Claude Rezzani

At 87 years old, Claude Rezzani was still a working man, the owner of a store in the small community of Wadsworth, Nevada. His shop was situated along the busy artery of Interstate 80, a route that cut through the vast landscape east of Reno. Wadsworth itself was a town with a long history, once a bustling division headquarters for the Central Pacific Railroad before the railroad relocated its operations to Sparks at the turn of the 20th century. By 1980, Wadsworth was a quieter place, a small town of a few hundred residents nestled in a bend of the Truckee River. For those who lived there, it was home, and for travelers on the interstate, it was a brief stop.

On Friday, January 11, 1980, Mr. Rezzani was at his store when two men walked in with the intention of robbing him. They brandished a large-caliber blue steel handgun and, in a violent display of force against the elderly shopkeeper, robbed him and forced him to the ground. The assault was brutal, and though he survived the initial encounter, the injuries Mr. Rezzani sustained were severe. He died sometime later from what authorities described as complications arising directly from the injuries he suffered during the robbery. His death turned a violent robbery into a homicide investigation.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office immediately began an investigation, designated under case number A80-0342. Detectives learned that two suspects were involved in the fatal robbery, but a detailed description was only available for one of them. He was described as a white male, between 22 and 23 years old, standing approximately five feet, nine inches tall, and weighing around 160 pounds. He had short, dark hair. No description was ever released for the second individual who entered the store and took part in the crime that ended Claude Rezzani's life.

The investigation into the murder has spanned more than four decades, yet the identities of the two men who robbed the store that day remain unknown. Over the years, leads have dwindled, and the case has grown cold, joining the list of Washoe County's unsolved homicides. Without arrests or new information, the specifics of the crime, the motive beyond robbery, and the exact sequence of events that led to Mr. Rezzani’s fatal injuries have been left to the sparse details in the case file.

Decades have passed without closure for the family or community affected by this senseless act of violence. The case of Claude Rezzani is a quiet but persistent file in the cold case unit of the Washoe County Sheriff’s Office. Detectives believe that even after all this time, someone may hold a piece of information that could finally shed light on what happened on that January day in 1980.

As of November 2026, the murder of Claude Rezzani remains an open and active investigation. The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek any information that might lead to a breakthrough in this decades-old case. Anyone who may have knowledge about the robbery, the suspects, or any detail, no matter how small it may seem, is urged to contact the Detective Division at 775-328-3320, referencing Case #A80-0342.