DNA evidence helps solve 44-year-old murder of Boeing worker from Kent

A man living in Arkansas has been arrested and charged with raping and murdering a Kent woman in 1980 after DNA evidence linked him to the crime 44 years later.

Kenneth Duane Kundert, 65, is being held on a $3 million bail as he awaits extradition back to Washington. He was charged with murder in the first degree after Kent Police Department detectives, alongside officials with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office, arrested him in his home in Clinton, Arkansas.

Dorothy Silzel, 30, was last seen on Feb. 23, 1980 after she left her second job, working at a restaurant called Gaetano’s Pizza, just after 10 p.m. Her primary job was as an instructor with Boeing, according to KING 5. She also volunteered with the Special Olympics.

More local murder cases: Why the alleged killer of 80-year-old dogwalker was free despite 8 felony convictions

When she failed to make it to work at Boeing for two days without notice, Kent Police Department officers went to her home, located just three blocks from Gaetano’s Pizza, to investigate. When they entered, they found her body on the second floor with bruises on her arms and neck. Police determined she died from strangulation. The Washington State Patrol Crime Lab later discovered traces of semen during an autopsy.

The case reaches Detective Tim Ford’s desk

The case was passed around to numerous detectives, according to FOX 13. But it took for Detective Tim Ford to take over for any significant progress to be made. He was first assigned the case 11 years ago.

“Tim (Ford) has elevated the Kent Police Department very high,” Silzel’s sister-in-law, Carol Yantzer, told FOX 13. “This is our private celebration of joy and gratefulness, but it gives hope to so many other families who are out there.”

As FOX 13 explained, the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab attempted to use developing DNA data within the last 10 years, but it took until 2022 for the lab to produce a list of potential suspects based on the DNA discovered at the scene. Eighteen months later, in September 2023, detectives narrowed the suspect list down to Kenneth Kundert and his brother. Kenneth’s brother was ruled out after he provided a DNA sample.

More local crime: Weekend shooting in Lakewood injures 4, 1 person in critical condition

Meanwhile, Kenneth Kundert refused to submit to a DNA test.

Investigators also noticed he would put the butt of a cigarette in his pocket after he was finished smoking, instead of throwing it away, during police interviews.

After initiating a tail in Arkansas, investigators were able to recover one of his cigarettes, finding his DNA matched with what was discovered at Silzel’s home.

The Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office reported in a news release posted to their Facebook page that on Aug. 20, deputies and investigators with the Van Buren County Sheriff’s Office and 20th Drug Task Force assisted Kent Police Department detectives with the apprehension and arrest of Kenneth Kundert. 

Kundert’s criminal history includes misdemeanor convictions in King County in the 1980s and 1990s and a conviction for DUI in Oregon in 1992. Kundert’s arraignment for first-degree murder is scheduled for Aug. 29. His bail was set at $3 million cash or surety bond. He is currently being held in the Van Buren County Jail.

Frank Sumrall is a content editor at MyNorthwest. You can read his stories here and you can email him here.