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Detectives Recover Child’s Remains from Storage Tote

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  November 2, 2016

CONTACT: Shari Ireton, Director of Communications, Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office
shari.ireton@snoco.org, 425-388-3377, Media line:  425-249-6263

EVERETT, WASH- Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office detectives believe they have recovered the remains of a girl, approximately four years of age, who died at least four years ago and whose body was hidden in a plastic tote.  The circumstances surrounding the girl’s death and the disposal of her remains are under investigation.  

The plastic tote was recovered during the service of a search warrant at the 12600 block E Gibson Rd last Saturday.  Yesterday, detectives and investigators from the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office were able to confirm that the tote contained the body of a juvenile female, although identification of the remains, as well as the cause and manner of her death, have not yet been determined. 

The Sheriff’s Office began investigating the girl’s death and disappearance in October after information was received from a relative of the girl (by marriage) who expressed concerns about the girl’s disappearance.  During the investigation, detectives learned that relatives of the girl believed the girl had died when she was approximately four years-old.  They stated that the death occurred at the 15800 block of Admiralty Way while the girl was under the supervision of her biological mother.  It was reported that the mother and her then-boyfriend (the two have since married) had history with law enforcement and “panicked” when they discovered the girl had died.  Relatives believed that the girl’s mother and boyfriend had wrapped up the girl and deposited her body into a storage container. They kept her body in that container for some time in their residence until the girl's body began to decompose, at which point it is alleged that concrete was poured over the body in the container. The two then kept the container for several years after the incident, subsequently stashing it a relative's residence not long after moving from the residence at Admiralty Way.

The girl’s biological mother had provided family members, including her other children, with several versions of how the girl died. The girl was never reported dead or missing to any law enforcement agency nor has she been enrolled in any school (she would currently be nine years-old).  The last official record that provides evidence to her being alive was September 2010, when the girl received an immunization.

At this time, no arrests have been made and the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death and the disposal of her body remain under investigation. The Sheriff's Office is working with Child Protective Services and the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services in the investigation.

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