Killers can rest easier as King Co. cold case unit closes

BY Brandi Kruse  on November 29, 2012 @ 5:07 am (Updated: 10:07 am - 11/29/12 )

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King County Major Crimes Sgt. Jesse Anderson scans through the file on an unsolved homicide case. At the end of the year, the county's cold case unit will shut down. (Photo: Brandi Kruse/KIRO Radio). | Zoom
"I just feel like I owe them everything," Gael Schneider said of the detectives who solved the murder of her daughter, Nicole Pietz.

On Jan. 28, 2006, Pietz was reported missing after she failed to show up for a dinner party. Nine days later, her naked body was discovered by a hiker in a wooded area near Burien. The 32-year-old had been beaten and strangled.

While King County's Major Crimes Unit focused their attention on her husband from the onset, there simply was not enough evidence to charge Martin "David" Pietz with her murder.

The case turned cold.

"We all knew who did it; who the murderer was," said Schneider, who spoke with KIRO Radio by phone Wednesday from her home in Arizona. "It was just getting the proof."

It would take more than six years and advances in forensic science to get the proof Nicole's family was waiting for.

On March 21 of this year, detectives arrested David Pietz for the murder of his wife.

"I was able to call Nicole's mother...and let her know that David has been arrested for the murder of her daughter," said Sgt. Jesse Anderson, who oversees the cold case squad. "It is hard to explain that feeling, but it was rewarding."

The Pietz murder was just one of 228 unsolved homicides the cold case unit set out to solve after their formation in 2009.

A grant from the federal government allowed Major Crimes to dedicate two detectives and a crime analyst to cold cases full time - with impressive results.

Over the past four years, the unit has solved eight homicides; including the 1978 murder of 80-year-old Arlene Roberts and the 2001 stabbing death of real estate agent Mike Emert. They also linked one cold case to the Green River Killer.

But Sgt. Anderson says there is much more work to be done and knows cases will continue to go cold when investigators hit dead ends.

Inside a small room at the King County Administration building in downtown Seattle, he scans shelves full of black binders that represent the 220 cases that remain. He grabs the file on an unsolved homicide from 1942 - the oldest in the bunch.

The case file contains little more than handwritten notes and newspaper clippings.

"A Death Shrouded in Mystery," one headline reads.

It will likely remain that way.

At the end of the year, the cold case unit will shut down. Their federal grant ran out in September, and the county has no money to keep it running, as Alexa Vaughn of The Seattle Times first reported.

The unit's two detectives, Scott Tompkins and Jim Allen, will go back to Major Crimes. Analyst Tom Jensen, a retired detective and 40-year veteran of the department, will lose his job.

In their final month, the team will work to organize files and digitize remaining evidence. They hope to solve at least one more case before they are forced to put the binders back on their shelves.

"You're going to probably be hearing some good stuff coming up in the next month here," Sgt. Anderson said. "We've got some cases that are pending that we're hoping will get closed by the end of the month here."

After Jan. 1, Sgt. Anderson said detectives will investigate cold cases only if given a new lead.

"We're not going to be able to proactively work these investigations unless we receive a tip," he said. "We're not going to completely ignore them, but they're not going to get the justice they deserve."

With the unit gone, murderers can rest a little easier.

"I'm sure that they will appreciate that, that we're not going to be looking for them," said Sgt. Anderson. "There's going to be killers that remained free for years and will continue to remain free."

And families who spent years waiting for answer will continue to wait.

When told the cold case unit ran out of funding, Gael Schneider was beside herself.

"I feel so badly for all those other people," she said. "They deserve, like everybody else, to have justice for their loved ones."

Brandi Kruse, KIRO Radio Reporter
Brandi Kruse is a reporter for KIRO Radio who is as spontaneous and adventurous in her free time as she is on the job. Brandi arrived at KIRO Radio in March 2011 and has already collected three regional Edward R. Murrow awards for her reporting.
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Comments (8)


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  • dori monson fan wrote...
    this is such bs
    November 29, 2012 9:47 am
    MURDERERS WILL ROAM FREE! unless of course you vote yourself a tax increase. good! let them roam free! maybe it will teach us a lesson to start prioritizing our spending. instead of blowing billion$ on light rail that no one uses and billion$ on a death tunnel under seattle and $84K a year on a freekin bike czar and pea patches in city parking lots save a little money for stuff we need, like detectives. pay for important stuff first then vote for taxes for the garbage we don't need.
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  • The Matador wrote...
    dori monson fan....
    November 29, 2012 10:50 am
    Best Post Ever !!!!!!
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • SoundDesigner wrote...
    This is what conservatives want, a complete sham for America
    November 29, 2012 10:06 am
    A few years back, a conservative friend explained the philosophy called "bleed the beast" whereby conservative politicians cut taxes, fees and funding until the government is forced to privatize or cut everything of value. We now have some of the lowest taxes on record. Potholes abound, and crimes cannot be investigated or solved unless you can hire your own private investigators. A few years ago year, my (middle income) parents had their house broken into, my grandmothers and my mothers jewelry, a computer and some other things were stolen, the entire loss was $25,000; the detectives had no leads, and said unless they stumbled across something- they wouldn't solve the crime. Insurance covered some of the loss, but not all of it ( this is a prime example of how privatization fails- we could have sued but for people like us attorneys fees were too much to front). If this is what conservatives want, then we are better off without them. The people have started voting them out of office, we can now return to taxes and fees much like we had in the mid 90's, where everybody- rich and poor alike- were able to live with some dignity, and the basics were able to be covered.
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  • BikerDude wrote...
    Yep
    November 29, 2012 10:38 am
    "dori monson fan" couldn't have said it better. WASTE money on crap we don't need then cut the services we DO need.
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  • Snout wrote...
    But...
    November 29, 2012 10:49 am
    they're magic beans.
    { "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
  • WAmovesRight wrote...
    It's time to stop taking sides with Republicans & Democrats...
    November 29, 2012 10:52 am
    ... and take our side. Look, both parties contribute to wasteful spending for special interest groups. Both parties are responsible for the fiscal dilemma we're in. We've got to understand that groups like this cold case team are more important than Arts funding.

    We have to prioritize our spending on the things that REALLY matter to the public at large and not to a small minority of people. Then, if theres $$$ left over we can look at the discretionary stuff. Likewise, if there is not enough money, then we can talk about tax increases. It's not a republican or democrat thing.. it's an American thing.

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  • Pat McGrone wrote...
    You realize this was a Federal Stimulus Program
    November 29, 2012 11:24 am
    "A grant from the federal government allowed Major Crimes to dedicate two detectives and a crime analyst to cold cases full time - with impressive results."

    Maybe you should encourage you Senators to vote for some more Stimulus.

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  • Snout wrote...
    Why did we need that federal money?
    November 29, 2012 11:31 am
    We aren't freakin' Guatemala over here. This is a wealthy county in a wealthy state and we should be able to pay for this sort of thing ourselves with taxes and fees already collected from the people. Why should some schmuck on New York pay for us? Again, it's the magic beans. Our local, county and state governments keep wasting money on nonsense and then claim poverty. If I give you some money to buy milk and bread don't blow it on a pack of smokes and candy. And then don't ask me for more money for the milk and bread later and claim that you are starving. Starve and maybe you'll learn.
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