Showing posts with label Placer County. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Placer County. Show all posts

Saturday, April 4, 2020

1916 ‘La Mano Nera’ murder mystery shook Roseville




Not known for the kind of frequent scandals and murders that made San Francisco, Chicago and New York infamous, Roseville’s small railroad town appeared for much of the century to be far away from “the riffraff” that inhabited the larger cities. Or was it?  In the fall of 1916, Roseville became infiltrated by fear, terror and shock when the news broke of a double-murder involving a young mother and her child.

According archival reports from the Roseville Register, the story began Sept. 26 of that year, when Italian immigrant Musco Paolini claimed he'd left his home north of Roseville Union High School and headed down to the local butcher shop. Paolini made a meat order to be delivered to his doorstep, but when the butcher’s delivery boy showed up no one was home. Paolini himself later arrived home to find the dwelling empty. He originally assumed his wife, Clotide, and his two-year-old son Marino, had gone on a walk. After hours passed Paolini began to worry.

Getting in touch with his brother, Paolini also notified Roseville Constable Lou Hoke to aid in the search for his family. Newspapers recount that they canvassed the surrounding areas well into the night. Around 10 p.m., Hoke announced he was finished searching for the evening, though the Paolini brothers continued on. 

Around 2 a.m., the lifeless bodies of Clotide and Marino were found at a creek bottom in the ravine. Placer County Sheriff George McAuley was called to the scene to investigate. McAuley quickly noted that both of the victims had been shot in the head. It appeared there were no signs of a struggle, and that the two had been brought to the creek and dumped. Their faces also had powder burns, which McAuley knew meant their killer shot them at close range.

When the story made newspaper headlines, it immediately instilled panic in the surrounding neighborhoods. It is clear from existing records that the people of Roseville wanted to know who could have done this heinous act, and more importantly, why?

When the sheriff began questioning Paolini, he insisted he had no idea who would want to hurt his family. Neighbors reported that they saw no one visit the home, nor did they glimpse anyone leave it. It was as if Clotide and Marino had simply vanished prior to their killings. However, the backyard offered a slight clue in the form of a pile of dirt, indicating Clotide may have been interrupted while sweeping around the time she disappeared.  

McAuley, his deputies and Placer County District Attorney John Landis continued to be confronted by questions that were increasingly hard to answer. At one point the sheriff mentioned to reporters that he believed the murder could be connected to La Mano Nera or “The Black Hand.” There were many Italian immigrants in Roseville at the time, and it wasn’t too far from San Francisco, a place widely known for mafia-related connections. 

McAuley never elaborated on why he suspected the Black Hand, though his mention of the group was enough to make rumors swirl in Roseville: Could someone have been extorting Paolini? Did the Italian have unknown ties to the mafia? Did the immigrant know more about his wife and son’s deaths than he led on to?

After further research into this ninety-nine year old cold case, I have found that there was a prime suspect in the murders and his name was Anthony Avina (aka Antonio Avania). According to archived accounts in the Sac Daily Union, Avina’s statements to authorities were conflicting. He was also caught in a lie when questioned about his whereabouts at the time of the murder. After interrogating him, Sheriff McCauley and District Attorney Landis were convinced that he had committed the murders but didn't have enough evidence to convict. It appears that no more was done and that Avina was not charged or convicted for the murders. 

Roseville city records show that Clotide and Marino were buried together at the Roseville Cemetery, which was very close to their home. Now the only reminder of their existence — and the cold, calculated act that ended them — is the small block of stone with their names and dates etched into it. It sits quietly in the cemetery, unable to tell us what really happened on that day in 1916.  


(Originally published on December 4, 2014 in the Roseville Press Tribune, updated information added on April 26, 2017)  COPYRIGHT ---
Photo: J’aime Rubio

Publisher/Editor's Notes: This is one of a series of articles that I wrote for the Roseville Press-Tribune several years back when I used to write the historical articles for them.  According to my old editor, since I wrote the content I can repost the articles. I also obtained permission by Gold Country Media a few years back to republish my stories, too. 

Thursday, March 22, 2018

The Mysterious Misinformation of Dyer Lane, Roseville, California -


One of the most popular spots in Placer County that is rumored to be haunted is Dyer Lane. Just on the outskirts of Roseville, this road tucked away in the middle of farm land isn’t much to look at, but seems to attract many in the paranormal field over the years. There has been all sorts of stories claimed to have originated from that area. From a barn where teenagers were said to have been butchered, to a secret meeting spot or hangman's tree for the KKK, a Satanic cult and witches coven or even various unexplained deaths. Some even claim to see a ghost cop driving up and down the road, only to disappear. 
I decided to reach out to the police department in Roseville, to see if they had any record of these events taking place. The person I corresponded with at the Roseville P.D. claimed they had no information at all, prompting me to contact the Sheriff's department instead. According to Dena Erwin at the Placer County Sheriff's office who I corresponded with back in 2014, there were no records of any officers dying on Dyer Lane, nor was she aware of any of those other events ever happening out there. 
After searching various archived newspapers and speaking to the Roseville Historical Society about this, it was interesting to note that 99% of the stories circulated are false. However, within recent years there have been several deaths tied to that particular area. The  most recent deaths have been related to drug or gang affiliated crimes.
The former curator of the Roseville Carnegie Museum, Phoebe Astill, had mentioned a murder of a family in that general area years ago. 
“I’m not sure what year it happened, but I remember the story,” she recalls. “It was a Russian family, the father killed the mother and one of the older children, but took the youngest child, a boy.” 
According to Astill, after the bodies of the wife and older child were discovered, the authorities later found the youngest son’s body in the field near one of the towers by Dyer Lane.
Records indicate that on August 20, 2001 Nikolay Soltys murdered six of his family members. One of the victims, his three year old son was brought to an empty field near Dyer Lane where he murdered him. The rest of the murders took place in North Highlands.


There is one other story regarding Dyer Lane that we do know for a fact occurred, the murder of William Mullen.
According to the Press Tribune archives, on March 23, 1985, there was a huge fight at Dyer Lane between the “Punkers” and the “Aggies” (Agricultural/Western) from Rio Linda High School. The newspaper reported that nearly 100 young people showed up to the melee. Out of all the people involved, two were stabbed, and William Mullen was one of them. Although his friends tried to save him, he died on his way to the hospital. He was later buried at the Sacramento Memorial Lawn Cemetery.
As I stated above, in recent years there have been a few gang affiliated deaths on or nearby Dyer Lane but there is no evidence to prove that any of the scarier urban legends that surround this road have any basis in fact. In reality, the urban legends are just that, legends, and local folklore. ----- 
(Copyright 2015 - J'aime Rubio www.jaimerubiowriter.com)

--Note: In recent years, as stated above in the original post, there have been other bodies found on the corner of and on Dyer lane, all of which were linked to drug or gang affiliated crimes. This blog was to cover the history of Dyer lane and any rumors, urban legends or stories about deaths associated with it in the past. --