Found Deceased WA - Cheryl DeBoer, 54, Mountlake Terrace, 8 February 2016 #7

[otto]

If the body was floating, and the person was using a flashlight or waited for their eyes to adjust to the darkness of the culvert, she would have been seen. But also someone said she was found on the NW side of the culvert (or maybe they meant NW side of intersection?) -- it is possible that when LE/SAR searched she was fully inside it and over time the current moved her out. Without knowing the exact location of the body, difficult to know how visible she was at any given time. As I said, that's why I always carry a powerful flashlight during day searches.

There is a good question in all of this though - how long was she wandering around? Did she go directly to the creek/culvert? Or not?

There must be two culverts at the intersection: one running East-West, and another running North-South. She was found at the NW section of the culverts.

 

[kammiemc]

I guess I'm lost.....what is the 12:30 significance?

I think Sun is wondering if there could be significance that a bag that might have previously held her lunch might have been used at the same time of day as her usual lunch break to kill her. Although I am kind of doubting based on where she worked and her role that she had a clock in/clock out lunch break at a set time. Also not sure that lunchtime would hold enough meaning for her or her killer to warrant any symbolization. But I could be wrong about both of those things.

 

[brandi]

There is a good question in all of this though - how long was she wandering around? Did she go directly to the creek/culvert? Or not?

BBM
I'm still stuck back on the fact that maybe she was transported in her own car and there should be proof of specific vegetation on the undercarriage of her car...still a mystery

 

[ANZAC]

If anyone had walked over by that culvert that week wouldn't there have been an odor?

Putting aside the body in the water aspect, I've been to so many death sites where we go "no one smelled this? the body was right by the path/house/driveway/road/trail!" I guess people are able to ignore the smell of death if they are passing. I now find it instantly recognizable vs rotting vegetation. We had one case where a detective and I smelled it, couldn't pinpoint it, dogs couldn't find it, and we weren't even looking for a body. I'm still sure there is a body in there somewhere....

 

[ANZAC]

There must be two culverts at the intersection: one running East-West, and another running North-South. She was found at the NW section of the culverts.

Makes sense, I was looking at that good overhead image last night and was thinking that there was a 2nd culvert. Perhaps she died in the creek further up, but then the body failed to negotiate the E-W to N-S bend as she went downstream.

 

[ANZAC]

BBM
I'm still stuck back on the fact that maybe she was transported in her own car and there should be proof of specific vegetation on the undercarriage of her car...still a mystery

That's highly unlikely, because the car was put exactly where her husband thought it might be. Unless the husband did it, which has been discounted. Everything points to her car going from home to outside the park and ride and staying there.

 

[Blondie in Spokane]

She was found at about 12:30, with a plastic bag from a restaurant she frequented on her head. Some people suggested it could have been a place she ate lunch at during some workdays. I was just thinking how I really hope she didn't take her lunches at 12:30.


:-/ (this is not supposed to be a joke..just how bizarre things are with this case)

Thanks....I guess I missed the fact that Cheryl's body was discovered at 12:30.

 

[ANZAC]

I think Sun is wondering if there could be significance that a bag that might have previously held her lunch might have been used at the same time of day as her usual lunch break to kill her. Although I am kind of doubting based on where she worked and her role that she had a clock in/clock out lunch break at a set time. Also not sure that lunchtime would hold enough meaning for her or her killer to warrant any symbolization. But I could be wrong about both of those things.

Unlikely. She never made it to work that day. Why go and sit in your car, text your co-workers, then wait another few hours for lunch, buy lunch etc. Most likely the bag is from a purchase prior to the morning she disappeared. (assuming the bag was with her when she died)

 

[Dushi]

ANZAC

Do you know if it is common to give two CODs?

 

[kammiemc]

Unlikely. She never made it to work that day. Why go and sit in your car, text your co-workers, then wait another few hours for lunch, buy lunch etc. Most likely the bag is from a purchase prior to the morning she disappeared. (assuming the bag was with her when she died)

Agree. Anyway I think my interpretation was wrong. I admit I am unclear on the significance of whole lunchtime thing, and that's OK!

 

[brandi]

That's highly unlikely, because the car was put exactly where her husband thought it might be. Unless the husband did it, which has been discounted. Everything points to her car going from home to outside the park and ride and staying there.

Originally in these threads it was a speculation that discussed. Not to dispute you, but you've been following pretty close. I think you know that there is no way her husband could exactly pinpoint what parking spot she got and the only witness to the car being there was at 8:00 AM. There's still 56 minutes or so unaccounted for between the text at 7:02 and the confirmation of the sighting of exactly where the car was parked. That car could have been anywhere. True, it wasn't caught on camera anywhere else(that we know of) but neither was she if she was walking a common route. There is no clear confirmation of exactly where she was when she sent those texts...

 

[eucalyptuz]

Re: Lyon Creek
This is a strange little tract of water that seems to spend quite a lot of its time in pipes underground. I tried to follow its course to end at the lake on Google Earth but I couldn't do it without the help of a map overlay as it zig-zags under roads and land for its last two miles. I think the culvert is a unique part of its course where it joins an area that has a heavy storm water action. Most of the other pipes along its course are narrower than the culvert. If you go back in time on Google street view (2008) you can see a crew working on section near the culvert and there are pipes stacked ready nearby that only seem to be 2-3 feet wide.

 

[dizzychick]

A stroke would probably have shown up on the autopsy.

(edit) but other medical events may not show up

I read an article out of LA where their coroner is quitting with a pile of corpses due to backlog and work stress, cant say that I blame him but it made me wonder how backed up Seattle is and if it has an effect on the quality of exam given in each case. If you had a brain blow out that would be obvious but what if it was some other occurrence like a bulge or electrical problem? I guess im just trying to explain the unexplainable

 

[Treelights]

Putting aside the body in the water aspect, I've been to so many death sites where we go "no one smelled this? the body was right by the path/house/driveway/road/trail!" I guess people are able to ignore the smell of death if they are passing. I now find it instantly recognizable vs rotting vegetation. We had one case where a detective and I smelled it, couldn't pinpoint it, dogs couldn't find it, and we weren't even looking for a body. I'm still sure there is a body in there somewhere....

Back in December a body was found in the creek at Monument Valley Park in Colo. Spgs. We walked that path days before the body was found. We didn't smell the body. There are 2 links, one with photo, and the other link mentions they thought the body had been there for some time.

http://www.krdo.com/news/body-found-in-monument-creek/36776660

http://www.kvor.com/2015/12/04/body-found-in-monument-valley-park/

I know the "smell" of that creek, and other than the usual smell of that creek, I didn't smell anything else.

 

[dizzychick]

She got off the grid (1.5 miles -----------------------------------6 days) she was found off the search grid. She wasn't wandering around long enough for anyone to remember seeing her. Because she either wasn't, (can't remember something that was never there) - or this was in the plan, to mess with a neighborhood, so they can feel GUILTY for not noticing anything.

I dunno...,.

hope they asked "everybody" in order to determine she was not seen, I wonder if they checked that retirement centers web cams? a birdie told me their kid rode the bus which stops right by her parked car and not one cop showed up asking questions about this case, just saying..

 

[Eileen730]

I know a few people have mentioned the idea of Cheryl possibly putting a plastic restaurant bag over her head to protect her head/hair from the rain. I am wondering if this is something people do in the south or if it happens in the country? I have lived in cities all over the west coast and in Seattle for nearly 15 years (plus short times in NYC and Paris) and I have never seen a person tie a plastic bag over their head that I can recall. In Seattle we generally wear raincoats with hoods during the rainy months. Otherwise even the fussiest (Cheryl doesn't appear fussy) don't pay much mind to drizzle. Hair be damned.

That said, I just googled plastic bag tied over head and a pic did pop up of a woman who looked like she was protecting her 'do with a white bag, so I guess it happens. It looked ridiculous. (There was also a joke pic of a cat with a plastic bag protecting its head. If we weren't talking about a tragic case, I would share it because it was pretty funny looking.)

here ppl use plastic bags to put over their heads in the rain if they don't have a hat.

 

[marcyjoy]

I know a few people have mentioned the idea of Cheryl possibly putting a plastic restaurant bag over her head to protect her head/hair from the rain. I am wondering if this is something people do in the south or if it happens in the country? I have lived in cities all over the west coast and in Seattle for nearly 15 years (plus short times in NYC and Paris) and I have never seen a person tie a plastic bag over their head that I can recall. In Seattle we generally wear raincoats with hoods during the rainy months. Otherwise even the fussiest (Cheryl doesn't appear fussy) don't pay much mind to drizzle. Hair be damned.

That said, I just googled plastic bag tied over head and a pic did pop up of a woman who looked like she was protecting her 'do with a white bag, so I guess it happens. It looked ridiculous. (There was also a joke pic of a cat with a plastic bag protecting its head. If we weren't talking about a tragic case, I would share it because it was pretty funny looking.)

I totally agree. I was raised in the south and have lived in the Seattle area since I was 15. I am probably the fussiest (love that word) NW girl you could run across, yet I do nothing to particularly protect my hair or makeup. It would be more hassle than it is worth. And aside from thinking of an elderly woman who has her hair "set" a few times a week, I can't imagine, nor have I ever seen, anyone use a plastic bag to cover their hair - especially in the greater Seattle area.

 

[dizzychick]

I totally agree. I was raised in the south and have lived in the Seattle area since I was 15. I am probably the fussiest (love that word) NW girl you could run across, yet I do nothing to particularly protect my hair or makeup. It would be more hassle than it is worth. And aside from thinking of an elderly woman who has her hair "set" a few times a week, I can't imagine, nor have I ever seen, anyone use a plastic bag to cover their hair - especially in the greater Seattle area.

im from Dallas, think Big hair and many cans of Aqua Net LOL I noticed no one fixes their hair and now I know why, it is currentyl 93 percent humidity and gets as high as 100 when drizzling which is most of the time, so that is why i guess, every day is a bad hair day here lol

 

[Sun009]

here ppl use plastic bags to put over their heads in the rain if they don't have a hat.

They banned plastic bags in my city and others in the NW. I couldn't even get a plastic grocery bag, if I wanted too, quickly.

 

[Stripehaven]

I read an article out of LA where their coroner is quitting with a pile of corpses due to backlog and work stress, cant say that I blame him but it made me wonder how backed up Seattle is and if it has an effect on the quality of exam given in each case. If you had a brain blow out that would be obvious but what if it was some other occurrence like a bulge or electrical problem? I guess im just trying to explain the unexplainable

This case doesn't involve Seattle at all. Seattle is several miles south and in King County. Though Cheryl was found close to the county line, she was on the Snohomish Counth side, and the Snohomish County ME has jurisdiction (or whatever you would call it!).