Arrest Made in 2022 Murder of Pyramid Lake Paiute Woman That Left Community Desperate For Answers

A man has been charged with the 2022 murder of Anna Scott, a mother and Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe member.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference last week to announce the arrest of Delshay Astor, a member of the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, in the case. Astor faces charges of second-degree murder.

“No court proceeding, arrest, or conviction can ever erase the pain, sorrow, and profound emptiness left by Anna’s loss. Nothing can restore the years her loved ones spent grieving, nor fill the void created by her absence. While justice can never replace what was taken from them, it remains an important step toward accountability.”

Anna’s body was found in the trunk of a burned car along Interstate 580, between Carson City and Reno, Nev. She was 23 years old. Officials revealed one month later that she had been shot to death, officially ruling her death a homicide.

Anna’s death shook the Pyramid Lake Paiute community. Her family and advocates worked to ensure her case wasn’t forgotten, urging anyone with information to come forward. In April 2022, just a few months after her death, public-safety nonprofit Secret Witness sponsored 16 billboards in the area bearing Scott’s face and advertising a $2,500 reward for any information related to her death.

Anna’s grandmother, Diane Scott, told KUNR in May 2022 that the family was worried her case would fall by the wayside, as with so many cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women, known as MMIW.

“A lot of them aren’t noticed, and a lot of them their cases are pushed aside and it stays that way,” Diane said. “We don’t want that for Anna, we want justice for her.”

Native communities face a disproportionate amount of violence, with a high number of cases going unsolved, which experts say is a result of inadequate public safety resources, jurisdictional confusion, and federal apathy.

According to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, there are 4,200 unsolved missing and murdered Indigenous people cases, but advocates say the actual number is likely much higher. On some reservations, Native women are murdered at a rate 10 times the national average.

The investigation into Anna’s death was marked by frustration at the limited amount of information the Sheriff’s Office released to the public.

In February 2023, a year after Anna’s death, local news station This is Reno reported that critical information about the case had not yet been released, including Anna’s movements in the days leading up to her murder and the make or model of the car she was found in.

The case drew comparisons to that of 18-year-old Naomi Irion, who was kidnapped and murdered in Nevada a month after Anna’s body was found. Irion’s case made international headlines. According to reporting by This is Reno, search parties were organized and law enforcement provided frequent updates to the press and public. Irion’s killer was arrested four days before her body was recovered.

Efforts to keep Anna’s case in the public eye were driven by her family, the larger Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe community, and the American Indian Movement, who held prayer circles and awareness marches.

In response to the arrest, Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Chairman Steven Wadsworth issued a statement on June 4 on Facebook:

“We are grateful for the work that has transpired leading to this action, and thank those officers for their continued perseverance. On behalf of the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe, we pray that the family of Anna Scott can begin a long healing process. Your pain and suffering, stretching back more than four years, has always weighed heavily across our community and led to the continued efforts of never forgetting our missing and murdered loved ones.”

As well, the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony released a statement on June 3.

“Our hearts remain with Anna Marie’s children, family, and loved ones who have endured years of uncertainty and loss,” Daryl D. Gardipe said in the statement. “RSIC remains committed to supporting efforts that address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives crisis and improve public safety throughout Tribal communities. We encourage anyone with information related to crimes, missing persons, violence, or suspicious activity to report it to the appropriate authorities. Community safety depends on trust, collaboration, and the willingness to speak up when something is wrong.”

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