On October 1, 1993, twenty-one-year-old Heather Tallchief drove out of the Circus Circus hotel parking lot in Las Vegas in an armored vehicle filled with cash. Her coworkers were loading ATMs inside, unaware they would never see her again. Twelve years later, she turned herself in to federal marshals so her son could live normally. The story of one of the biggest heists in the gambling city’s history.
The Poet-Murderer and the Young Nurse
Roberto Solis was born in Nicaragua in 1945, and his life was a series of drastic turns. In 1969, during a botched armored car robbery in San Francisco, he killed a guard and received a life sentence. Behind bars, he discovered a literary talent that fascinated critics and writers on the outside.
His poems and essays sparked controversy – can a convicted murderer be an artist worthy of attention? Part of the literary community believed so. In 1991, after twenty-two years in prison, Solis was released thanks to a petition from influential writers and intellectuals.
Freedom was short-lived. Soon after his release, he was back in prison for drug trafficking. After another release, he settled in San Francisco, where he met Heather Tallchief – a former nursing assistant, twenty-four years his junior.
For the young woman, Solis was a charismatic, experienced man with a fascinating past. She didn’t realize how deeply that past still guided him.
The Loomis Heist
The couple moved to Las Vegas, a city where fortunes change hands every second. Heather found work at Loomis, a company handling valuable cargo transport. She had access to armored vehicles and knew security procedures – information Solis considered invaluable.
The plan was simple in concept but required cold blood. On October 1, 1993, Heather was to transport cash to ATMs at the Circus Circus hotel. When her coworkers were inside the building, she simply drove away. The vehicle contained $3.1 million – one of the largest hauls in Las Vegas history.
The money was transferred to an ordinary car, packed in crates, and shipped to Miami. The couple reached the airport in disguises, boarded a plane, and vanished. The FBI placed Tallchief on its most wanted list, but the trail went cold.
Heather later claimed she was manipulated by her older, experienced partner. Prosecutors found this version credible, given the age disparity and Solis’s background.
Escape Across Three Continents
Miami was just the first stop. The couple moved to the Caribbean island of St. Maarten, where tropical exoticism was supposed to provide safety from American justice. From there, they traveled to Amsterdam, a city that has for centuries welcomed those fleeing something or someone.
In Amsterdam, Heather became pregnant. The birth of her son changed her perspective – life in hiding, with false documents, beside a man convicted of murder, wasn’t what she wanted for her child. She left Solis, obtained a forged British passport under the name Donna Marie Eaton, and started a new life.
She worked as an escort and hotel maid, moving around Europe. Her son grew up unaware of his mother’s past, not knowing he was born from money obtained in one of Nevada’s biggest heists.
Years passed, but Heather knew this life couldn’t last forever. She wanted a future in the United States for her son, access to education, citizenship. That required facing the consequences.
Return and Redemption
In September 2005, twelve years after the heist, Heather Tallchief walked into the federal marshals’ office in Las Vegas accompanied by a lawyer. Her son was about ten years old then. Surrendering was a calculated decision – a mother sacrificing her freedom for a chance at her child’s normal life.
The court sentenced her to five years in prison and ordered her to repay $2.9 million to Loomis. She pleaded guilty to fraud and using a false passport. Prosecutors considered the circumstances – her young age at the time of the heist, manipulation by an older partner with a criminal past, voluntary surrender.
She was released in 2010, then spent another five years under federal supervision. During this time, she rebuilt her relationship with her son Dylan, who graduated from college in 2019. Heather returned to work in healthcare – the profession where she started before the heist.
Roberto Solis remains elusive. Heather has had no contact with him since their separation in Amsterdam over a quarter century ago. If alive, he would be seventy-six today. The FBI still searches for him, though many believe he’s probably dead.
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY
- https://lasvegassun.com/news/2005/sep/15/after-12-years-fugitive-surrenders-in-lv/
- https://www.justice.gov/archive/usao/nv/news/2006/03302006.html
- https://crimereads.com/the-most-wanted-woman-in-america/
- https://www.grunge.com/451546/heist-where-is-heather-tallchief-today/
Marcus Renfell
Marcus Renfell is a historian driven by curiosity and passion. He refuses to accept the “safe,” polished versions of the past. Instead, he brings forgotten, overlooked, and distorted stories back to life. His work blends scholarly precision with the art of storytelling, turning historical narratives into vivid, page-turning experiences.
His mission is simple: to prove that history can be gripping, alive, and deeply personal.
His debut book: Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Told
In his first publication, Marcus Renfell shines a light on the remarkable women who shaped the world of science — both the pioneers whose names we know and the brilliant minds history forgot. It’s an inspiring journey through untold stories, groundbreaking achievements, and the resilience of women who changed our understanding of the world.
👉 Discover Women of Science. Stories You Were Never Toldon Amazon.com.