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Camilla Lyman can finally rest in peaceSkeleton of heiress found in septic system; but who killed her is still a mystery.By TERRENCE PETTYThe Associated PressPROVIDENCE, R.I. - A skeleton found hidden on the remoteestate of a missing transvestite millionaire has been identified as thewoman’s remains, authorities said Thursday.Authorities also said the woman,champion dog breeder Camilla Lyman, had been murdered. Her skeleton was dumped into a septictank.Lyman, who dressed like a man and called herself Cam, disappeared from her Victorian house inHopkinton in 1987.At long last, this daughter of an affluent Bostonian will rest in peace in her family’s plot in Massachusetts.44But who wanted her dead? And why?No comment,” said John Scun-cio, chief of the Hopkinton police, who is conducting the murder investigation along with state police.The skeleton was discovered inLyman's septic tank on Sept. 24. 1997, by two men who had purchased her 40-acre Hopkinton estate.Little police work was done to find Lyman after she vanished. A fellow dog breeder who took care of her business affairs, George O'Neil, said at the time it was not unusualfor her to leave home for extendedperiods.Fifty-four years old when she disappeared, Lyman had few friends and built a stockade-style fence around her house.She grew a mustache with the help of steroids intended for her dogs, sported a man’s haircut and wore herringbone jackets. This created a gulf between Lyman and her family.She was the daughter of Arthur T. Lvman, who before his death hadmore than 30 years of public service in Massachusetts, including stints as commissioner of corrections andcommissioner of conservation.The first real investigation intoLyman’s.disappearance was opened early last year by Scuncio, shortly after he took over as police chief.A former state police detective, Scuncio brought in a cadaver-sniffing state police dog to search the grounds of Lyman's estate.Ironically, the corpse was found in the septic tank by Greg Siner and Gardner Young, the property’s new owners, after they detected a stench. The two men thought the septic system had overflowed. When they opened the tank, they saw Lyman’s skull bobbing in the muck.There had been little, if any, doubt that the remains wereLyman's. But proving it took more than a vear.On Thursday, the state Medical Examiner’s office said the body had been identified with the help of the FBI's laboratory in Washington.DC.The breakthrough came with the assistance of dental records and acomputer that was used to superimpose photos of Lyman’s head over the skull to see if they matched.Also helpful were personal effects, the Medical Examiner's office said in a press release.Investigators refused to identify them, saying only that they were discovered with the bodv.There has been speculation that investigators found a murder weapon in the septic tank alongwith the skeleton. But Scunciowould not sav whether that is true.After Lyman disappeared, her dogs and her property were maintained bv O'Neil.He was one of Lvman's few closefriends, had power of attorney over her affairs and was the sole beneficiary in her will, according to testimony at a 1994 probate hearingGUITAR LESSONSNashuaEd KyddAll Styles898-7577dealing with Lyman's estate.O’Neil on Thursday told television station WJAR that he hadnothing to do with Lyman’s disappearance.Police learned of that Lvman hadvanished in December 1988, whenher brother filed a missing-personsreport with the Hopkinton police.Charles John Allen, a private investigator initially hired by Lyman'ssiblings to locate her, has been assisting Scuncio and Rhode Islandstate police in their criminal investigation.Some things have developed.% *said Allen. He would say nothingmore about the developments ex-Photo by The Associated Presscept that people in the world otshow dogs have been in contact withCam Lyman is shown in thishim.1987 file photo, taken in Hop-Allen has been attempting to lo-kinton, R.I. The millionairecate as much as $4 million in stockdog-fancier, who oftenand other assets that were once indressed as a man, has beenLvman's possession.missing since the summer ofShe had a fairlv extensive stock1987. Police who searchedportfolio when she disappeared.lt;1 *her estate found a completebut that was reduced to “a couple of skeleton in the septic systemstocks,” he said.near the kennels for herAllen refused to speculate on the dogs. The identity of therecord about what might have hap- bones were confirmed onpened to the assets.Thursday as being Lyman.Mary Margaret Goodale, Lyman ssister, had long assumed her sisterwas dead and is relieved that thebodv has been identified as C’amil-Weather Reports Dailyla's.Some years ago Mrs. Goodale hada headstone for Camilla put up atobcthe family plot in Westwood, Mass.Finallv,” she said. I can haveher buried in the familv cemetery.% *FACING DIVORCE?CALL THE FAMILY LAW OFFICE OFAMY G. WOLFSON, ESQDIVORCE, CUSTODY DOMESTIC RELATIONS595-0600INDIAN HEAD PLAZA NASHUA • FREE CONSULTATIONCatch today's weatherwith WMUR-TV’sr1meteorology team on
Newspaper Details
Nashua Telegraph
Nashua, New Hampshire, US
Sat, Oct 17, 1998
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Chad G.
USA 02 May 2023
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