Local

Notable Pierce County cold cases and where the investigations stand

Stories by Tacoma News Tribune journalists, with AI summarization

This list of stories illustrates notable Pierce County cold cases and where they stand. Some have recently been solved and others are ongoing investigations.

Some cases move forward when new DNA technology helps identify victims like Laurie Kay Krage or connect suspects to crimes, as seen with Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez’s extradition and the closing of Jeffrey Klungness’s case. Police often rely on tips from the public, new forensic methods and revisiting old evidence to advance investigations.

A February 1980 police mug shot of murder suspect Ted Bundy.

NO. 1: MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES TO COLD-BLOODED KILLINGS. TACOMA’S 5 OLDEST UNSOLVED CASES

They include the disappearance of 8-year-old Ann Marie Burr and the case of a security guard beaten to death with his own gun. | Published February 5, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti

Jeffrey Klungness, 14, went missing in Bonney Lake on March 2, 1996 after his mother was killed. By Pierce County Sheriff's Office

NO. 2: BONNEY LAKE TEEN DISAPPEARED AFTER HIS MOTHER’S KILLING IN 1996. COLD CASE NOW SOLVED

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Office released new information Wednesday in the case of Jeffrey Klungness. | Published March 12, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti

Laurie Krage’s remains were found by mushroom pickers near Buckley in 1997, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office. 

NO. 3: BODY FOUND IN PIERCE COUNTY IN 1997 HAS BEEN IDED. HOMICIDE PROBE IS NOW UNDERWAY

The Sheriff’s Office is seeking information about the victim and her husband. | Published April 8, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti

Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, enters court for his arraignment for the 2002 murder and rape of 39-year-old Sharon Van Gilder on Friday, May 16, 2025, at Pierce County Superior Court in Tacoma, Wash. Urbano-Vazquez is charged with aggravated first-degree murder, two counts of first-degree rape and second-degree rape, and was recently extradited to the United States after being arrested in Mexico in 2023. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 4: MAN EXTRADITED FROM MEXICO FOR 2002 MURDER OF PIERCE COUNTY WOMAN, FBI SAYS

The FBI announced Friday that Miguel Angel Urbano-Vazquez, 48, had been booked into the Pierce County Jail. | Published May 16, 2025 | Read Full Story by Peter Talbot

Graig “Andy” Anderson, and his wife Anita, were found fatally shot in their home on May 17, 1995.

NO. 5: PUYALLUP COUPLE FOUND SHOT DEAD 30 YEARS AGO. WHO KILLED THE ANDERSONS?

Graig “Andy” Anderson and his wife Anita were found fatally shot in their home on May 17, 1995. | Published May 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti

Police tape hangs at the intersection of South Wright Avenue and South Gunnison Street on Monday, May 19, 2025, after detectives received a tip related to a cold case in Tacoma, Wash. By Liesbeth Powers

NO. 6: INVESTIGATION UNDERWAY IN TACOMA AFTER DETECTIVES RECEIVE TIP ABOUT COLD CASE

Police have been tight-lipped on what case the investigation is related to. | Published May 19, 2025 | Read Full Story by Puneet Bsanti

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.