KENMORE, Wash. — The remains of a Washington state woman who was missing for years was found near Snohomish in May this year, King County Sheriff officials said Thursday.
The remains have been identified as Jamie Haggard.
Haggard was reported missing in June, 2016.
Officials said the remains were found near Downes Road and Fales Road on May 9. Deputies said a crew cleaning up roadside litter found the remains near a suitcase and blanket.
KIRO7’s Deedee Sun learned from the King County Sheriff’s Office on Friday that a crew picking up trash along SR522 found Haggard’s body inside a suitcase, but almost missed the crucial discovery.
“A road crew found it, it was on the side of a road. And they put the suitcase up to get it picked up by a dump truck. Just prior to the dump truck picking it up, they opened it and that’s when they found remains inside,” said Sgt. Ryan Abbot, with the King County Sheriff’s Office.
Her cause of death was homicidal violence.
Search crews combed the area near where her body was found looking for more evidence that could lead to Haggard’s killer.
This is a horrible case, very tragic. She had two daughters, a family that cares a lot about her. So this is heartbreaking. To get a little bit of closure, to find at least her remains – but we still have a lot of work to do because we still have to find out who is responsible for this,” Abbott said.
Timeline of events:
- June 2016: Jamie Haggard, 27, is reported missing
- July 2016: Investigators search backyard of her Kenmore home
- May 2017: Tips lead investigators to again excavate backyard of Kenmore home, but find nothing
- May 2018: Road crews find body near SR522 in Maltby
- July 2018: Body identified through DNA as Jamie Haggard and death is ruled a homicide
If you have information on Haggard's death, you're asked to call police at (206) 296-3311.
Earlier coverage from May, 2017 on the disappearance of Jamie Haggard:
For a second time, detectives searched a Kenmore yard for the remains of a woman who has been missing since last June.
Jamie Haggard, 27, was last seen on June 8, 2016. She was reported missing on June 17.
King County deputies said there had been no activity with her bank accounts, credit cards or cellphone. She is presumed to be dead.
“Jamie would call her mom every other day. That’s kind of what she did," Det. Jessica Santo with the King County Sheriff's Office said. "She had two small children so for her to just disappear is highly suspicious. For her to not have any activity on her cell phone, her credit cards, bank accounts -- that is out of what she would normally do.”
Last July, a crew dug up part of the backyard of the Kenmore home where Haggard had been living with her boyfriend and her brother for about three months, but no remains were found.
On Thursday, after detectives said they had new information, a backhoe was used to excavate part of that same yard at the home in the 8200 block of Northeast 145th Street. The home is currently vacant.
No remains were found.
Lee Haggard, Jamie's father, told KIRO 7 he won't give up trying to find his daughter.
He said he met with investigators a few weeks ago and was told they believed Jamie was dead. Detectives got DNA swabs from her parents that would help them identify her remains.
"I think about her all the time. I worry about her, I've always worried about her," he said. "To have a child missing, there's no closure. It's an open wound and always will be."
He pleaded for the public to come forward and help investigators.
"It's been a year -- somebody has got to know something," Haggard said.
Anyone with information can call 206-296-3311. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward and anonymous tips can be called in at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Investigators are not revealing what led them back to the house.