Nine years after 25-year-old Terran Olson‑Carlisle vanished in Las Vegas, detectives are circling back to a case that has haunted both investigators and family. The 2017 disappearance left behind grainy surveillance video, a bag of grim evidence and a trail that went cold far too fast. Loved ones have called the uncertainty a "personal nightmare," and the renewed push is stirring up old questions about what really happened. Detectives say the surveillance video and the remains recovered are still their best hope for a real break, according to News 3 LV.
Evidence recovered near South Buffalo Drive
The investigation shifted dramatically when a city street sweeper spotted a bag tossed in a dumpster behind a business off South Buffalo Drive. Inside, detectives found clothing, blood and a human body part that helped them identify Olson‑Carlisle. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, surveillance footage later pulled from the area shows two men in a black SUV pulling up and dumping the bag on the 3900 block of S. Buffalo Drive, and the file was assigned to homicide because of how suspicious it looked. The department's open-case page for Olson‑Carlisle on LVMPD outlines the evidence and links directly to the surveillance clip.
Veteran investigator returns to the file
One of the detectives who worked the case early on, longtime Metro homicide investigator Eric Ravelo, retired from the department in early 2025, only to come back and join the cold-case unit. In an interview with News 3 LV, Ravelo said he has taken another hard look at the file and wants this renewed attention to finally crack it open: "My hope is to 100 percent solve this case, take it to trial and convict the people involved in this case."
Family still waiting for answers
For Olson‑Carlisle's family, the renewed investigation is a grim reminder of everything they have lost. His father, Peter Ladner, told News 3 that his son was "an awesome kid with an infectious laugh" and that "he's gone and that I will never see him again." Ladner has pleaded for anyone with knowledge of what happened to come forward, saying the not knowing has weighed on the family every single day.
What happened and earlier coverage
Olson‑Carlisle was reported missing on March 2, 2017, and about a year later police publicly released surveillance images and video in hopes the public could help identify the two men seen dumping the bag. As the Review-Journal reported in 2018, homicide commanders said at the time that they believed Olson‑Carlisle was most likely dead and were handling the file as such. The case summary on the city's site also highlights the critical role of the surveillance footage and the physical evidence found in the bag.
How to help investigators
Detectives are again asking the public to take a fresh look at the surveillance images and think back to 2017. Anyone with information is urged to contact Metro's Homicide Section or submit a tip anonymously to Crime Stoppers. Local coverage has listed the phone numbers as 702-828-3521 for Metro Homicide and (702) 385-5555 for Crime Stoppers of Nevada, according to KTNV. Tips can also be filed online through the contact page on Crime Stoppers of Nevada.
