Body found buried in Riverbank may be that of missing Nevada woman

Stanislaus County sheriff’s detectives are investigating a homicide following the discovery of a body in the back yard of a Dobbins Lane home.

Coroner officials had not identified the woman, and they did not know her approximate age. The corpse was unearthed Tuesday night.Nevada news agencies today are reporting the woman is believed to be missing Silver Springs resident Peggy Herlacher, 73, who was last seen July 24.

The following day, Herlacher’s grandson, James Masterson, 22, was stopped on a traffic violation in Sacramento and found to be driving her car. He had recently moved in with Herlacher, and allegedly was in possession of her credit cards and jewelry, the Nevada Appeal reported.

Coroner officials arrived about 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Riverbank home in the 2500 block of Dobbins Lane, said deputy coroner Tom Killian. The body had been recovered and taken back to the coroner’s office by 7:30 p.m.

Killian said there were residents at the home Tuesday evening, however, there were no arrests made at the home. He said he did not know whether there was any relation between the residents and the woman.

Coroner officials are preparing to use dental records to identify the body. Killian said that the Lyon County sheriff’s department in Nevada were also investigating.

Herlacher’s daughter said today a Lyon County sheriff’s sergeant notified her last night that her mother’s body may have been found buried in a home’s backyard in Riverbank, the Nevada newspaper reported.

Masterson has denied knowing his grandmother’s whereabouts. He was being held at the Sacramento County Jail awaiting trial there on charges of possession of stolen property and heroin.

This story was originally published September 1, 2010 at 12:28 PM with the headline "Body found buried in Riverbank may be that of missing Nevada woman."