Detective's Cold Case: Camilla "Cam" Lyman

Detectives are trying to solve the cold case of Camilla "Cam" Lyman - maybe you can help.

Camilla Lowell Lyman was born in the wealthy Boston suburb of Westwood, Massachusetts on September 4, 1932. Cam Lyman died in Hopkinton, Rhode Island sometime during, or after, the year 1987 but was not declared dead until the year 1995. Cam's body was found floating in the septic system of her 40 acre rural estate in September, 1997.

Camilla's story begins in Westwood, Massachusetts on a 100 acre estate called Ricefields. Camilla was born into a wealthy Boston family and by all accounts Camilla's father was a gentle man with whom she developed an extremely close bond. Arthur T. Lyman was an important man in the Boston area during his time and served more than 30 years in public service positions, including as the Commissioner of Corrections and the Commissioner of Conservation. Arthur doted on Camilla and when he died of lung cancer in 1968 she felt an extreme loss which she carried with her for the remainder of her life.

In 1984 Camilla moved to Hopkinton, Rhode Island and purchased an old Victorian home on a 40 acre rural estate where she had kennels built for a dog breeding operation. The eccentric heiress became more and more isolated from family and neighbors, preferring instead to spend her time hidden behind the stockade-like fence surrounding her property.

Camilla, by now a champion breeder of Clumber spaniels, was also undergoing a major, life changing transformation. She took to wearing ties and herringbone jackets, cut her hair extremely short and even grew a moustache with the aid of steroids prescribed for her dogs by her veterinarian. In 1985 the six foot Camilla changed her name from the feminine sounding Camilla to the more masculine sounding Cam.

Cam had few friends and would venture out only to participate in dog related activities. She surrounded herself with only a few trusted associates who would care for her day to day affairs which left Cam free to spend all of her time with her 58 dogs. One of these trusted associates was George O'Neil from North Kingston, a fellow dog breeder. In fact, Cam considered George to be her best friend and trusted him so much that she soon authorized him to pick up her mail, cash her checks and even gave O'Neil power of attorney over her affairs. George O'Neil also became the sole beneficiary in Cam's will written in 1984.

Sometime In the mid 80's Cam's family became concerned when no one had received the annual Christmas cards from her - usually her only contact. Cam's sister wrote to inquire if she was alright but received no reply. In August of 1988 Cam's brother and two sisters hired a private investigator from Boston, Charles John Allen, to look into Cam's whereabouts. Cam's family went to the police and formally reported her missing in December of 1988. Probate records indicate that O'Neil was questioned and admitted noticing Cam missing sometime in July of 1987 but did not report her as a missing person. Meanwhile, O'Neil had continued taking care of Cam's dogs and household affairs. O'Neil stated he had not been concerned because it was not unusual for Cam to go off on her own for months at a time and vehemently denied having anything to do with her disappearance. He also surmised that Cam might have gone to the UK for a sex change operation. Allen asked his contacts in the UK transgender scene to ask around and find information on anyone who might have known Lyman but the contacts were unable to provide any leads.

Eventually, the search into Cam's disappearance hit a dead end and the family went to Probate court to have Cam declared legally dead. They also fought to keep approximately $2 million in family trust funds set aside for Cam within the family. In June, 1995 Hopkinton Probate Court Judge Linda Erso formally declared Cam legally dead. Eventually Cam's family settled with George O'Neil and was able to keep the trust funds in the Lyman family, whereas, O'Neil would keep the Hopkinton property.

Not quite two years later, retired state police detective and now Hopkinton Police Chief John Scuncio, looked into the cold case and was quite determined to find out everything he could about the disappearance of Cam Lyman. Scuncio's department and the state police brought cadaver sniffing dogs to the Hopkinton property which by now had been purchased by dog breeders Greg Siner and Gardner Young. One September day, Siner who happened to be walking the property while Scuncio was also on the property searching for a body, was walking by the septic tank when he noticed a strong stench coming from the ground. Assuming the tank needed to be pumped, he lifted the concrete lid and there in the muck of the septic tank, saw a skull staring back up at him.

It took over a year but the medical examiner, using dental records and other forensic techniques, finally concluded the remains found on the Hopkinton property on September 24, 1997 did indeed belong to Camilla "Cam" Lyman. Lyman had been shot and the body was weighted down with a cinder block.

Lyman's murder remains unsolved 20 years later. The reclusive heiress left behind over 50 beloved dogs and an almost $2 million trust fund. Lyman was 54 years old when she died. Her will stated she wanted to be cremated and her ashes dropped over Madison Square Garden during the Westminster Kennel Club‘s "Best In Show" contest. Unfortunately, her wishes could not be fulfilled and in October, 1998 she was buried in a small poplar box in front of a headstone bearing her chiseled name and a carving of a German short-haired pointer, Lyman's first champion breed. Lyman is buried close to her parents' graves in Westwood, Massachusetts.

Who killed Cam Lyman? And why?

If you have any information regarding the murder of Camilla "Cam" Lyman please contact the Hopkinton Police Department in Hopkinton, Rhode Island.