WA WA- John Warren Deetz, 38, Spokane Valley, 30 Dec 1988

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Missing Person / NamUs #MP19563

View NamUs missing person case MP19563 for John Warren Deetz missing from Spokane Valley, Washington. Date of last contact: Dec 30, 1988. NCMEC case number: --.

namus.nij.ojp.gov

John Warren Deetz – The Charley Project

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Deetz, circa 1988; Ralph Benson

• Missing Since 12/30/1988
• Missing From Spokane County, Washington
• Classification Endangered Missing
• Sex Male
• Race White
• Date of Birth 05/01/1950 (75)
• Age 38 years old
• Height and Weight 5'5, 175 pounds
• Associated Vehicle(s) Brand new tractor-trailer truck (accounted for)
• Distinguishing Characteristics Caucasian male. Black hair, brown eyes.

Details of Disappearance​

Deetz was last seen on December 30, 1988. He lived in Fulton, Illinois and was employed as a truck driver for Westside Transport in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His last delivery was at the West Coast Grocery Co.

Deetz called his employer from the Broadway Truck Stop in Spokane County, Washington on December 30, 1988, after he made his delivery. He also called his wife to say he would be home soon. He has never been heard from again. His trucking supervisor reported him missing.

Less than two years after Deetz disappeared, Ralph Howard Benson was sighted driving his truck, which was brand new and worth $100,000. It had been repainted. Benson was a self-employed long-distance trucker who traveled across the country.

In early 1991, Deetz's truck was found on Benson's property in the Los Angeles, California area. The 1988 license plate was in Benson's home south of Davenport, Washington; it appeared new and unweathered.

Authorities believe Benson operated a "chop shop," taking apart stolen tractor-trailer rigs and selling the parts. He was never charged in connection with Deetz or his vehicle, however.

In 2003, Benson was convicted of murdering a Washington state fuel tax auditor; he'd shot the man in the head and dismembered his body. Investigators stated he's a person of interest in Deetz's disappearance and other missing persons cases and homicides.

He died in prison in September 2004, at the age of 64, less than one year into his sentence. A photo of Benson is posted with this case summary.

Deetz is described as a responsible man who was dedicated to his family and his job. He was carrying company credit cards at the time of his disappearance, but never used them. He left behind three children.

He has since been declared legally dead and his wife has remarried. Foul play is suspected in his case, which remains unsolved.

 

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4088DMWA - John Warren Deetz

Dentals: Available
Fingerprints: Unknown
DNA: Unknown




Jan 1, 2004

Detectives say trucker may have killed before | The Seattle Times

<<In looking at past cases, Spokane law officers are particularly interested in the disappearance of trucker John Warren Deetz, who was last seen in a Spokane Valley truck stop Dec. 30, 1988.

That night Deetz called his wife in Fulton, Ill., saying he'd be home soon. Then, he apparently climbed into the rig's sleeper cab.

Sometime that night, his truck was stolen, and the 38-year-old truck driver has not been seen since. The stolen truck was found three years later in California on property owned by Benson.

In January 1991, detectives searched Benson's silo. They found three stolen vehicles and two others with altered identification numbers. That led investigators to conclude Benson was dismantling stolen rigs at his silo.

They also found the Nevada license plate from Deetz's rig.>>