I was recently invited to take a tour of the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office and I got to interview investigator, Jane Jorgensen. We talked about the details of her job, Snohomish County’s unidentified and recently identified cases, and how much of a role genealogy plays in finding out who someone was. You’ll hear a lot of names, dates, and locations on this special episode as we try to bring more attention to folks who either still need help to solve the mystery of who they were or to help figure out who killed them.

A teenager disappeared on his way to work in Spanaway one morning… leaving behind no clues, no witnesses, and no answers for what would be two very long years. His parents had to turn into detectives to try and find him when no one else would. This tragic case will end in not one, but two shocking and senseless murders. Welcome to Washed Away, a podcast that breathes new life into Washington state’s coldest cases. I’m Ashley Smith and on this episode I’m covering the unsolved murder of Chris Virdell.

Gary Ridgway AKA the Green River Killer murdered women in Washington state from 1982 to 1998, but possibly could have continued killing until 2001 when he was finally apprehended. Ridgway confessed to 71 murders but was only prosecuted for 49. So who are these other 22 victims? A local true crime researcher has put together an extensive list of murdered, missing, and unidentified women- to try and figure that out. On this episode of Washed Away we’ll be talking about the unknown victims of the Green River Killer.

The case I’m covering on this episode of Washed Away comes from Tacoma, Washington and involves a missing little girl, a DNA scavenger hunt, and a possible serial killer suspect. Oh and this case has been cold for almost 60 years. Let me tell you about the disappearance of Ann Marie Burr. Plus retired detective Lindsey Wade not only discusses her work on this mystery, but also how she managed to track down Ted Bundy's DNA.

A teenager from Tumwater woke up one morning, told his grandmother he had an epiphany, and then seemingly vanished off the face of the earth. He left his phone and wallet behind and his car was spotted several times on I-5, sometimes parked on the side of the road, but eventually drifting across several lanes of traffic. On this episode of Washed Away, I’m gonna tell you about one of the strangest missing persons cases that Washington state has seen in a long time. What the heck happened to Logan Schiendelman?

Today’s episode is focused on two separate cases and I interview two daughters, who are not related. One is Sam Moyer, who’s mother Nancy went missing in Tenino, Washington in 2009. The other is Karlee Bodine, who’s mother Karen was murdered in Rochester, Washington in 2007. While Nancy and Karen may have never known each other, their children Sam and Karlee have bonded over a shared fight - for justice.

On February 4th, 2003 - a little girl left home on a quick trip to the store, just a few blocks away. She was supposed to be getting in the car of a family friend who had just left, but when he later returned without her… the family realized that there had been a huge miscommunication. It’s the case that triggered the first-ever Amber Alert here in Washington state… This episode is all about the disappearance of Sofia Juarez.