Peter Van Sant: In some ways, you could be whole again too, right? Kevin Bowhay: Kim said, "Well, you guys want DNA, don't you?" Det. 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This yields a total of 107 sex offenders in Washington per 100,000 residents which is 60% less than the national average. Kevin Bowhay: As my partner's cuffing him up, I say, "You're under arrest for the murder of Mandy Stavik.". Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Appropria. He actually ended up firing the gun. Kevin Bowhay: We needed some answers. This goal was based on a 10% improvement from the national age-adjusted homicide rate of 6.1 in 2007. TIM BASS INTERROGATION: Are you trying to get me to admit to something I didn't do, is that what you're trying to do right now? Sheriff Bill Elfo told ABC News that that shot Bass to the top of the suspect list. Kevin Bowhay: We got the right guy. "And I just kind of turned to Merrilee and said, 'Well, I am sure I know who killed her," Heather Backstrom says. Mulryan and OKeefe are suspected of being involved in the homicide of 21-year-old Darian D. Sather of Sedro Woolley. Is anyone feeling that the mom has strong narcissistic vibes, I worked on both cases. Do you, This was definitely in IL because we are friends with, Hi. Please enter valid email address to continue. Case closed? On the Friday after the holiday, Ms Stavik left for a jog around . (The US average is 22.7) Acme property crime is 50.0. "No." Tim's mom Sandra Bass insisted that her son never tried to blame his father for Mandy's death: SANDY BASS: That is totally false. Kevin Bowhay: At this point, we decided, we need to get a surveillance team on him and follow him on his route. Crime in Acme, Washington Crime is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) Acme violent crime is 16.4. Her body was found three days. They call Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, a forensic expert, to the stand. Kevin Bowhay: And at that point, he goes, "Well, I don't wanna give my DNA. Gina Malone: I was scared. In total, some 30 local men gave DNA samples. Tom Bass recounted that when Tim was under investigation, he told Tom he had slept with Mandy Stavik decades ago and then asked Tom to tell police he had also slept with her. And he certainly didn't kill anyone. She has worked in Montana, Florida and Virginia. Her body was later discovered in a nearby river. Starck Follis: First of all, I don't have to prove it. But it's a big leap between thinking you have your man and convicting him in a court of law. It took three long months, and then, finally, she saw him throw away a plastic cup and later, a Coke can. The last person to see Mandy alive was a man in a pickup truck. TOM BASS [on witness stand]: He said that the cops are lying, everyone's out to get him. Authorities began searching. An autopsy revealed drowning as the cause of death; she had also received a blow to the head and had been sexually assaulted. Investigators believe the attacker had kicked the dog into a ditch before abducting Mandy, and then sexually assaulted her about 5 miles away from where she was jogging. At the high school, he started attending the girlss basketball games, and watching her play basketball. Back in Acme, Washington, we're in dim late-afternoon light beneath the maple trees on Jones Creek. It was June 2013. In July 1991, she was at home one night with her young son when she heard a knock on the door. Heather Backstrom and Merrilee Anderson had both gone to Mount Baker High. That it was Tim Bass. In 2010, he traveled all the way to Cambodia where Wisnewski now lives to question him. Mandy expressed her admiration for him in a card. ELIZABETH JOHNSON [on witness stand]: I would say most consistent is hours to days and probably within up to 48 hours. ' Wagner said. Peter Van Sant: How do you think she was abducted? Unfortunately, David was also a killer, and he shot his wife dead in their home in 1999. Kevin Bowhay: His name wasn't even on the radar. Det. His arraignment is scheduled for April 17. Det. With a population of 229 people and just one neighborhood, Acme is the 319th largest community in Washington. Det. Kevin Bowhay: So, he just looked up and was, like, "Mandy, Mandy, Mandy. Suddenly Backstrom blurted out that she knew who did it and Anderson said she did too. After 30 years of heartache, fear and frustration, the trial of Mandy's accused killer finally begins. Bass was sentenced to 27 years in prison. Anderson says she demanded that Tim leave, but he refused. Gerber said Mulryan and OKeefe hit Sather in the face and body, and OKeefe attempted to use a Taser on her, court records state. If it was her girl who had been viciously killed, she wondered, wouldn't she want someone to do whatever they could? The shop, a branch of a commercial outfit supplying baked goods to customers across the region, was on an empty two-lane road north of Bellingham, Washington. Bass had lived just a short distance down the road from Mandys house and along the route shed taken for her run. Capital Punishment Case Status Report published monthly by the Attorney General's . She returned to her hometown of Acme, Washington, for Thanksgiving break. Peter Van Sant: And based on the position that she was in the water, you knew you had to get her out to preserve it. It was 30 years ago this past Thanksgiving weekend that Mandy Stavik, an 18-year-old college student, disappeared after going out for a jog in Acme, Washington. Mandy had graduated from high school only that year and had just started her first year at Central Washington University when she returned home for Thanksgiving. Peter Van Sant: Blackberry bushes got thorns on 'em. Peter Van Sant: If Tim Bass sitting in his home was lookin' out the window, could he have seen Mandy running by? "I'm gonna find something. The most monthly precipitation in Acme occurs in November with 5.2 inches. The prosecution expert, the original medical examiner from 30 years ago, Dr. Gary Goldfogel, disagrees. READ NEXT: Murdered UNC Students Family Thinks Her Roommate Knows More Than She Is Telling, 30-Year-Old Rape/Murder Case Solved in Most Unusual Way, Please review our privacy policy here: https://heavy.com/privacy-policy/, Copyright 2023 Heavy, Inc. All rights reserved. Merrilee Anderson: I thought it was Tim Bass, because of the experiences that I had had with him in the past. The population is 220. By 2009, he was the lead investigator on this unsolved case. If one person doesn't agree, you've got a hung jury and they have to start all over again. I've watched those crime shows, I see how many people go to prison because they've given DNA.". Det. Kim Wagner [emotional]: That they knew, and so that's why I did it. I got a restraining order and left for two months. The community could feel safe and be whole again. Det. The male DNA was semen, suggesting a sexual attack. And I love that. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port, A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador, A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk, The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron, Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus, A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. He didnt leave any chance that somebody would find something.. Housing density: 6 houses/condos per square mile Median price asked for vacant for-sale houses and condos in 2019 in this county: $202,929. Peter Van Sant: You'd empty the garbage so it would be empty , Peter Van Sant: in case he dropped a cup or a bottle . This week on ID, the team at 20/20 examine this tragic case that devastated this rural, tight-knit community. And Wagner says she experienced Tim's low regard for women. And it may well not have been a sexual assault. Kevin Bowhay: Yeah, at that point, I thought, "This is why we do what we do.". And the things that . The next day, November 27, Ms Stavik was discovered floating in the Nooksack River, three and a half miles from her family home. By Denver Pratt. I think that he really thinks that women are inferior to him. Please share your experience here: Detective Bowhay called Kim Wagner with the news. The conversation shifted to the Stavik murder. Kevin Bowhay: They got a warrant and got his DNA and he was ruled out. I was like, Oh, my God. He remains in custody. Wendy Aughe was 29 when she went missing in 1987. It was a town where everyone knew each other and it had a safe and friendly feel about it. She had it all going for her; she had a bright future ahead of her.. The community was repeatedly asked for assistance solving this case, Elfo said last December, according to a video. He who could who could forget Mandy Stavik? (Washington, D.C.) - Today, U.S. All dead ends. And we went through everything. Gerber is incarcerated at the Whatcom County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail. Det. The 18-year-old was completely naked except for socks and sneakers. Det. In 2013, investigators went to Bass workplace, a bakery outlet store, in the hopes of obtaining a DNA sample from his delivery truck. It didnt take this long. Her first thought was about Mandy. Det. Twenty-four long years had passed without an arrest, and police finally had a prime suspect. Peter Van Sant: As you're about to take the stand, what's going through your mind? Then, convicted murderer Tim Bass, whose DNA had sealed his fate, spoke in court for the first time: TIM BASS: I would first like to say that I'm 100% innocent of this crime. JUDGE OLSON: If you would like the opportunity, now is the time. Anything that would have called attention to Tim Bass? is 6.0%). Backstrom also never discussed her concerns with anyone in the area. The sheriffs office is asking anyone who may have information on the whereabouts of Mulryan or OKeefe, or about what happened at the park between 6 p.m. Friday, April 3 and 8 a.m. Saturday to call 911 or the tip line at 360-778-6663. ", Det. Like, you have to be careful about what you say. And I was praying that that would not happen. At trial, Mandys mother Mary testified that after several hours, the family became concerned and called the sheriffs office. Bass was, by then, married and working as a driver at a bakery. Acme, WA - The Whatcom County Sheriff's Office is investigating a suspected homicide in the Acme area after a body was found at a park on Saturday, April 4th, 2020. What do you need, and Ill get it? she reportedly said. On the Friday after the holiday, Ms Stavik left for a jog around 2:30 p.m. wearing a light-coloured sweatshirt, green sweatpants and blue running shoes, according to the Herald. Acme Neighborhood Map. What do you say to someone like that? WEATHER & CLIMATE WSDOT traffic camera image. Bowhay says her assailant had to be in a vehicle. The total crime rate for Acme is moderate , and there are 0 registered sex offenders residing in the city. On November 24, 1989, Amanda "Mandy" Stavik was kidnapped, raped, and murdered as she went jogging near her home on Strand Road in Clipper, near Acme in Whatcom County, Washington State. All that promise came to an abrupt end in 1989, when the college freshman came home from Central Washington University for Thanksgiving. Also, he was charged with first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping too. Lastly, he refused to give the police a DNA sample to compare to the DNA found at the crime scene. The population was 246 at the 2010 census. Heather Backstrom: He would talk about my eyes and say that my eyes were beautiful. Brent Scott Gerber, 47, of Maple Falls was arrested Monday, April 6, by the sheriffs office on suspicion of first-degree murder. And Tom Bass describes another damning incident after Tim was arrested. Kevin Bowhay: They looked at it like, "No, it wouldn't be this family because They're well-liked in the community." Anderson contacted another Mount Baker High graduate Detective Ken Gates. Peter Van Sant: Do you sometimes think, "we're lucky to be alive?". Det. I thought that it was kind of obvious that they had used an intermediary to collect evidence against Bass in an area where they were previously prohibited from getting evidence themselves, which violated a fundamental privacy interest, Basss attorney told the Herald. DAVE MCEACHRAN | PROSECUTOR: This was not a situation where there was consensual sex. Thank you, you're the greatest. You're 15 years old. The DNA was at the heart of Tim Bass' trial. Peter Van Sant: And what? this is an investigation based on the faulty assumption that this is a sexual assault. Gerber agreed to give Mulryan a ride, knowing Mulryan intended to rob Sather of $250 after setting up a fake drug deal, according to court records. She says it was hardly a fairy-tale romance. Were still tracing down 7,859 leads, a Whatcom County sheriffs detective told the local press. Hours later, the dog returned home, but Ms Stavik did not. Mary Stavik: Definitely closure, I feel. 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