Gary Charles Hartman has been found guilty in the 1986 rape-murder of Michella Welch. Hartman was around 30 years old when he attacked Welch (12) who got “separated from her sisters while they were visiting a North Tacoma park.” Her body was found in a ravine. She had been sexually assaulted and was beaten to […]
Washington
Gijsbert Simon “Ben” Kistemaker (Aug 20, 1953 – found dead Dec 25, 1979)
UPDATE: the Kistemaker Family has given me permission to use Ben’s Death Certificate online which answers two important questions. Please scroll down as there are also mistakes in this certificate of death. ___ In May 1979, Gijsbert Simon “Ben” Kistemaker (26), traveled from the Netherlands to the United States of America. In New York, he […]
Sentence in 1986 Jennifer Bastian murder
Robert D. Washburn was sentenced to 27 years in prison after he pled guilty to the 1986 first-degree murder of Jennifer Marie Bastian (13) in Tacoma, Washington. Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Martin gave him a 320-month sentence: a month for every year the Bastian family was robbed of their beloved. Washburn must serve a minimum […]
Guilty plea expected in 1986 Bastian murder
The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office reports that Robert Dwane Washburn’s attorney asked for an appointment to change his client’s plea. “The expectation would be that Washburn changes his plea to guilty on January 25 at 1:30 pm.” No details about a plea agreement are known but Washburn will not face the death penalty if he is […]
Arrest in 1986 Bastian case
Police have arrested the man who might be responsible for the murder of Jennifer Marie Bastian in 1986. His name is Robert D. Washburn (60) of Eureka, Illinois. Police declined to talk about the suspect, other than to say he lived out-of-state and was taken into custody. Washburn will be taken to Pierce County to […]
Michelle Frances Loran (Jul. 31, 1971 – Oct, 1990)
Michelle Frances Loran (19), a young mother, went missing in the early morning hours of October 28, 1990. Around 2am, she was last seen at the Interstate 5 underpass a few blocks from her home in Kelso, Kalama, Cowlitz County, Washington. Michelle was returning home from a party. A man called Marty Ogden (31) gave […]
The cold case of Jennifer Marie Bastian
The cold case of Jennifer Marie Bastian (April 15, 1973 – August 4, 1986) got a boost in 2013 when Tacoma Police (WA) revealed more information to the public. Despite renewed media attention and various tips, the case is still unsolved. Jennifer was 13 years old when she went missing. According to the papers, Jennifer wanted […]
The cold case of Vicki Jo Dodd Silves
The cold case of Vicki Jo Dodd Silves (June 17, 1953 – December 8, 1997) needs more attention. On December 8, 1997, Vicki (44) was found dead on her driveway in the city Concrete, WA. Her injuries were consistent with being inflicted by an edged weapon. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case thoroughly […]
Case of the Month: Teekah Latres Lewis
Case of the Month: Teekah Latres Lewis who went missing on January 23, 1999, in Tacoma, Washington. Teekah was with her family in a bowling alley late in the evening. Her mother kept an eye on her except for one moment when she turned to watch her brother bowl. That is when someone snatched Teekah. […]
Gone but not forgotten: Raymond Nels Nelson
Gone but not forgotten: Raymond Nels Nelson: thirty-one years ago, someone killed Raymond Nels Nelson by hitting him on the head with a typewriter. Nelson, bureau chief of the Providence Journal and Evening Bulletin in Warwick, Rhode Island, and later a member of Senatorial candidate Claiborne Pell’s team, was a dynamic man and public figure in Washington, D.C., but foremost, he […]
Guest Post: “In loving memory: Raymond Nelson”
Losing a parent is a devastating experience. The loss of her father, Raymond Nelson, to senseless violence has left its mark on Rebecca. Her father, Raymond Nels Nelson, was not without flaw. However, everyone you asked had a positive first impression from Raymond Nelson. Rebecca has chosen to share her thoughts about her father, his […]
No grants for Tacoma, Pierce County Cold Cases
The News Tribune brings us the sad news that the Tacoma Police and Pierce County Sheriff’s departments in Washington will not get the federal funding that would enable them to set up full-time “cold case” squads. The National Institute of Justice recently announced the 2010 grants that will allow law enforcement agencies to devote detectives exclusively […]
New tip in Teekah Lewis case
New tip in Teekah Lewis case has police exploring Tacoma Park. Teekah Lewis was 2 years old when she disappeared from the now-defunct New Frontier Lanes in Tacoma on Jan. 23, 1999. Teekah was with her family in a bowling alley late in the evening. Her mother kept an eye on her except for one moment […]