Memorial for girl killed on highway missing

One memorial along Highway 395 has been removed and another appears to have been moved.

The spontaneous memorial to Nicole Snyder at Genoa Lane and Highway 395 disappeared on Tuesday and another to Bridget Chambers, which appeared at Stephanie Way and Highway 395 was moved against the fence.

Both consisted of stuffed animals and notes left by friends of the two girls, who were killed a year apart in accidents on the highway.

Nicole was killed July 12, 2004, when a car in the opposing lane jumped the ditch and ran head-on into her as she was coming home from work. Bridget was killed July 15 when another driver allegedly pulled out of the turn lane in front of her.

Douglas High School senior Jennifer Davis was a friend of Nicole's and knew Bridget.

The band student said she noticed Nicole's memorial was missing on Wednesday.

"All I saw was the smiley face," she said. "A lot of teenagers have noticed it's missing. Every time we drive by, it is a painful reminder to be cautious. It was really shocking and the memorial has been there so long, it is a constant reminder to be alert, be careful and focus on what you're doing."

She said she contacted her friends about possibly putting something else up.

"We're thinking about redecorating it," she said. "We don't want to do it if it is stepping on someone else's toes or is illegal, but it has been there for over a year now and never been a problem."

Scott Magruder of the Nevada Department of Transportation said he hasn't heard any complaints about either memorial, which would lead the department to take action.

Magruder said the highway maintenance supervisor responsible for the highway also noticed that Bridget's memorial wasn't where it had been.

"He knows the memorials are a very emotional issue and doesn't do anything with them unless he's been told to."

The department of transportation is in charge of the right of way on state highways. There have been instances in the past where the state has been called on to move a memorial, like the cross erected along Highway 50 to memorialize murder victim Krystal Steadman.

A more elaborate memorial for Cory Jackson, who died in an accident on Kingsbury Grade, consisting of a cross and a snowboard, has been erected near where he went off the road.

Services for Cory were Thursday.