Robert Rathvon, just Rob to friends and family, lived a life of public service. He was a giver who asked nothing in return — a pilot who spent eight years in Indonesia using his flying skills to connect remote villages. At the time of his death, he was an air ambulance pilot in Port Angeles.
It was the night of December 8, 2023. Rathvon was driving from Port Angeles to his parents’ home on Camano Island.
Tired, he stopped and got a room in Poulsbo and had dinner at the Slippery Pig restaurant.
“After having dinner, he was walking back from the restaurant to his hotel. He was struck by a vehicle. Nobody stopped for him. It was nighttime of December 8, and he wasn’t found until about 8 a.m. of the morning of December 9,” Crimestoppers of Puget Sound Executive Director Jim Fuda said.
Rob’s mom, Kathryn Rathvon, provided more details.
“It was around midnight. It was very dark, very foggy, very rainy and snowy, and the fog really must have added some element of confusion in terms of where he was,” she said.
The pain she feels over the loss of her son is still very close to the surface, even two and a half years later.
“It is really hard not knowing what happened to our dear son. He was such a beautiful light in this life. He brought joy and smiles everywhere he went. He listened intently to people and really shared … shared a beauty and a light,” Kathryn Rathvon said.
Rob’s body was found along the State Route 3 off-ramp to Northwest Finn Hill Road.
“The Medical Examiner said that he likely died within seconds and, as a parent, at least we know he wasn’t suffering on the side of the road, but it breaks our hearts that someone would hit him and run off, not even stop to see how he was,” Rathvon said.
Port Angeles family raises reward to $50,000 as cold case tips stall
Crimestoppers stepped in and offered a $1,000 reward for information that leads to an arrest.
“We’ve got several tips that have come in, and the State Patrol has been investigating, but they haven’t been able to put anything concrete together with what tips have come in,” Fuda said.
In the meantime, the Rathvons, with their own money, raised the reward to $50,000, one of the largest ever offered.
“We have increased the reward to $50,000, and that ought to be, apart from the good nature of people, $50,000 ought to be a good incentive to come forward,” Kathryn Rathvon said.
Fuda echoed the family’s plea, urging anyone with information to come forward.
“Somebody knows who did this. Poulsbo is a small community, and people know people, and everybody knows everybody, kind of thing. But you can remain anonymous. Give us that information, and if your information leads to that arrest and charges, we will hand you $50,000 for your tip. We will hand that to you anonymously,” Fuda said.
In cases like this, there is always talk about the need for closure. Kathryn Rathvon doesn’t really believe in closure because she says the pain never really goes away, but she does believe in forgiveness.
“We try to take comfort in our faith, and without even knowing what happened or who hit Rob, we know Rob would want us to forgive the person, and we do,” she said.
Hopefully, this story will jog someone’s memory, and Rob’s family can have answers.
If you can help, call Crimestoppers at 800-222-TIPS.
Follow James Lynch on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here. This story was originally posted to MyNorthwest.com
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