Man charged in 31-year-old cold case murder of middle school student
Nov 6, 2025, 5:58 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
King County prosecutors charged 57-year-old Marc Anthony Russ Thursday with first-degree murder with sexual motivation. He is the man believed responsible for the 1994 murder of 14-year-old Tanya Frazier on Capitol Hill.
“It was a relief. It was like a weight was taken off my shoulders to put a face with the person that did it,” Tanya’s mom, Theresa Frazier, said.
Prosecutors said Russ has a long criminal history and is an unregistered sex offender.
Tanya Frazier was last seen walking from Meany Middle School, and Russ’s mother lived right across the street. Her body was found five days later on Capitol Hill. Her belongings were found in West Seattle, near where Russ once lived.
“There wasn’t a year that went by from 1994 until today, where it hasn’t been looked at by Seattle police investigators by Seattle police investigators — several generations of Seattle police investigators, many good detectives look at it, and now we have this first degree murder charge,” Casey McNerthney, spokesperson for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, said. ” It’s just so heartbreaking to know that this happened and that her family anguished so long not knowing who did it.”
Ultimately, prosecutors said hard work, perseverance, and advances in DNA technology at the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab led to the arrest.
Russ is being held without bail at the King County Jail.
“His history of violent behavior. His history of not following court orders is what made the prosecutor’s office go to court and say we think he should be held without bail,” McNerthney said.
If convicted, Russ faces what amounts to a life sentence in prison. He’s due back in court on November 12.
Background of Tanya Frazier’s case
The case shocked Seattle’s Mount Baker neighborhood on July 18, 1994, when Tanya Frazier disappeared after leaving summer school classes at Meany Middle School.
“It was July 18. She was supposed to come home from her job that she had. Well, she didn’t show up. I looked for her, nobody seemed to know where she was at and that was not like her. So when I called the police and reported her missing, they kept saying that she was a runaway, and that somebody knows, probably doesn’t want to tell you. So they didn’t take it seriously until after they found the body, and then they took it, I feel, more seriously,” Theresa Frazier told “The Gee and Ursula Show” on KIRO Newsradio Thursday.
Russ was arrested Tuesday after being linked to the crime with DNA.
Theresa Frazier spoke exclusively to KIRO Newsradio earlier this week.
“We finally have answers, but then also I wanted to cry too, because it’s not going to bring her back,” Theresa Frazier said. “Before Tanya, when I heard about other people losing a child and stuff, I always thought it was sad and wondered what it would be like to lose a child, but I could never imagine the pain it actually was.”
Seattle Police Chief Shon Barnes emphasized that her life mattered.
“She was a daughter, a sister, and a friend,” he said. “She had just finished middle school, worked, and did volunteer service. Her life mattered. Let me say that again, her life mattered.”
RELATED STORIES
Cold case murder suspect chooses not to appear in court
Russ was supposed to be in court Wednesday afternoon, but chose not to appear. The judge found probable cause for the charge of first-degree murder and ordered him held without bail.
After three decades of not knowing who killed her daughter, Theresa Frazier now has closure. It doesn’t make her feel any better, but she’s thankful to the investigators who refused to give up.
“I appreciate the detectives that kept on it, kept looking, kept investigating. It’s like something was taken from your heart, and you never get that back,” she said.
Barnes said the department works diligently on every case.
“Cold case is an outdated term. Maybe it plays for the television cameras, or for Hollywood, but for us, no case ever grows cold,” he shared.
This story was originally published on November 5, 2025. It has been updated and republished since then.
Follow James Lynch on X. Read more of his stories here. Submit news tips here.
