40-Year Mystery Solved: DNA Identifies 1986 Wenatchee Victim's Killer

A Case Reopened After Four Decades

The Wenatchee Police Department closed a 40-year homicide investigation on May 17, 2026-exactly 40 years after the victim’s body was discovered. According to KIRO 7, Carol Traicoff, then 35, was found dead behind the Stanley Center in downtown Wenatchee on May 14, 1986. WPD determined her death was a homicide, but despite extensive investigative efforts spanning two years, no suspect was positively identified at the time.

The case languished unsolved for decades. Multiple detectives and officers revisited the investigation over the years, but little new information emerged and no arrests were made. The forensic testing available in the 1980s could not produce leads sufficient to identify a suspect. Evidence collected at the scene was preserved, and the file remained open under periodic review.

In January 2023, a now-retired Detective Sergeant R. Weatherman began reviewing the case and identified new investigative opportunities in collaboration with Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Forensic Scientist B. Wright. The original evidence could now be examined using modern forensic methods.

Modern Technology Yields a Breakthrough

According to KIRO 7, the evidence collected in 1986 was reexamined using contemporary DNA analysis. Modern testing identified DNA from an unknown male suspect-the first significant lead in 37 years.

Weatherman worked with the Washington State Attorney General’s Office to secure funding for forensic genetic genealogy testing. In July 2024, the DNA was submitted for further examination. Genealogy results returned in December 2024 identified possible family lineage within the continental United States and Canada. The geographical distribution and familial connections provided investigators with a new direction.

Through genealogical analysis, investigators identified Henry B. Leland of British Columbia as the individual whose DNA matched evidence recovered from the crime scene. According to reporting, Leland lived a transient lifestyle in Wenatchee during the 1980s. The Stanley Center, where Traicoff was found, was known at the time as a gathering place for Wenatchee’s transient community. Investigators determined there is no evidence to suggest any other suspects, and they believe Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time of the killing.

A Suspect Who Died Decades Ago

The breakthrough came with significant complications: Henry B. Leland died in Kamloops, British Columbia, in 2007. Because the identified suspect died 19 years before closure was achieved, no criminal charges will be filed and no prosecution will take place.

Wenatchee Police Department expressed gratitude to all prior investigators for their work and diligence throughout the four-decade investigation. According to KIRO 7, WPD credited the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Washington Attorney General’s Office, and all other assisting agencies with resolving the case.

Family Closure After 40 Years

The closure brought answers to Traicoff’s family, who remained determined throughout four decades not to let the case fade away. According to WPD’s statement, Traicoff would have been 75 years old on the day the case was officially closed-the 40-year anniversary of her discovery.

Investigators believe Traicoff’s death resulted from blunt force trauma. Authorities characterized the killing as sexually motivated, though this determination has not been elaborated upon in available reporting. The identification of Leland as the suspect and the confirmation of his death marked the end of a cycle of uncertainty that had defined Traicoff’s family’s relationship to the case for 40 years.

References: KIRO 7: 40-Year Cold Case Solved DNA Links Canadian Man 1986 Wenatchee Homicide