WA WA - Wendy Aughe, 29, Bellingham, 25 Apr 1987 *ARREST*

[Melt71]

Case created in Namus 23 March 2020 but has been in Charley Project since 2004.
www.namus.gov/MissingPersons/Case#/67484
Wendy L. Aughe – The Charley Project

#MP67484 Wendy Aughe, Female, White / Caucasian (Charley Project lists name as Wendy L. Aughe)
Date of Last Contact April 25, 1987
Missing From Bellingham, Washington
Demographics
Missing Age 29 Years
Current Age 62 Years
First Name Wendy
Middle Name--
Last Name Aughe
Sex Female
Height 5' 6" (66 Inches)
Weight 105 lbs
Race / Ethnicity White / Caucasian

Circumstances
Foul Play Possible
NamUs Case CreatedMarch 23, 2020
Last Known Location Map
Location Bellingham, Washington 98225
County Whatcom County
Circumstances: was last seen April 25, 1987 leaving a restaurant in Bellingham, WA. Her car was found a short time later in Eugene, OR but she has never been located. Aughe was a beauty school student and the mother of two young children in 1987. It was uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning.
Physical Description
Hair Color Brown
Eye Color Hazel
Distinctive Physical Features
Item - Description - Pierced ears
Tattoo - Tattoo on right forearm

 

[Melt71]

More details from Charley Project:

Details of Disappearance
Aughe was last seen leaving La Paloma Restaurant in Bellingham, Washington during the early morning hours of April 25, 1987. She was driving her 1972 Ford Torino, which was painted red with a black vinyl top. She was accompanied by the restaurant's bartender, a drifter who called himself Mike Johnson.

Johnson's real name is Darren Dee O'Neall. A photograph of O'Neall is posted with this case summary. Aughe has never been heard from again. Her car was found abandoned in Eugene, Oregon on May 2. O'Neall's fingerprints were inside. When authorities searched Aughe's apartment after her disappearance, they found signs of a struggle, including pools of blood, semen stains and bloodsoaked bedsheets and linen.

An all-points bulletin was issued for O'Neall. He had worked for the La Paloma Restaurant for only two days before he disappeared after emptying the cash register and stealing liquor. The United States Customs authorities reported photographing him driving across the border into Canada in Aughe's car. He was apparently alone in the vehicle at the time.

O'Neill was charged with the murder of another young woman, Robin Smith, who disappeared four weeks before Aughe did. Her body was found in May 1987. O'Neill was not arrested until September 1987. He pleaded guilty to Smith's murder in 1989 and was sentenced to life in prison. He was also convicted of second-degree auto theft for for stealing Aughe's car and for an unrelated kidnapping and rape. He is still incarcerated.

Aughe was a beauty school student and the mother of two young children in 1987. It's uncharacteristic of her to leave without warning. She has never been located and O'Neill hasn't been charged in her disappearance because of a lack of evidence, but foul play is suspected in her case due to the circumstances involved.

 

[Melt71]

Wendy's killer may have killed 6+ women according to media reports - he is serving life without parole for one of these offences.

Wendy has previously been suggested as a potential match to a UID www.websleuths.com/forums/threads/or-mount-hood-nf-whtfem-up10671-18-40-off-forest-road-4410-jun03.194148/#post-13692685

Below 2 photos are from Namus:

 

[UncoolNegated]

Her earrings were found at a campsite according to one newspaper article I read. I'm thinking this woman was left somewhere remote because O'Neall had a fascination with the outdoors and he was a devotee of American fiction that focused on the old west. He fantasized about having a woman share a backcountry life with him. Also, I wonder if he went into Canada with the body in the trunk and left it there.

Missing Person's Commentary: Wendy Aughe Missing Since 1987 -- NamUs #MP67484

 

[victoriarobinson642]

High school photos.

 

[heartanium]

For Canadian UID's the only reasonable match I could find would be would be this Jane Doe found in Field, BC in 1991. Estimated PMI is 5 years prior. Not much available but noted to have a dental overlap. It is quite far from the border though (10 hours east of Vancouver) and the drive there can be somewhat dicey in April.

 

[Glimma0927]

SUSPECT ARRESTED!

Bellingham Police Detectives solve 35-year-old homicide case

Darren D. O’Neall, 63, Umatilla, OR, arrested and booked on murder charges

cob.org

 

[HmmMysterious]

SUSPECT ARRESTED!

Bellingham Police Detectives solve 35-year-old homicide case

Darren D. O’Neall, 63, Umatilla, OR, arrested and booked on murder charges

cob.org

It was O'Neall all along. I hope he confesses where he buried Wendy

 

[Sillybilly]

As Wendy disappeared the early morning hours of April 25 and O'Neall was logged entering (i.e. re-entering) the USA from Canada, in Wendy's car, via the Oroville port of entry on April 26 at 9:58 PM, IMO it's possible he disposed of Wendy's body in Canada.

The BC Coroner's service has a map of UIDs. and of the female UIDs (red dots) there is a UID female that was found in Golden, BC in 1994 who seems to match circumstances in Wendy's case (the red dot, upper right on the linked map, up by Banff National Park).

Case Number: 1994-0439-0024

Sex	Female
Race	Unknown
Date Found	September 10, 1994
Police File Number	1994-3025
Police Detachment	Golden RCMP
Eye Colour
Hair Colour
Minimum Age	30
Maximum Age	50
Minimum Height
Maximum Height
Minimum PMI	5 years
Maximum PMI	20 years
Clothing
Tattoos
Scars
Other Comments
Image

Bellingham, WA to Golden, BC to Oroville, WA is only a 13 to 14 hour round trip

 

[spartanx]

UPDATE 2022:

In July 2021, cheek swabs were taken from Darren, who was still incarcerated, for DNA testing. Just a month later, the crime lab determined the samples matched DNA profiles created for Darren from evidence taken from Wendy's home and vehicle.

In October 2022, Darren was charged with one count of second-degree murder for Wendy's 1987 death. He was extradited from Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla, Oregon to Whatcom County Jail.

On March 10, 2023, Darren was arraigned and pleaded not guilty to Wendy's murder. According to the City of Bellingham, Wendy left McDonald's Beauty School to get lunch at La Paloma restaurant. When she returned to school, she told her classmates that she met a man named 'Mike' there and that they planned to go on a date that night. The pair drove from Lighthouse Mission in Wendy's vehicle to La Paloma, where Darren emptied the cash register and opened a bottle of Jack Daniel's liquor. The events that followed are unknown. There are no further updates as of this posting. Wendy's body was never found.

 

[John/Jane Doe]

Wendy L. Aughe – The Charley Project