Found Deceased WA - Cheryl DeBoer, 54, Mountlake Terrace, 8 February 2016 #6

[Koshka]

I think getting the results about the type of animal blood will tell a lot more about what happened to her that morning. Sounds like that won't happen with the person away through the end of March.

I'm still 100% on this being homicide (my opinion). The personal stories about her cat just make me more certain that this was not suicide & she was a victim of foul play. I also still firmly refuse to believe she would do this to her husband with him seeing no sign of any depression or issue, without ever once telling him she was despondent.

I'm still stuck on how she got from her car to the culvert. Because imo there's no way no how that she completely changed character at the last second, decided to commit suicide with no planning whatsoever except for a razor blade and a fast food bag, and then walked 1.5 miles with no one seeing her at all so she could sit in icy cold rushing water and try to suffocate and drown herself.

At the very least, even if this was a bizarre suicide (which I don't believe for a second) and she had some emotional attachment to the culvert, wouldn't she have just continued driving there? This winter has been record rainfall for us. I don't remember the exact weather that morning, but the week itself was a deluge. Parking on 58th to text, then walking all that way doesn't sound at all like a brilliant, organized, happy, forward thinking woman with plenty of knowledge of firearms, if she wanted it over. Besides that, her disappearance hit the local media hard and fast that morning. If she would've walked, someone would have seen her. A camera would've spotted her.

Thank you so much to all of the posters who have laid out scenarios with such valuable information in such a concise way. Most of all thank you to Cheryl's friends for being here and being willing to share information. We all genuinely want to know what happened to Cheryl and help find justice for her. Every personal story to get to know this amazing woman just shows even more how much of a humongous, heart wrenching loss this is.

Two more issue for me with the suicide theory:

1. A claustrophobic woman putting a bag over her head? No. I worked for many years with a woman who had claustrophobia, and she get very anxious using a restroom stall - it felt too enclosed for her. Put a bag over her head? Never.

And 2. I can't see someone who has decided to commit suicide calling her car pool at the last moment and telling them she'd find another way to get to the office. That would just lead to exactly what happened - her coworkers becoming concerned and trying to find out what happened to her when she didn't show up. It would make much more sense to simply call in sick, giving plenty of time to do what you felt you needed to do without anyone looking for you and possibly interrupting your plans.

 

[cs2012]

Could someone please post the video link from kiro 7 news' update of police thoughts of her tox & forensic results from thread 5? The one where police said they expect tox & forensic results to support their theory of accidental or suicidal death? If tox results are back, why would police say they arent? If tox results are back, & theyre saying forenisic & tox results support accidental or suicide then what else would they expect to find forensically to support their theory? & Is it just preliminary results are back & thats what the family is saying when her results are clean (pretty sure final, complete results would support preliminary results).

 

[cs2012]

I would and have put a plastic shopping bag over my head rather than get my hair drenched, only to dry off in a freezing cold office. I have also used them to protect my feet and shoes rather than walking in puddles and having wet shoes all day.

I see that her glasses were folded but where were they? At the bottom of the culvert? This doesn't suggest suicide to me. Just last night there was the story of a man who found the nude body of a young woman in the woods, her clothes neatly folded nearby. She was shot in the back 5 times - not a suicide - and the speculation was that she was trying to buy time to convince her killer not to do what he was about to do.

The plastic bag was from a restaurant she frequented. Was she taking the left overs to some tree dweller in the park? We have downright scary panhandlers here.

Are her clothes snagged at the right spots by which I mean, on the sides as she walked through brush and broken concrete as opposed to on the back or front, indicating being dragged? Are there drag marks on her shoes?

Why would she have a razor blade? Was she scrapping varnish at home? I mean think about it. How many people have razor blades in this day of disposable safety razors?

You could not sit in 2 feet of flowing water without a struggle to stay put. If you relax, you float. It is ridiculous to think that she sat around in that culvert, tying a bag around her head in 50 degree running water and holding on to something so she wouldn't float while trying to fight the instinctual urge to take off the da** bag and stand the heck up.

And the topography makes it impossible for her to have floated there from elsewhere.

I understand her car keys were found, where were they?

What kind of knockout chemicals must they have at Hutch? Chloroform?

Did Mrs. DeBoer just get some kind of acknowledgement at work, giving rise to a competitor's jealousy? Was she favored over someone else in her department? Did her recent vacation trigger a co-worker's envy or a grudge from having to cover her duties while she was gone? Is there someone enamored of Mr. DeBoer and wanted to take her from him?

Mrs. DeBoer has absolutely NO indicators of a person who is likely to commit suicide. NONE. And every suicide has at least one. Metal illness, trauma, depression, anxiety, grief, loss of a job, feeling worthless, being bullied, news of imminent death from illness - some trigger and some sign is always there. Mrs. DeBoer had none.

I absolutely do not believe this was a suicide and I never will unless something in her life is revealed that is a trigger. Happy, healthy, forward-looking people do not kill themselves.

I agree. Thank you for the thoughts. She was found face down, so i dont think she was laying down but sitting up...but i think in 2 feet of running water youd still have to hold on to something and itd be too distracting to do the bag thing. I just think its too complicated to consider this scenario as suicide. Do you have a link to the murder you mentioned, remember what news posted about it, or where it happened?

 

[brandi]

Guns -- Fred Hutch -- Taking a gun to work. I can answer with verifiable certainty that guns are not allowed on the campus of any medical facility by any kind of employee.

 

[pinklilies]

I think if Cheryl had said she was sick that day, then that would have caused immediate concern from her friends and employer as CD's family did say she had never missed a days work, ever.
By saying what she did, she gave herself a bit of time before anyone raised the alarm.
Well, that's if CD did plan this.

 

[Justiceforcheryl]

Guns -- Fred Hutch -- Taking a gun to work. I can answer with verifiable certainty that guns are not allowed on the campus of any medical facility by any kind of employee.

No. She never took a gun into work ever.

 

[Eileen730]

I must have missed it that they had just returned from Vacation.

 

[cs2012]

Plus she just got a new kitty!

I am wondering if she simply had a razor in her pocket because she had said to family the ParknRide area was a bit shady (something like that, probably not those exact words) and if she was use to walking on the trail why wouldn't she have it? IMO

Who is going to out a razor blade in your pocket for protection when 1 you have a gun you can easily carry in a backpack or even pepper sprays a better option 2 if you put a razorblade in your pocket or really anywhere and need it in an emergency, or have to reach for it in a pocket, you are likely to cut your own fingers, self, hand, or even your own butt by it being in your pocket? My stepdad used to cut himself when i was a teen. It was horrible but i learned after calling police that he did it as a means to deal with pain....but other times he also drank weed killer and would binge drink alcohol trying to kill himself (also he is epileptic so alcohol while being epileptic can be dangerous). So i suspect it is possibly the truth or just something he smartly told the cops so legally theyd get off his back. Not saying cheryls suicidal at all, btw. Just saying any smart person is not going to keep a razorblade in their pocket unless theyre suicidal or its planted imho. Thats similar to keeping a knife in your pocket with no shield..unless of course youre high on medicine and cant think straight. I suppose the razor blade couldve been found in a shirt pocket, but still...risk of cutting yourself is high if you reach in. Cheryls a brilliant woman....someone would put that razor there on purpose to cut her or make it appear as suicide. Unless she was suicidal...which i doubt...and why would she put the blade glasses etc in her pocket and not just place her belongings on side of culvert or toss them away by culvert?!

 

[Master Gee]

Didn't want to be found or identified1) left her badge 2) parked in an unusual spot? 3) shut her phone off 4) dumped her phone 5) dumped her wallet 6) walked some distance 7) hid in a culvert.

Troubling 1) razorblade in your pocket!? Really? Not in my 50 years. 2) Glasses folded on or near body

I do not want to believe it's suicide but wrestling with the possibilities of these items. I'm sure there are more examples.

 

[initstime]

That is a weird thing...the razor was found on her person, but not her phone or her wallet. If she wanted to divert suspicion, or make it look like murder...surely she would have disposed of the razor since it wasn't even used in her death. If she had sound mind enough to dispose of her wallet and phone? Though I doubt a person would want to commit suicide and not have their body identified, so it seems strange to me she'd get rid of her phone and wallet for that purpose.

 

[TTF14]

Who is going to out a razor blade in your pocket for protection when 1 you have a gun you can easily carry in a backpack or even pepper sprays a better option 2 if you put a razorblade in your pocket or really anywhere and need it in an emergency, or have to reach for it in a pocket, you are likely to cut your own fingers, self, hand, or even your own butt by it being in your pocket? My stepdad used to cut himself when i was a teen. It was horrible but i learned after calling police that he did it as a means to deal with pain....but other times he also drank weed killer and would binge drink alcohol trying to kill himself (also he is epileptic so alcohol while being epileptic can be dangerous). So i suspect it is possibly the truth or just something he smartly told the cops so legally theyd get off his back. Not saying cheryls suicidal at all, btw. Just saying any smart person is not going to keep a razorblade in their pocket unless theyre suicidal or its planted imho. Thats similar to keeping a knife in your pocket with no shield..unless of course youre high on medicine and cant think straight. I suppose the razor blade couldve been found in a shirt pocket, but still...risk of cutting yourself is high if you reach in. Cheryls a brilliant woman....someone would put that razor there on purpose to cut her or make it appear as suicide. Unless she was suicidal...which i doubt...and why would she put the blade glasses etc in her pocket and not just place her belongings on side of culvert or toss them away by culvert?!

It would be really helpful to know what exactly the "razor blade" was. Was it just a plain old razor blade? I wouldn't even know where to get one of those not attached to something to shave my legs with.

 

[Treelights]

Admittedly that part doesn't add up. I guess I have two feelings. One being the injured animal used to cause further disfocus or someone she knew. Maybe not close and personal but even had made eye contact with and smiled which would also cause her to let her guard down.
Some questions like the vacation and gun I don't feel ok answering without her husbands permission. I want him to feel safe throughout this and not have his whole personal life violated after all he has been through.

I appreciate that. Cheryl's husband and family have been through so much and I do respect their privacy. Thanks for bringing that to the forefront, as I did ask about the vacation earlier. My apologies.

IMOO.

 

[Eileen730]

That is a weird thing...the razor was found on her person, but not her phone or her wallet. If she wanted to divert suspicion, or make it look like murder...surely she would have disposed of the razor since it wasn't even used in her death. If she had sound mind enough to dispose of her wallet and phone? Though I doubt a person would want to commit suicide and not have their body identified, so it seems strange to me she'd get rid of her phone and wallet for that purpose.

I think the razor blade was back up in case the bag didn't work!\jmo

 

[cs2012]

I can understand what you are saying and completely think valid all the reasons you have against a suicide scenario. But I really can't say enough how completely and totally bizarre it would be for a middle aged woman in the PNW to put a restaurant bag over her head to protect her hair from drizzle. Especially one who was either being killed or committing suicide. Sorry to be so blunt. She was not an elderly woman coming out of her weekly hairdo. She was a professional person on her way to work to Seattle who would have been prepared for drizzle. (And honestly, we just don't give a crud about drizzle.) This was not a MacGyver situation.

ETA: the only time in my 47 years I have ever seen anyone put plastic on their head in public was my grandma after getting her hair done. And that was in the 1970's and she was in her 70's and it was in a rural town.


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My Mom is almost 70, always takes forever styling her hair and getting ready even just for a car ride. She worries what the neighbors will think if they see her in her robe walking to car. If it rains or is windy, she complains about her hair being ruined. My Moms smart, but ditzy and sometimes does dangerous things just for practicality like putting carpet flea powder on her cat that could be dangerous if ingested, or doubling up on medicine if she misses it. Still, my Mother has never and would never put a bag on her head for her hair...and like all pacific northwesters, we never use umbrellas. I forget they even exist until others mention it, we just use jacket hoods or nothing at all. Cheryl seems like a genius, and less fussy person. Nowhere in photos is her hair looking like she teased it, used hair spray, curled it, etc. I dont think for a second she used a bag on her hair. However, i do think if she went to this food place the bag is something she could have left in her car. It couldve came from further up the culvert, but from photos the culvert appears fairly clean from trash and it fits in with the razorblade and water in her lungs blood in her car and her going missing too much. (all things which support a sinister cause of death or "suicide").

 

[WhisperWorm]

wow why did they say it was an 88...& why were thry searching with no gloves???

Curious to where we can see them searching (searching what) with no gloves on. Do you have a link?

 

[JanetElaine]

Good point!.. one would assume she needed the glasses to text.. Unless she takes them off to text and places them in her pocket? Doubtful.. Thanks ...Just shot my theory to hell OK, I'm, at 23% now..

It's not that doubtful, so don't be too hard on yourself. I'm a little bit younger than Cheryl and I've had to switch up my contacts/glasses routine. I can either wear contacts, and use cheaters (reading glasses), or use glasses instead of contacts (distance), and then I don't need reading glasses, just my own eyes (that was harder to describe than I thought). I've chosen the latter.

So when I text or am otherwise on my phone I either push the glasses up on my head or take them off and fold them and put them in my pocket or purse (which I prefer and most often do).

FWIW and :cow:

 

[krig101]

I would be very surprised if Fred Hutch allows firearms on their premises.

I'm aware that is probably correct but she could leave it in her car in a vehicle gun safe. Not sure of the laws in WA if that is allowed as it is in my state. My husband was a truck driver in Detroit. As unsafe as many of his stops were he was not allowed to have his firearm with him, but he did keep it with him during his commute. The company he worked for was in a pretty violent area. He locked it up during work hours in a cable locked under seat safe.

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[DanceCard]

Troubling[/B][/U] 1) razorblade in your pocket!? Really? Not in my 50 years. 2) Glasses folded on or near body

I do not want to believe it's suicide but wrestling with the possibilities of these items. I'm sure there are more examples.

RSBM.

I know from personal experience that someone who commits suicide may remove such things as their glasses, shoes, watch etc and place them neatly nearby. It's methodical and eerily similar to some of the things we (human beings) do before we go to sleep at night, albeit without undressing.

IF this was suicide, given the method, I can understand why Cheryl would remove her glasses, fold them and place them close by.

And on this topic, I know LE said Cheryl was found wearing her clothes. I wonder if that includes her shoes?

Edited to add- I just realised that my quote is broken. Bessie please go easy on me! I'm sorry.

 

[Treelights]

Two more issue for me with the suicide theory:

1. A claustrophobic woman putting a bag over her head? No. I worked for many years with a woman who had claustrophobia, and she get very anxious using a restroom stall - it felt too enclosed for her. Put a bag over her head? Never.

And 2. I can't see someone who has decided to commit suicide calling her car pool at the last moment and telling them she'd find another way to get to the office. That would just lead to exactly what happened - her coworkers becoming concerned and trying to find out what happened to her when she didn't show up. It would make much more sense to simply call in sick, giving plenty of time to do what you felt you needed to do without anyone looking for you and possibly interrupting your plans.

Unless!!!

If someone wanted to commit suicide, would claustrophobia even matter at that point?

If someone wanted to commit suicide, but to make it look like something it wasn't because of embarrassment
for the family, maybe they would stage it to look like it wasn't a suicide.

If she called in sick, then she would have expected to be at home. She would have been seen leaving her house later or her car would have been gone when her husband got home, so that would have raised flags right there that she left, so in order to not cause any suspicion and for it to play out as something it was not, she had to leave that morning at that time, IF she committed suicide, in my opinion.

She mentioned to go ahead without her to the car pooler. With her car parked where she would have parked when she took the bus to work, it is possible, if she planned this, that she thought people would think she did take the bus. That would buy her time, until her work looks for her, and then if she wasn't spotted on video, then she could have thought, If she planned this, that this was a kidnapping. And now look…. it is undetermined. Some people think suicide, some people think murder.

IMOO.

 

[Aunt_Tulip]

I've lived in Washington most of my life, never owned an umbrella and never put a bag on my head.

I am still very curious about how far from her body the glasses were found and exactly what kind of "razor blade" was in her pocket as many of you are. I feel so badly for Cheryl's family, having to deal with her death and then having to wait for answers.