Found Deceased WA - Cheryl DeBoer, 54, Mountlake Terrace, 8 February 2016 #4

[idfinch]

How deep does anyone reckon that culvert is at the wooded end? Three foot or more?

Husband says about 1.5 feet or so? It's tough to tell with the murky bottom.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Thanks idfinch for this great feet-on-the-ground perspective.

-I am interested to know if the culvert travels directly East-West under the road? For example the culvert input on the east side shown in the 2nd photo of the first batch...is this located due east from the culvert output (westside)?
-And could you please orient us to the location of that photo with the Mountlake terrace sign?

 

[idfinch]

Thanks idfinch for this great feet-on-the-ground perspective.

-I am interested to know if the culvert travels directly East-West under the road? For example the culvert input on the east side shown in the 2nd photo of the first batch...is this located due east from the culvert output (westside)?
-And could you please orient us to the location of that photo with the Mountlake terrace sign?

The culvert does travel east/west under the road and then pretty quickly veers north to run adjacent to Cedar Way. The sign is south of the culvert a ways. The front can be seen in the last pic 2nd batch, and the back of the sign last pic first batch. That one gives an idea of how close the water runs next to Cedar Way as I took it from the sidewalk north of the culvert entrance. The green grass borders the water, which is under the brush.

 

[pinklilies]

Husband says about 1.5 feet or so? It's tough to tell with the murky bottom.

I'm sorry, I didn't word it correctly.
I should have said height. Although it's interesting to know the water is about 1.5 deep.
Is it about 3-4 foot in height if somebody tried to stand inside it?

 

[idfinch]

I'm sorry, I didn't word it correctly.
I should have said height. Although it's interesting to know the water is about 1.5 deep.
Is it about 3-4 foot in height if somebody tried to stand inside it?

About 4 feet on the wooded side, I'm 5'4" and I think it would hit me neck/chest height to walk under, then it's probably 3 more feet of concrete from top of culvert to road.

 

[Treelights]

This is the highest definition photo I can find of that angle:
View attachment 90496
If you click on the thumbnail the jpeg should open pretty big then you can use your browser to zoom.

Thank you so much!

 

[Treelights]

View of culvert looking east from sidewalk above

Straight on view of culvert from wooded area behind it, facing west

This is simply to show the depth and current.

Looking down from side

This is down the street looking towards the area of the culvert. The water angles from the culvert to run adjacent to the road. The current is just as swift from this far down.

Thanks for all of your photos!

 

[mrsgladyskravitz]

The above photos should help with orientation of crime scene.

 

[Yvettea]

When CD "went into" the culvert, I think all that vegetation had overgrown the opening and it wasn't as apparent that the culvert was there on that side. Looking at the pictures it looks like it has recently been cut back.

 

[eucalyptuz]

Yes, I agree. During the days after Cheryl was found they had dive teams and crime scene techs on both sides of the road, so the vegetation could have been cut back for access. It's also possible vegetation was collected for evidence. A perpetrator (or Cheryl herself) may have brushed up against these plants leaving DNA or other trace such as threads etc.

I've been thinking about the East side of the culvert. It seems a very unlikely area to choose as a resting place if you were suicidal but thanks to idfinch's photos I think it's a pretty clever location to leave a body. If a car pulled up alongside the pedestrian guardrail on the east side of the culvert, where there is a pretty decent-sized leeway, disposal could happen in a matter of seconds. From a car seat, straight over or even through the guardrail and then dropping directly into the culvert below. The concealment would almost automatic and immediate as the plants closed back over the entry point. I do believe that it's very possible she had been there the whole week of her disappearance. The chance of someone trekking in to the shrubbery where they would have a view into the culvert was probably next to zero until somebody deliberately went looking there.

 

[Yvettea]

If she had been held for a while, it would be just as clever a location.

 

[Yvettea]

Could this be an opportunistic kidnapping where CD's life was threatened if FH didn't come up with a ransom? That would be enough to cause her family to be grief stricken.

 

[Yvettea]

OK, she was definitely dumped there now that I've seen those pics (my opinion). Suicide's off the table for me. And I wonder if the cause of death might have been blunt force trauma/drowning and they're still determining "manner" officially since I would imagine if she "fell" down there she'd sustain some blunt force injuries.

CD parks her car. Hurries down the path because she was late. Part way down the path she realizes she doesn't have her badge. She texts her friend and starts back toward her car. Meanwhile a car prowler has been planning to break into her car. When he sees her coming back he botches the job and doesn't completely break the window. As CD comes up to the car she sees the broken window, reaches out to see what it is, and cuts herself in the process. Opening the door to get a Kleenex for her wound she leaves blood inside the passenger door and on the passenger seat.

The thief is lurking somewhere nearby. He sees a chance to grab her purse and possibly a laptop. CD is having none of this and reaches out to get her things back. She's causing a commotion and she's going to attract attention. The thieves partner grabs CD, throws her in his car, then knocks her unconscious. Later they dump her at the culvert. Maybe they think she'll regain consciousness when she hits the water but she doesn't. She dies as a result of the injuries she suffers in the fall and from drowning. MOO

 

[Yvettea]

RSBM. I have been following Cheryl's case for a week and have tried to read the past threads. That does look like a break in the passenger window. Zoomed in you can see what looks like a bullseye break.

Here's the quote for the broken window information.

 

[mrsgladyskravitz]

Toxicology reports, where oh where can you be? Come out, come out wherever you are!

LE, how about tossing a few crumbs our way, i.e. 1) An investigation update; 2) Pictures &/or descriptions of Cheryl's missing personal effects; 3) How many tips have you received? 4) What else can we (in the community) do to assist? 5) What's the status on toxicology reports? 6) Do you have available stastical analysis for "like" crimes in both Snohomish and King Counties; 7) Same statistical data for Mountlake Terrace, and all neighboring communities? 8) Is this type of crime (opportunistic or otherwise) on the increase, decrease, or stable? 9) Do you have a perpetrator profile, i.e. work alone, in pairs, or teams? 10) Additional thoughts & questions??

Thank you in advance!


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk

 

[Sutton]

Mistree originally pointed out the possible broken window. I agreed with his or her observation. I haven't seen any other comments as to whether other posters think the window is broken or if that's just a reflection.

 

[cluciano63]

If she had died during a (known) kidnapping, the manner of death would be homicide, regardless of actual cause of death. And from what I can tell, it is manner of death, more than cause, which is yet to be determined.

 

[saengseon]

One thing to consider is that is a very open area with 3 lanes of arterial traffic. And it's a bit of a long way from road from a car to put a body in culvert. Why go to such lengths to do that? Seems odd location. It seems like a place someone might walk to and get some privacy. Who knows.

 

[DatelineFan]

I'm on the fence about whether the car window is broken or not...

 

[eucalyptuz]

I'm on the fence about whether the car window is broken or not...

Me too. From what I can see after searching for all the images of the Subaru, the photos seem to come from 3 different batches (taken in different lighting conditions at different times from different angles). This almost suggests that media was allowed into the holding facility before or after a press conference to take pictures. If there was obvious damage to the car, surely this would have been reported?