Cam Lyman

Camilla Lyman in 1978 as woman (left) and 1985 as man (right)

Real Name: Camilla Lowell Lyman
Nicknames: Cam Lyman
Location: Hopkinton, Rhode Island
Date: September 24, 1997

Case

Details: Camilla Lyman was a wealthy but eccentric recluse who was a well-known breeder of clumber spaniels. Between 1978 and 1985, she underwent a transformation into being a man named Cam Lyman. Around 1981, she started to associate with a man named George O'Neil. George was eventually hired by Cam, becoming the caretaker of Cam's estate. O'Neil also fed and showed Cam's dogs. Cam vanished sometime in 1987, when Cam's relatives failed to receive the customary Christmas card from her, they investigated her disappearance. O'Neil was asked about Cam, who claimed that in July of 1987 he and Cam had an argument over the phone about the dogs. The next day, O'Neil went to Cam's house and found the phone ripped out of the wall, but never saw Cam again. O'Neil claims he believed that Cam had gone to Europe to undergo a sex-change operation, but gave no reason as to why he thought this, or why he neglected to inform anybody about her disappearance. O'Neil acted in a suspicious manner, refusing police to search Cam's property, showing Cam's dogs as his own, and cashing checks coming in for Cam and keeping the money for himself. In 1995, she was declared legally dead by her family. Then, on September 24, 1997, her remains were found inside the sewer system near her home by Greg Siner, who had bought and lived in her home. She was believed to have been murdered around the time she disappeared. Her murder remains unsolved.
Suspects: George O'Neil is the prime suspect in her disappearance and death.
Extra Notes: This segment originally aired on the June 11, 1999 episode of Unsolved Mysteries.
Results: Unresolved. In 2003, a grand jury indicted George O'Neil, the prime suspect in Cam's murder, for embezzling $15,000. He was sentenced to just one year probation and a $450 fine. Recently, he reported, "She's dead, I don't know anything about it."
Links:

• Cam Lyman at Wikipedia
• Camilla Lyman in the Los Angeles Times (archive)
• Camilla Lowell at Find a Grave

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