Velma Studendorf, 86, was found raped and beaten to death in her Mission Terrace home in San Francisco on June 22, 1999. The brutality of the attack shocked the neighborhood and focused attention on how outstanding warrants were being handled in the state.

Authorities reported that Studendorf had befriended a 45-year-old homeless man, David Silva, who stored belongings in her garage. Silva was arrested several days after the body was discovered. DNA testing linked him to the crime and he was charged with murder; investigators said he had a lengthy record of drug offenses and that a felony bench warrant for failure to appear on possession sentencing had not been served prior to the killing. Officials also said Silva was under investigation in connection with another homicide.

The case was cited in criticism of California’s backlog of unserved warrants, which numbered in the millions at the time and included thousands for homicide. Did anyone in Mission Terrace remember Velma, Silva, or unusual activity around her home in June 1999?