior to receiving his inheritance, never having a significant amount of money.

“So when he came into the money to get this motorcycle, it was a big deal,” Sentell expressed. “He really prized this thing.”

Not only was it out of character for Ranken, but certain elements to Known Person’s story about what happened to Ranken didn’t add up. “You can imagine he’s got a lot of cash on him. He takes off with this person,” Sentell said. “Why does he need the loan?”

Ranken’s father eventually reclaimed his son’s motorcycle.

No double jeopardy

The case has seen three report writing systems, years of searches and multiple detectives who’ve followed leads both in state and out of state.

“You got to remember this is pre-internet days,” Sentell said. “There’s no search online. There’s none of this stuff that’s available to see.”

That includes cell phone or Facebook activity to track. Yet, evidence has filled binders with original material at the South Lake Tahoe Police Department headquarters.

Sentell poured through those binders when he took over the case in 2011. By then, the case was about 20 years old. Taking over a two-decade old case comes with both challenges and advantages.

“There is the detriment of not being involved in the primary investigation,” Sentell explained, “but then there’s a new set of fresh eyes that I come with.”

It brings a neutral position with no biases or connections and also offers a new era of knowledge and technology.

Getting up to date on a case amid a detective’s multi-case load is no easy task.

“It’s starting from scratch, reading someone else’s work and experiences,” Sentell said, explaining this process eventually leads to a foundation of familiarity with the case.

It’s a jumping off point, from which he started interviewing people and pursuing leads that needed closure.

“Every detail matters to look into to see if it matters,” he said. That included tracking down the author of a handwritten note to glean its information.

Now, over three decades later, detective pursuits have led to nothing actionable, but that’s not to say they bear no fruit. Sentell explained that having potential suspects and prosecuting a case successfully are two different things.

“It’s the whole double jeopardy thing. We can only pull the trigger once,” Sentell said, explaining many cold cases have potential or known suspects, but there isn’t enough to prosecute.

That’s why detectives are at times forced to play the long game and wait for a relationship to change, new technology, or another factor that eventually breaks the case. “These cases are always open until there is a resolution,” Sentell said.

As time goes on, memories fade and witnesses pass away, but ultimately, waiting for surefire evidence is what’s best.

“We do no justice to this case by firing prematurely and doing a feel-good arrest and then the person walks,” Sentell expressed. “Because if you shoot your shot too early and they walk, well, you’ve let a murderer technically get away with it and that’s not something anybody wants on their conscience.”

If you have any information concerning this case, you can contact the South Lake Tahoe Police Department at 530-542-6110.

Ranken was born August 11, 1960 and would be 64 years old at the time of this article.