Suspect caught in RC murder case

Victim was daughter of former Raider receiver Fred Biletnikoff

(Published Feb. 20, 1999)

By John Baker

Staff Reporter

Students at Cañada College seemed unfazed Tuesday morning after the partially-clothed body of 20-year-old Tracy Biletnikoff was found dumped on a hillside just below a parking lot.

Biletnikoff's boyfriend, 23-year-old Mohammed Ali, was taken into custody by border guards about 9 p.m. that night after allegedly attempting to drive Biletnikoff's car, a blue Chevy Nova, over the border at San Diego, according to Sgt. Bill Cody of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Department. Ali is a suspect in the murder, Cody said.

"They pulled the car aside, made a random check on the person driving and came up with a murder warrant," Cody said. "They did a good job. Whatever indicators they were looking at, whatever made them pull over that car, they used good law enforcement experience to take care of business."

At the 5,500-student community college campus nestled in the hills above Redwood City off Farm Hill Boulevard, students said rumors about the body being found circulated during classes. None of those questioned indicated they'd ever feared for their safety on campus.

"I've never given it a second thought," said student John Derham. "It's pretty safe to me. I just come here and do my stuff."

Bruce Reasoner, who had a Tuesday morning class, also figured the crime happened off campus.

"I don't think they were attacked at school," he said. "(If an attack was) in the parking lot, people would run to them.

"It's kind of amazing they found a body over there. It doesn't make feel worried at school."

Cañada officials confirmed Wednesday that Biletnikoff was definitely not a student at the campus, although she may have attended classes at the College of San Mateo.

"To my knowledge, we've never had anything like this," said college spokeswoman Terri Creswell. "It's totally shocking because it's so unusual. I think they were just using our property (as a dumping ground)."

Biletnikoff is the daughter of Oakland Raider Hall of Fame football player and coach Fred Biletnikoff. She was working as a drug counselor for a private firm in San Mateo, where she kept late hours, when she was killed.

Cody said that at the request of the District Attorney's office, he could release any specific details related to the investigation. He added that he could not comment on possible causes of death or whether Biletnikoff had been sexually assaulted.

San Mateo Police said they received a call regarding a domestic dispute between Biletnikoff and Ali about 12:30 a.m. Tuesday but could not locate the couple and issued a missing person report. An accompanying press release said officers were aware a body was found at Cañada College, but were not immediately convinced there was a connection.

"San Mateo Police received a phone call from an individual who had concern because of subjects that were in a domestic dispute," said San Mateo Police Sgt. Kevin Rafaelli.

The Sheriff's Department did not confirm the body was Biletnikoff's until Tuesday evening.

"Our investigation thus far has shown this is an isolated incident as a result of a domestic dispute," Cody said of the early-morning complaint.

Officials expressed relief at Ali's "lucky" capture.

"If he left the country it would have significantly enhanced our difficulty in trying to bring him back to justice," said Assistant District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

Ali was convicted in San Mateo County in 1995 of kidnapping a previous girlfriend, according to Wagstaffe. He said the District Attorney's office wanted a long prison sentence for that incident, but suspended all but a year of that sentence on the condition Ali get treatment and go on parole.

A janitor at the college reportedly found the body about 50 feet down a slope from the school's Parking Lot Three, on the east side of campus, at about 7:30 a.m. Woodside firefighters helped pull the remains, which were under a eucalyptus tree, up to a waiting coroner's van about four hours later, following a preliminary investigation by detectives.

"(The janitor) went to collect garbage and saw the body of a young female, partially-clothed, on the side of the hillside," Cody said. "(Cañada officials) then contacted the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office."

Cañada College, although it has a Redwood City mailing address, is technically in unincorporated San Mateo County, which is Sheriff's Department jurisdiction.

The lot directly above the site where the body was found offers a sweeping vista of Redwood City and San Francisco Bay. As evidenced by numerous beverage containers on the ground nearby, the lot is prized as a weekend sightseeing venue.

"Apparently that's a very popular place to go," Creswell said. "That public knows about (it) because it's a beautiful view, it's isolated and is probably just a good place to come."

The campus had been closed the four days previous to the discovery for the President's Day and Lincoln's Birthday holidays. Campus security officials did not return messages inquiring how many officers were on duty over the long weekend and Tuesday morning.

Creswell said if any counseling or other services were needed for students or staff, a program would be put into place. However, at press time she still had little details available about the college's potential response.

"As far as I know, it's totally unrelated to Cañada," Creswell said. "Until things are issued from the Sheriff's Department, we (won't) know a lot more."