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TIMELINE: Investigation into the mysterious headless body discovered in San Francisco

ByEd Walsh KGO logo
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Headless body found in fish tank after San Francisco homeowner reported missing
Police in San Francisco are investigating after a headless body was found in a fish tank earlier this month.

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Police continue to investigate after a headless and handless corpse was discovered inside a fish tank at a San Francisco home. Investigators believe the body may be that of Brian Egg, who lived at the home where the body was found and was reported missing. Here's a timeline with new details about the investigation into this bizarre death:

  • Late May or early June 2018: Brian Egg last seen in his South of Market neighborhood, San Francisco police say.
  • June or July 2018: Egg's brother, Devon Egg, says he phoned his brother and an answering machine picked up with a request to leave a message. He said his brother never used an answering machine and he didn't recognize the voice on the machine. He called back and someone answered who gave his name as Nate. He said his brother would call him right back after he finished walking his dog. No one called back.
  • June 1, 2018: Court records show that a 2007 BMW was purchased for $5500 by someone who had identified themselves as Brian Egg from a dealership in Newark. A purchase document for the sale would later be found in possession of Lance Silva after he was arrested in connection with Egg's disappearance.
  • June 15, 2018: The BMW purchased on June 1 was towed from 379 5th Street in San Francisco for parking in a no-stopping zone. It was retrieved later that day by two men, one of whom identified themselves as Paul Foran, the second was identified by police from surveillance video as Lance Silva.
  • Late July 2018: Police say they receive the first calls from neighbors reporting Egg's disappearance. Officers respond to the home twice. They knocked on the door. Each time, there was no answer and the officers left.
  • August 2, 2018 Egg's longtime neighbor and friend Scot Free makes a post on the social media site Nextdoor to alert neighbors. Neighbors expressed their concern and said they would also report the suspicious activity at the home to police. Strangers were seen coming and going from home.
  • August 4 or 5th, 2018: Neighbors say the third check by police apparently prompted the people living in the house to frantically clean. They observed soap suds coming out of the home and bleach was being used to clean the front of the home. Someone in the home and also painted part of the front of the home including a door.
  • August 7, 2018: Police say Egg's sister filed a missing person's report. They send officers out to the house for a third time. But again, after no one answers the door, they leave.
  • August 14, 2018: Neighbors call 911 after the private crime scene cleanup company Aftermath showed up to clean the home. Robert McCaffrey, 52, was arrested at the home. Neighbors say he had at least $1,000 cash in hand to pay the company for the job.
  • August 16, 2018: Police arrest Lance Silva, 39, in a nearby residential hotel. Both men are charged with homicide, ID theft, elder abuse and financial crimes. But the San Francisco District attorney's Office eventually drops the charges pending further investigation. McCaffrey is freed. Silva is held in jail in Alameda County by authorities for a parole violation. Court records show he had a prior convictions for grand theft. The parole violation stemmed from identity theft and fraud charges. Police believe he was using Egg's debit card.
  • August 17, 2018: After searching the home for four days, police find a human torso in a large fish tank that was hidden in the home. They seek DNA samples from family members in an effort to identify the remains.
  • August 23, 2018: Neighbors say that a round-the-clock surveillance of the home by police since August 14 ends.
  • August 28, 2018: San Francisco police hold press conference revealing details of the case for the first time. They defend not taking further action during those three checks on the home. They say there wasn't sufficient suspicion break into the home but neighbors strongly dispute that.
  • August 29, 2018: Lance Silva appeared in court in Alameda County to face charges related to a parole violation.
  • April 24, 2019: Lance Silva released from jail after 'sentence served'
  • May 2019: Egg's death officially ruled a homicide by San Francisco Medical Examiner
  • May 2019: Egg's family sells SoMa home after not being able to find a tenant to live in property. Asking price was over $1.5 Million dollars
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