Tacoma blotter: Human finger found; suspect steals car with passengers inside

The Tacoma Police Department (TPD) released information about two separate incidents that occurred during the week of the Fourth of July holiday. In the first, an unidentified person’s finger was found in a local driveway. In the other, a suspected thief stole a car with two passengers in the back seat and was arrested two days after the incident.

Human finger found in Tacoma driveway; person it belongs to not yet IDed

At around 12:40 p.m. Friday, TPD officers responded to a report of a finger found in a driveway in the 800 block of South Pine Street, according to a statement TPD Public Information Officer Detective William Muse sent to MyNorthwest Friday evening. Muse added there was no blood around the finger and it appeared to have been, possibly, left on the property by an animal, perhaps a bird.

The department’s officers attempted to identify the finger using a portable fingerprint scanner. However, no identification was able to be made at that time.

Calls were made to local hospitals and no one was treated over the Fourth of July holiday for any sort of dismembering injury, Muse’s statement added.

The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office has since taken custody of the finger.

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Car stolen with 2 passengers inside

In a separate incident, TPD officers responded to the 800 block of East 72nd on a report of a kidnapping and the theft of a vehicle Wednesday, according to a post on the department Facebook page.

Two passengers, one is 73 years old and the other is 69, were in the back seat of car when it was stolen. The victims don’t speak English and didn’t have any way to call for help.

The couple was missing for about 90 minutes when it was discovered that their kidnapper forced them out of the car at some point after the abduction.

Thanks to the help of members of the community and a local church, the victims were reunited with their family, the TPD statement on Facebook reads.

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Then on Friday, members of the TPD received a tip about the suspect and were able to take him into custody without incident.

The 25-year-old man was booked into the Pierce County Jail and has been charged with kidnapping in the second degree and theft of a motor vehicle, TPD reported. The vehicle used in the kidnapping has also since been recovered.

Steve Coogan is the lead editor of MyNorthwest. You can read more of his stories here. Follow Steve on X, or email him here.