Police say prostitute left google exec to die on yacht

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A Folsom, Calif., woman described by police as a high-priced prostitute has been arrested for allegedly providing a fatal drug overdose to a client and then stepping over his body to finish off a glass of wine before fleeing.

Alix Catherine Tichleman, 26, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree homicide, destruction of evidence and transporting or providing narcotics.

She was lured to Santa Cruz, Calif., on July 4 from Folsom by police posing as potential client. Police said Tichleman agreed on a price of more than $1,000 and to meet in an upscale location.

When she arrived in Santa Cruz she was arrested even though the investigation into the death is ongoing. Santa Cruz police were concerned that she might leave California. A post on her Facebook page early this month said she was heading back Georgia where she attended high school.

The police investigation resulting in her arrest began on November 23 when a man’s body was found aboard a boat in the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor. Detectives were called to the scene when the evidence surrounding the man’s death appeared suspicious.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel identifies the dead man as Forrest Timothy Hayes, a 51-year old tech executive who was employed at Google.

Since the discovery of the body, detectives have been trying to find out more about Tichleman. She became a suspect when detectives learned she had an ongoing call-girl relationship with Hayes, according to a police press release.

Santa Cruz police said that Tichleman works as a high-priced prostitute who meets her clients through the website “Seeking Arrangements.” Police said that during interviews with officers, Tichleman boasted of more than 200 clients.

The website claims that it is the “leading Sugar Daddy dating site where over 3 million members fuel mutually beneficial relationships on their terms.”

Detectives, who obtained text messages and e-mails between Tichleman and clients, learned that she met Hayes the night of his death. Police allege that Tichleman provided heroin and injected Hayes during her visit.

Hayes, according to police, died from an injection “provided” by Tichleman.

Detectives have security footage from the boat where Hayes lived and died. The video, according to police, shows Hayes suffering medical complications and becoming unconscious. Video evidence shows Tichleman stepping over Hayes’ body several times as she gathers her belongings, including heroin and needles, police said.

At one point, she steps over the body to swallow the last of a glass of wine. She then left the boat but not before lowering a blind to conceal the body, according to police.

On her Facebook page, Tichleman, who favors black lingerie and knee-high Doc Martin lace-up boots, said she attended high school in Atlanta. Under professional skills she lists exotic dancer, makeup artist and model.

In a Facebook posting dated June 28, Tichleman writes: “It’s really nice to talk with someone about killing sprees and murdering people in cold blood…and they love it too. No judgement. Yay!”

She ends the posting with “Take a look around you. Life is hard and then you die.”

Call The Bee’s Bill Lindelof, (916) 321-1079.

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Taking hot vintage clothing to a higher level

In 2011, Andi Shelton, co-owner of Raleigh Vintage, picked up a dress she thought was pretty at an antique mall in Raleigh. She didn’t give it a second thought until a year later when she rediscovered the dress, packed away in a crate, and really took a look at it.

“When I looked at the label, it said Callot Soeurs,” she said. “My eyes did that cartoon thing when they bug out. I almost passed out.”

Callot Soeurs was a fashion design house that opened in 1895 in Paris. The four Callot sisters operated the business and used antique lace and ribbons as well as gold and silver lamé to enhance blouses and lingerie. Known for the beautiful detailing on their clothes, Callot Soeurs catered to an exclusive clientele from across Europe and the United States before closing in 1937. Currently, many history museums around the United States have Callot Soeurs dresses on display in their exhibits. The dress Shelton had picked up was from the 1930s, and she had been astounded by its near-perfect condition.

“I still have the dress,” Shelton said. “I’m probably going to hold onto that dress for a while. There are some pieces that are just so special and irreplaceable. It is priceless.”

Building a business

Shelton was surrounded by old clothing when she was growing up, she said, and wore vintage in college due to both budget constraints and a desire to express her individuality.

“I followed,” her business partner. Isaac Panzarella, said with a shrug. “She got me into it.”

Shelton and Panzarella go on road trips to other parts of the country, looking for vintage pieces at antique malls and estate sales – something they’ve been doing since 2009. Currently their inventory includes between 4,000 and 5,000 pieces, and they’ve sold more than 3,000 through their online Etsy shop.

“We’ve paid anything from nothing to hundreds of dollars for vintage clothing before,” Panzarella said. “Lots of times people contact us to sell because they feel more comfortable handing off clothes that are special to them to us because we will clean and repair and make sure their clothes wind up somewhere where they’ll be cherished.”

Vintage, not thrift

Unlike many other used clothing sellers, Shelton and Panzarella take the time to clean and repair the pieces they sell. Shelton gently hand-washes every piece of clothing, and Panzarella is in charge of doing repairs. Then, they photograph the pieces and they go up for sale on their website.

“Most of our clothes are purchased by people who do wear vintage frequently,” Shelton said. “Some of them only wear vintage, but others may style certain pieces with more modern outfits.”

The individual care Shelton and Panzarella give each of their pieces has not gone unnoticed. Stylists from the sets of movies and TV shows have contacted them about buying their clothes – even Taylor Swift has worn a dress purchased from them.

The concept of vintage clothing has changed a bit over the past few years. With more young people interested in clothing styles from the 20th century, the term “vintage” is now frequently used to describe clothing from the 1980s and 1990s. Anyone can go to their local thrift store and pick up a pair of “vintage” cowboy boots or cat-eye sunglasses for $10.

However, the pieces that Shelton and Panzarella carry in their store are much pricier than that. For example, a bronze-colored velvet flapper dress from the 1920s, decorated with rhinestones and gold lamé, costs almost $700.

“A lot of people don’t really understand why our pieces are so expensive,” Shelton said, “because they think they can go get the same thing from a thrift store. But we don’t usually carry anything from after the 1970s because we want the quality and the beauty of the clothes.”

From a rack of clothing in her studio, Shelton pulled out a 1920s velvet cocoon coat, lined with beaver fur and beautifully embroidered at the sleeves – not exactly something you might find at a thrift shop. That coat is currently on sale for $728.

Vintage hats also hot

Ashley Webb of Raleigh, owner of Poppycock Vintage Hat Shop on Etsy, has a stack of books and catalogs on vintage hats in her studio that she frequently consults for information.

“I do my sourcing online from eBay and Etsy,” she said. “So especially with eBay, I really have to know my hat styles and materials. I’ve gotten quite a few steals before because I knew that someone had something worth more than they were asking for.”

Webb ships her hats from her home after sprucing them up with a steamer and making repairs. She opened her online hat shop in 2010. Right now, she said, she has between 200 and 250 hats in her inventory.

“My interest in vintage started in high school,” Webb said. “And I started a vintage clothing store before on Etsy, but it didn’t do so well. But I had a few hats in there and they sold really quickly, so I thought maybe this is something that I could sell exclusively.”

Poppycock Vintage Hat Shop carries many different types of hats, including floral headpieces, which are extremely popular right now. to silk cloches, a style that was all the rage in the 1920s. Webb’s hats cost from $10 to over $200.

“The coolest hat I’ve ever found was at an estate sale in Wilmington, North Carolina,” Webb said. “I didn’t get the back story behind it because those usually get lost, but this one was from the Civil War era.”

As summer blazes on, Webb’s floral headpieces and wide-brimmed straw hats have been selling really well.

“It’s an easy trend for people to try who may be just getting into hats,” she said. “They’re really easy to style.”

Local, but still online

Currently, the demand for higher-end vintage goods in Raleigh is not strong enough for sellers such as Raleigh Vintage and Poppycock Vintage Hat Shop to open brick-and-mortar shops alongside other clothing stores downtown. But having that kind of space to work on and sell their clothing is Shelton’s goal.

“I also really want to hold styling classes that will help people learn how to wear vintage in modern outfits,” Shelton said. “It’ll be a great way to bring the vintage community together and hopefully get more people interested as well.”

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