Missing Person: Sylvia Ann Lee - Campbell, California

Missing Person: Sylvia Ann Lee - Campbell, California

Category	Details
Name	Sylvia Ann Lee (Nickname: Shorty)
NamUs Case Number	MP4574
NCMEC Number	1154790
Date of Last Contact	October 31st, 1995 (Tuesday) (Hallowe'en)
Missing From	Campbell, California (Santa Clara County)
Missing Age	17 Years (Born: March 26th, 1978, CharleyProject)
Current Age	47 Years
Biological Sex	Female
Race / Ethnicity	White / Caucasian
Height	5' 0" (60 Inches)
Weight	125 lbs
Hair Color	Brown (Possibly dyed black or blonde at time of disappearance)
Eye Color	Brown
Distinctive Physical Features	Tattoo of the word "Shorty" on left hand
Clothing	Black sweatshirt, black pants
Circumstances of Disappearance	Last seen on October 31st, 1995 (Tuesday). Foul play suspected.
NamUs Case Created	January 7th, 2010 (Thursday)

Source: NamUs #MP4574

By: Shane Lambert
Original publication date: October 6th, 2025

Sylvia Ann Lee went missing on Hallowe'en in 1995. That made me wonder if she abducted while out trick or treating, however, she was 17 years old, generally a little old for that activity. She was dressed in all black and the color of her hair was dyed. I didn't find any information regarding whether that was part of a costume for the day or night but it may have been.

I did think that Hallowe'en would be an increased risk night for teens. They are out and about and abductors would probably recognize increased opportunities for that.

What I did find is that her fate is not considered mysterious. There is a conviction for her murder, which dates the information at NamUs. At time of writing, NamUs did not mention that someone, Wilbur Wade Atcherley, was convicted for murdering her.

September 24, 2011. Record Searchlight.

Charley Project had a good write-up for this case as summarize.

She was last seen boarding a bus to a light rail transit station, heading to her grandmother's house. He appears to have lured her into a taxi. Atcherley said he took her to a remote area in New Aladen, sexually assaulted her, killed her, and left her in a creek bed. Authorities believe she washed away from there.

Speculation: So Where Was She Exactly?

If Atcherley left her in a creek bed and she washed up, then you might think Alamitos Creek is where she died. Alamitos Creek is the primary waterway running through this area, flowing from the Santa Cruz Mountains northward toward Coyote Creek and eventually the San Francisco Bay. I found some evidence online that the creek experiences season flooding, lending some support to how she stayed missing. The creek has a significant floodplain. 

Regardless of where she went or what creek she was left at, if she washed away in flowing water then she will be hard to find. Missing people who are lost in water often stay missing for decades.

Wilbur Wade Atcherley: Criminal Record in Sylvia Ann Lee’s Case

Wilbur Wade Atcherley, a registered sex offender, is infamous for the 1995 murder of 17-year-old Sylvia Ann Lee in Campbell, California. On October 31, 1995 (Tuesday), Atcherley visited the Campbell Police Department to update his registration, per CBS San Francisco. Hours later, he lured Sylvia into a taxi from a San Jose light-rail station, sexually assaulted and killed her, and dumped her body in a in New Almaden. In 1999, he abducted, assaulted, and attempted to murder another woman in Gilroy, earning a 61-years-to-life sentence. In 2011, Atcherley confessed to Sylvia’s murder, corroborated by taxi records, and received an additional 15 years.

I briefly looked into his past. It looks like he had brushes with the law as a young adult as a thief. I did find a 1984 article indicating that he kidnapped and raped a woman.

September 9th, 1984. Chula Vista Star-News.