Wednesday, July 4: • Terapon Adhahn, 42, has dinner with friends in Parkland. They later tell police he left about 9 p.m.
• About 9:45 p.m., Zina Linnik, 12, is in the alley behind her house on South J Street in Tacoma, watching fireworks. Her friends walk off to check something, leaving the girl behind. The family hears a scream. Zina’s father runs out into the alley and sees a gray van speed off. He finds a flip-flop sandal on the pavement, the same type his daughter was wearing.
Thursday, July 5: After ruling out an early suspect in the case, Tacoma police issue an Amber Alert about 10:30 a.m. and canvass the Hilltop neighborhood with bloodhounds and German shepherds. FBI agents join the search.
Friday, July 6: A police detective conducts a computer search, seeking police reports linked to vans fitting the description given by Zina’s father. The detective finds a prowling-vehicle report from May 1 that leads to Adhahn’s Parkland house.
• At a community meeting, neighbors express anger over the Amber Alert delay.
Saturday, July 7: Police continue going door-to-door, questioning neighbors on the Hilltop. FBI agents flag down cars near Zina’s home, pumping drivers for information. Neighbors join the search and distribute fliers.
Sunday, July 8: Police and the FBI descend on Adhahn’s Parkland residence, searching into Monday. They discover girls undergarments and a gray van with switched license plates. The old plates match the description given by Zina’s father. Adhahn admits to making a switch.
Monday, July 9: Adhahn is taken into custody on unrelated immigration charges. Police tow the van away.
Tuesday, July 10: The Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office charges Adhahn with failing to register as a sex offender, noting a 1990 conviction for first-degree incest in Pierce County.
• A tip leads police and volunteers to search Tiger Mountain in Issaquah.
Wednesday, July 11: Teams end the Tiger Mountain search and say they’ve found nothing.
Thursday, July 12: Adhahn quits talking to police and requests a lawyer. Through his public defender, he tells police to search near Eatonville. Police find Zina’s body near Silver Lake, on the road to Mount Rainier. Her family is notified.
Friday, July 13: Police announce they are investigating Adhahn in connection with additional child killings and disappearances.
M. Alexander Otto, The News Tribune
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