Legs, skull from same victim

King County Sheriff detectives believe two sets of remains found less than a mile apart in Peasley Canyon came from the same woman.

Detectives are now investigating the case as a criminal homicide.

State Department of Transportation workers noticed the first set of remains on Jan. 23 off the West Valley Highway near the State Route 167 ramp. Sheriff’s officers, Auburn Police and divers with King County Search and Rescue found a skull and two vertebrae at the site.

Four teeth remained in the skull, which showed a temporary filling and partial root canal, authorities said.

On March 9, a fisherman told Auburn Police he saw what appeared to be human legs in Mill Creek. Investigators removed the legs, partially clad in hiking-style boots, from the creek.

Investigators think the remains belonged to a white female, between 20 and 30 years old, 5 feet 3 inches to 5 feet 10 inches and tall with a large bone structure.

The woman was wearing size nine-and-a-half brown leather Skechers shoes, white socks and a pair of khaki men’s Old Navy cargo pants, size 42 regular, investigators said.

The sheriff’s office will exhibit the pants and photos of the shoes at the King County Courthouse in Seattle in the hope of developing leads on the woman’s identity and how she died. Authorities want anyone with information about the remains to call the sheriff’s Major Crimes Unit at (206) 296-7530.

Staff writer Erica Jahn can be reached at 925-5565 and ejahn@fedwaymirror.com

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