Help Me Hayley: Cold Case Files

In August 2008, two Grant County men were killed just hours apart after unknowingly plugging in devices that had been rigged to explode. William "Bill" Walker, a retired electrician, found a battery charger outside his shop and brought it inside. When he plugged it in, the device exploded. Less than 10 hours later, Javier "Harvey" Adame was killed when an explosive device hidden inside a police sc...

The July 1990 murder of 18-year-old Toni Tedder remains one of the most haunting unsolved cold cases in Clarkston, Washington and one of the Pacific Northwest’s enduring murder mysteries. Toni had just graduated from Clarkston High School and was sleeping on her family’s living room couch when she was stabbed to death while family members slept nearby. Investigators say a wood-handled fishing fill...

The 1982 murder of 15-year-old Linda Strait was a cold case for more than 20 years. Advancements in DNA technology finally led Spokane Police to the teen's killer - Arbie Williams. Williams was already serving time for a separate case when detectives finally linked him to Linda's murder. That case involved the kidnapping of two eight-year-old little girls outside of their Spokane Valley elementary...

Chris Jennings was your typical teen in the 80's. He was a busy student at Lakeland High School in Rathdrum. His family was very active in 4-H activities. That’s what they were busy doing on that September weekend when Chris seemingly vanished. Now, more than 45 years later, what happened to him remains a bizarre and troubling mystery. But with fresh eyes now on the case and a determined family me...

Danielle Shinaver was brutally beaten and killed in her lower South Hill apartment in Spokane, Washington in March of 1996. The case has remained unsolved for decades. Now, both police and family are sharing new information with Hayley Guenthner. Could Danielle Shinaver’s own instincts to defend herself finally identify her murderer? Subscribe to our YouTube channel (@NonStopLocalNews) for more in...

*REUPLOAD* On January 3, 1997 a woman named Margaret Anselmo was found brutally murdered. She had been raped and her skull was crushed in. The crime happened as the entire town and law enforcement was consumed by the Spokane serial killer case. It was clear Margaret was not one of this serial killer's many victims. Now, after nearly 29 years, the family of homicide victim Margaret Anselmo finally...

It was November of 1981 when 24-year-old Kathryn 'Kathy' Rahe Gregory vanished in Spokane, WA. She was a beloved nurse who specialized in working with critically ill babies. She was married, and the couple lived on the lower south hill. Loved ones knew something was terribly wrong when Kathy missed a shift at the hospital. Kathy's body has never been found, but it's long been suspected she was the...

In July of 1973, 25-year-old Archie Gonia was found beaten and strangled to death in the downtown Spokane hotel where he was working. The brutality of the crime has been described as 'overkill' by investigators. Archie's family says he was a very kind and gentle soul, and at times overly trusting of people. They are hopeful after all these years, tips will come in and they will get the answers the...

On October 4,1978 the body of 16-year-old Krisann Baxter was found in North Spokane. She had been beaten, strangled and sexually assaulted. For decades, the Spokane County Sheriff's Office tried to catch a killer. There was no shortage of suspects, even confessions that were later ruled to be bogus. Nearly 45 years after the brutal crime, it was genetic genealogy and the company Othram who identif...

No one has seen or heard from Melinda Lopez since November of 2020. Loved ones fear she was the victim of a homicide. The Pend Oreille County Sheriff's Office urges anyone with information to come forward. To reach those potential witnesses, Melinda's family created a video flyer of Melinda herself. With a beloved photo and previous videos of her, it's a chilling plea for justice. If you know anyt...

In June of 1984, two fishermen discovered the torso of a nude woman in the Spokane River. In 1998, the skull of that female victim was found in a vacant lot near 7th and Sherman. Her feet and hands have never been found. For 39 years, the victim remained nameless. Thanks to a tenacious detective and forensic genetic genealogy, in 2023 the victim was identified as Ruth Belle Waymire. But whoever ki...

In July of 2004, the decomposing remains of Catherine Avis were found in a rural field outside of Valleyford. She had to be identified using a fingerprint and tattoo she had in honor of two of her children. The medical examiner could only determine she had died from homicidal violence. Catherine's purse was found and turned over to deputies weeks before her remains were discovered. Now, the bag st...

In August of 1976, a 24-year-old Lewiston mother vanished. For years, Patty Otto's daughters were told she left voluntarily, despite her youngest recalling vivid memories of a violent fight that night between her parents. Patty's husband was arrested shortly after she disappeared, accused of trying to coordinate the murder of an LPD investigator looking into the case. He was never charged with har...

It was Fall of 2003. A suspect broke into a woman's home near the Washington State University campus armed with a knife and firearm. He went on to assault and rape her. Several weeks later, Pullman Police responded again to an eerily similar attack in another residence less than a half-mile away. Investigators had a terrified community, and nothing more than a sketch to try to find the rapist. It...

In 1987, 16-year-old Deanna Criswell boarded a bus in Spokane headed for Arizona and was never seen by loved ones again. Her accused killer was identified through DNA long before she was. She was marked 'Jane Doe 19', and that label would remain until 2015 when her family saw a post on the Jane Doe Network. What happened to Deanna is all too common in the United States with a minimum of 40,000 uni...

Candy Rogers was just nine-years-old when she was abducted, sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The crime occurred in March of 1959 and changed the Spokane community forever. The case would go unsolved for decades until a determined detective connected with a Texas DNA laboratory. After 62 years, SPD was finally able to tell Candy's surviving relatives that they had identified her killer.

It's been one year since a Stevens County man vanished. Guy Geyer, 61, was renovating a home near Chewelah. His daughter says after the disappearance, they found his worksite at the residence oddly tidy with his expensive tools left behind. As the days since he vanished continue to stack up, his family fears investigators should not only be looking for Guy's remains, but also a potential killer. I...

Angel Dawn Wilson (Rice) was just 17-years-old when she vanished in Spokane, Washington. Her father recently passed away. He spent the last 14 years of his life consumed with the heartbreaking search for his daughter. Angel's best friend and brother continue to push for answers. If you know anything about what happened to Angel, please reach out to the Spokane County Sheriff's Office.

The FBI and local law enforcement held a recent press conference on the 40-year anniversary of the abduction and murder of University of Idaho student Kristin David. The 22-year-old was found dismembered in the Snake River. Her case is one of several that occurred in roughly the same area, around the same time, that remain unsolved. Has one person gotten away with multiple murders, or could the LC...

In June of 1981, 22-year-old Kristin David left Moscow, Idaho on her blue 10-speed. She was headed for the LC Valley. Witnesses reported seeing her speaking with a man in a brown van near Genesee. Days later, her dismembered remains were found in garbage bags in the Snake River. Her cause of death is a secret only kept by law enforcement and her murderer. An upcoming episode will dig deeper into t...

It took a Spokane County jury less than two days of deliberations to convict Clay Starbuck of murdering his ex-wife Chanin in December of 2011. Prosecutors pointed to a shaky alibi, a switched-off cell phone, and a neck swab that was a partial match to male Starbuck DNA. Nearly a decade later, the Washington Innocence Project is involved and pushing to get never before tested evidence in the syste...

In April of 1996, 17-year-old Jeremiah Taraba was found hanging from a tree on Tubbs Hill. It was quickly labeled a suicide. More than four years after the death, his body was exhumed for autopsy. Still, his family and the many others who have looked into this case have far more questions than answers. Was this a tragic suicide, or a calculated cover-up?

In 2020, 24-year-old Makayla Young was stabbed dozens of times and nearly decapitated by a man she was dating. Anthony Fuerte entered a plea of guilty to the murder in April and will be sentenced May 24th. The family is asking anyone touched by this story to send statements for the judge to review prior to sentencing.

Sarah Q. Gardner was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and community leader. That's what made her brutal murder so shocking. She was found stabbed nearly 50 times inside her Spokane beauty salon. No one has ever been arrested in connection to the homicide.

Ian Eckles went to Kittitas County to go turkey hunting with friends in May of 2020. Ian never showed up to meet them. While looking for clues, friends saw a man driving Ian's vehicle. A three-week search for that armed suspect, since identified as Jorge Alcantara Gonzalez, followed in what has been called the biggest manhunt in county history. Even though he was eventually found and charged with...