Mountlake Terrace police: Cheryl DeBoer’s disappearance ‘is suspicious’

Mountlake Terrace police have said the incident involving Cheryl DeBoer, who went missing for a week, “is suspicious.”

Mountlake Terrace police say body matching description of Cheryl DeBoer found yesterday. “It is suspicious.” pic.twitter.com/xR73sg5BaH

— Nick McGurk (@NickKIRO7) February 15, 2016

The body of 54-year-old Cheryl DeBoer was found in Mountlake Terrace, Wash. on Sunday, after the woman was reported missing for a week. Local police have not officially confirmed the body that was found in the area DeBoer went missing is her’s, but DeBoer’s employer, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, released a statement confirming her identity, KIRO 7 reports.

A search party &#8212 looking for DeBoer &#8212 found a woman’s body located in a culvert at Cedar Way and 244th Street SW on Feb. 14.

Han Nachtrieb, HR with Fred Hutchinson, released the following statement on Sunday night:

It is with deep regret and sorrow that we’ve recently had confirmation that Cheryl DeBoer, missing since February 8, has been found. Her remains were located this afternoon near the King/Snohomish border. While more details will be forthcoming from the police, we have let our Fred Hutch teammates know of this news. Cheryl has been in the hearts and minds of her many friends and coworkers, and we are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Our condolences go out to her family, her many friends, and all those who are grieving.

Woman missing out of Mountlake Terrace

Mountlake Terrace police said there has been no activity on DeBoer’s cellphone since Monday at 7 a.m.

DeBoer’s family was handing out flyers and searching the woods for the missing 54-year-old Friday in an all-day effort to find her.

At a news conference Friday, Mountlake Terrace police Commander Kevin Pickard said they did not know where DeBoer’s phone was and that there was no persons of interest in the case.

There has not been any activity on DeBoer’s credit cards, either, police said.

DeBoer was last heard from while on her way to work at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Monday.

She was supposed to meet a friend at the Mountlake Terrace Park and Ride lot and carpool to work. Instead, her friend received a text message saying she would catch a bus instead.

Police call the circumstances of her disappearance suspicious and are trying to pinpoint her cellphone location when she last texted the friend. Though they don’t have the phone, they are analyzing its records.

Police found her car near the transit center in the 23400 block of 58th Avenue Southwest. It is common for commuters to park near the Mountlake Terrace Library when the park and ride lot is full.

During Friday’s news conference, when asked if anything of interest was found in DeBoer’s car, Pickard said he could not comment because of the ongoing investigation.