The air hangs heavy with the scent of old memories. This is the Motel El Sombrero. Right here in Santa Rosa. Not San Diego.
In the early 1960s this wasn’t a sombrero. It was the Rose City Motel a humble establishment. Mildred and Jay Arneson bought it. They hoped for a peaceful retirement. Their dream quickly soured. Business was poor. The motel was dilapidated.
Then Eva Long entered the picture. She was a mysterious woman with a shadowy past. She claimed friendship with the Arnesons. Eva offered Mildred a substantial loan. She used the motel as collateral. Soon after Mildred vanished.
Eva renamed the motel El Sombrero. Jay Arneson remained. He was frail. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Eva and her husband Ralph cared for him. But only briefly. Jay disappeared too.
The Dodges the owners of the neighboring Blue Bonnet Motel noticed suspicious activity. Eva burned mountains of trash. The stench was unbearable. They suspected foul play. They alerted Mildred’s family.
Mildred’s family contacted authorities. The investigation was initially lackadaisical. The police seemed unconcerned. The family grew increasingly desperate. They turned to the Press Democrat newspaper.
The newspaper’s investigation uncovered numerous inconsistencies. Fake letters purportedly from Mildred surfaced. They revealed Eva’s deceit. The truth slowly unraveled. Eva’s lies crumbled. The El Sombrero’s dark secrets came to light.
Eva’s violent tendencies were revealed. She had threatened a contractor with a gun. She fled Santa Rosa before her arrest. The case became a media sensation. The El Sombrero’s dark history was forever etched in the annals of Santa Rosa’s crime.
The mystery of the Arnesons remains unsolved. Some believe Eva was responsible. Others speculate about other involved individuals. The Motel El Sombrero a silent witness stands as a haunting reminder. It stands as a reminder of a tragedy. A tragedy that unfolded within its walls. The motel whispers tales of deception. It whispers tales of disappearance. It whispers tales of murder.