Re: The Bermans... (Part 2)
Posted by Bodie the Dog on May 13, 2003 at 16:13:43:
In Reply to: The Bermans... posted by Dezdan on May 13, 2003 at 03:48:57:
Here's another article, discussing the Bermans' fates.
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Copyright 1988 The Times Mirror Company Los Angeles TimesCopyright 1988 The
Times Mirror Company
Los Angeles Times
November 16, 1988, Wednesday, Home Edition
SECTION: Part 1; Page 25; Column 1; Metro Desk
LENGTH: 371 words
HEADLINE: REMAINS OF LONG-MISSING COUPLE FOUND IN DESERT
BYLINE: By JOHN KENDALL, Times Staff Writer
BODY:
The skeletal remains of a Goleta couple missing for nearly three years have been
found in a shallow grave in a remote area about 40 miles east of Lone Pine in
Inyo County, authorities said Tuesday.
Barry Berman, 36, and his wife, Louise, 52, were identified in Bishop through
dental records. They disappeared in January, 1986, in Saline Valley, a rocky
12-mile-long corridor between the White Mountains and the boundary of Death
Valley National Monument. The remains showed no obvious signs of violence,
according to Sheriff's Lt. Jack Goodrich, but he said, "Our opinion is that it's
foul play." He said a team was still "sifting the dirt" Tuesday in a search for
clues.
The Bermans had been staying at a campground at Saline Hot Springs on the
morning of Jan. 6, 1986, when they took a walk in the desert, wearing tennis
shoes, jeans and thin shirts. Their remains were found about 7 miles northeast
in a creek bed.
Recent rains had eroded the grave site. Someone walking nearby found a human
skull and reported it to authorities by radio Sunday morning. Investigators
arrived late in the afternoon and exhumed the remains, which were brought to
Bishop on Monday.
At the time of their disappearance, an extensive search involving six agencies
failed to find a trace of them. Their 1987 Nissan pickup truck was airlifted out
of the valley, and investigators found that valuables in it had been untouched.
The Bermans had been married for about six years. They lived about half a mile
from President Reagan's ranch in Santa Barbara County, where Berman operated a
shop specializing in hand-wrought ironwork.
Berman was the son of a wealthy Beverly Hills couple, Jules and Ruth Berman.
The elder Berman, 78, a real estate developer and liquor importer, offered a
$25,000 reward and joined the search for the missing couple.
"The only thought that we can possibly have now is to find out who did it,"
Berman said Tuesday. "What I want to do is find out who did it and see that they
are brought to justice.
"Barry was our only child. It just leaves our lives completely empty. He was a
completely happy guy. We used to feel sorry for our friends who had children
they couldn't control. Barry was a model son."