EAST WENATCHEE — A tip tied to a decades-old homicide allegation led East Wenatchee Police to excavate beneath a local home last week, though no human remains were found during the search.
According to a press release issued by East Wenatchee Police, the investigation stems from information provided by a former East Wenatchee resident, who alleged that human remains had been purposefully buried in the crawl space of her childhood home during the 1990s. The woman, now an adult, also claimed multiple homicides had occurred across several states and implicated a suspect she believes faked their death in a staged plane crash in Alaska.
Detectives with the East Wenatchee Police Department, working under incident number 21E00209, contacted multiple law enforcement agencies—including the FBI and the Federal Aviation Administration—to validate the claims. However, authorities say the information did not match any known open cold cases, and the identity of the alleged victim remains unknown.
On Friday, July 18, detectives conducted a search of the property with the permission of current residents. Two K9 units trained in human remains detection were brought in. One dog alerted to the crawl space area; the other did not. Because of the inconclusive results and the nature of the soil and materials under the home, detectives began a manual excavation.
The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Response Team assisted in removing several yards of soil from beneath the residence. No remains were found during the operation.
A follow-up K9 search was conducted the next day, July 19. No alerts were given during that second search.
East Wenatchee Police say the physical examination of the property has now concluded, but the broader investigation remains active.
The department expressed its appreciation to the current homeowners for their cooperation and thanked the WSP Crime Lab for their assistance.