WA WA - Yee Lu, 13, beaten and choked in her home, Stanwood, 1983

[sasha17]

Do we know if Yee attended a church? She is buried at the Lutheran cemetery. High school and a library nearby. If it is to be assumed that the perpetrator was young and inexperienced, he should be in 55-65 age group now, if he still lives there.

Yee was a Cambodian refugee. The way some people were able to escape was to convert. The author of First They Killed My Father was able to leave the refugee camp and come to America with one of her older brothers because they became Christians.

Yee's family might have already been Christians, but it's possible that a congregation sponsored them to come to the US because they converted.

MOO

According to the article at the top, the family was sponsored by a local Lutheran church and arrived in the community from Cambodia 8 years prior to the murder.

From Yee's mother's 2022 obituary: "They immigrated to the U.S. from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with their 5 children in 1975, and settled in Stanwood, WA. She was a member of Our Saviour's Lutheran Church and was always grateful for their sponsorship of the family after the arrival to Washington." Obituary for Ying Lu at Gilbertson Funeral Home and Cremation Service

 

[willy wagtail]

Could this have been a racially motivated murder?

Was there any dna left behind?

 

[Wickstrom8]

I went to school and church with Yee Lu. I was 13 at the time she was killed and staying with a friend a couple houses down. At the time there was a large field behind the house and we were told a police dog tracked a scent out the back of the house and through the field.
Her family was active members of our saviors Lutheran church and had only lived in the community a short time. She was pretty quiet and shy. I don’t believe this was a burglary gone bad at all. Town speculation was always that her family had political ties back to Cambodia and possibly Vietnam and that this was connected to that.

 

[Brightchaser47]

Was there any dna left behind?

There would've been DNA, due to the nature of the crime. But was there any physical evidence analyzed or preserved for later analysis?

 

[MamaSleuth5]

I went to school and church with Yee Lu. I was 13 at the time she was killed and staying with a friend a couple houses down. At the time there was a large field behind the house and we were told a police dog tracked a scent out the back of the house and through the field.
Her family was active members of our saviors Lutheran church and had only lived in the community a short time. She was pretty quiet and shy. I don’t believe this was a burglary gone bad at all. Town speculation was always that her family had political ties back to Cambodia and possibly Vietnam and that this was connected to that.

Welcome to Websleuths, @Wickstrom8 ! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.

Thread 'Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters' Verification Process for Professional or Insider Posters

Here is information on becoming a verified insider. I look forward to hearing your insight on Yee Lu's case!

 

[Wickstrom8]

There would've been DNA, due to the nature of the crime. But was there any physical evidence analyzed or preserved for later analysis?

This was and still is a small town. At that time the local police force was small and this would have been the 1st murder in our small town in decades. Maybe ever. I doubt those investigating had the sophistication needed. DNA was unknown then.