Fellow Aprilia Rider Missing in Northern CA

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http://www.northbaysportriders...=1933

http://www.northbaysportriders...29371







Modified by MSchu at 2:48 PM 9/23/2005

 

i'll definitely keep an eye out.

 

Aw man. That sucks. Hope the family achieves reunification or resolution.

 

does not sound good, i hope everything turns out well for her and the family.

 

UPDATE; sorry to say:
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Melinda Moores body and bike were found in the water off Fort Bragg this afternoon.

Thank you all for your notes of concern and offers of help.

Funeral details to follow later.


Modified by MSchu at 9:54 PM 9/28/2005

 

Damn. That sucks.

But, better to know than be in the dark.

Godspeed fellow rider.

 

wow. i just saw this over on 600rr.net. wow ... thats all i can think of. this is so freakin' sad.

RIDE SAFE EVERYONE.

RIP, Melinda

 

Man, hope she is ok

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MSchu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Melinda Moores body and bike were found in the water off Fort Bragg this afternoon.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Was it an accident, or foul play?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MSchu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">UPDATE; sorry to say:
----------------------------------------------------------


Melinda Moores body and bike were found in the water off Fort Bragg this afternoon.

Thank you all for your notes of concern and offers of help.

Funeral details to follow later.


Modified by MSchu at 9:54 PM 9/28/2005</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by WhoisDan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Man, hope she is ok</TD></TR></TABLE>
Ehhh read three posts up from yours.

 

Missing biker drove off cliff by Fort Ross
Police say Santa Rosa woman's death an apparent suicide

Thursday, September 29, 2005

By DEREK J. MOORE
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT



The search for a missing Santa Rosa motorcyclist came to a sad conclusion Wednesday with the discovery of Melinda Moore's body in a crevice on an 800-foot cliff near Fort Ross.

Authorities said the 40-year-old Moore had placed her helmet and riding gloves on a rock as a marker before gunning her red Aprilia Tuono motorcycle over the cliff's edge.

Halfway down, her body caught on a bushy outcropping. The motorcycle sailed on, smashing on the rocky beach.

"We're looking at this as an apparent suicide," Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Steve Bair said.

The discovery brought an abrupt end to a weeklong search that included hundreds of motorcyclists from across the Bay Area, private pilots, off-duty search and rescue personnel and a private investigator.

"Melinda's body and bike have been found. Our hearts and thoughts are with Melinda's family and friends," read the message on http://www.findbigred.com, a Web site created by her friends to share information and organize searchers.

Late Wednesday afternoon, a Santa Rosa police detective, a patrol officer and a chaplain arrived at Moore's Saddlehorn Court home to deliver the grim news to her fiance and about a dozen friends.

Mark Hindman, a motorcycle parts entrepreneur, had offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Moore's whereabouts. He sobbed loudly when told his fiancee's body had been found.

Adam Wade, a friend from San Mateo, said, "To some extent it's a relief to know what happened. But it's obviously not the news anybody wanted to hear."

Moore, who had worked as a saleswoman at a Santa Rosa BMW dealership and was taking marketing classes at Santa Rosa Junior College, left the house last Monday, ostensibly bound for class.

Friends said she was depressed for a variety of reasons, including health issues and struggles at school. She also was absorbed in a lawsuit stemming from a motorcycle crash that broke both of her arms.

But that sadness seemed to be offset by a rich sense of humor. Moore was a member of the Bay Area Menstrual Cycle Club, an all-female riding group. A photo in her living room shows her wearing a T-shirt that reads, "Does my bike make my butt look fast?"

"Melinda was this huge Amazon woman, a bundle of energy," Wade said of the 5-foot-10 Moore, who was known as "Big Red" for her vibrant red locks.

Friends said Moore was there for other people in need and had counseled others out of taking their own lives. Nobody saw her final act coming.

Bair said an abalone diver stopped to pick up Moore's helmet and gloves after spotting them on a turnout of Highway 1 on Sept. 19, the same day she rode away from her home in Santa Rosa.

The Sebastopol man contacted authorities Wednesday after reading news reports of her disappearance. He led detectives to the site later in the day.

Bair said the spot where Moore died is known as "High Point" because the cliffs there are among the highest on the Sonoma County coast.

The area is about three miles south of Fort Ross on the twisty and scenic road, just the kind Moore liked to ride to clear her head. Bair said the cliff where she went over is on a turnout about 50 feet from the highway.

He said detectives spotted the body and motorcycle, which couldn't be seen from the road, after they hiked down a steep trail to the beach and looked back at the cliff.

The sheriff's helicopter was used to remove Moore's body using a long line and a litter. She was taken by van to the coroner's office in Santa Rosa.

She was still clad in her leather riding gear, Bair said.

 

That really pisses me off. Uttely,utterly selfish thing to do. Jesus.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luke &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That really pisses me off. Uttely,utterly selfish thing to do. Jesus.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Normally, i would disagree only as i dont think this is the most appropriate time for this ... but after seeing and reading about hundreds of people putting so much effort into locating her, and then to find out that this is the cast .. it's kind of a disapointment.

but wow, what a way to go out

RIP

And luke .. everyone has problems, but some peoples problems are bigger and their body, mind, and/or soul just can't handle it like everyone else can. This is the result.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Odiedogcx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Normally, i would disagree only as i dont think this is the most appropriate time for this ... but after seeing and reading about hundreds of people putting so much effort into locating her, and then to find out that this is the cast .. it's kind of a disapointment.

but wow, what a way to go out

RIP

And luke .. everyone has problems, but some peoples problems are bigger and their body, mind, and/or soul just can't handle it like everyone else can. This is the result.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Mental illness is no joke, absolutley not, and I am not suggesting it is. Quite how you must feel to do something like this is beyond me. I guess I because I think suicide is such a poor solution and I have seen many people enduring much worse in life yet live to fight each and every day, I dont know.

Its a sad situation and I feel sorry for her family and friends, it does **** me off.

 

i agree .. and luke, i shouldn't have singled you out. i should have made it a statement in general. sorry.

 

we live in the western culture, and its all I can do to survive, but I do understand pain and wanting it to end. In my culture(yes I am only half Japanese) it is considered honorable to commit ritualized suicide... though less so since the insertion of the western beliefs. It does take great strength at times to keep going, and perhaps the support mechanisms were not in place for her, sorry to say.

Schu

 

What exactly is "ritualized suicide". Do you mean for a religion or a sacrifce? None of us will ever know why she died, but based on the article it says that she was depressed and her friends could tell she was going through a tough time. But, that is not a reason to commit suicide. We all go through tough times and once you make it things start to look a lot better. Its like a cycle of ups and downs, thats how life is. Suicide is not something I think no one should do. Her family and friends must be going a lot. RIP.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by MSchu &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">we live in the western culture, and its all I can do to survive, but I do understand pain and wanting it to end. In my culture(yes I am only half Japanese) it is considered honorable to commit ritualized suicide... though less so since the insertion of the western beliefs. It does take great strength at times to keep going, and perhaps the support mechanisms were not in place for her, sorry to say.

Schu</TD></TR></TABLE>

I think the place for discussion is prolly GDD. I dont really want to get into my thoughts on this and appear dis-respectful on this incident.

 

this is just horrible to read.

if i can still ride a motorcycle then goddamnit i have a reason to live. so did she. sounded like she had health problems but could still ride...but i guess thats the part of her mental illness that i cannot understand...