Pierce County detectives hunt for deported cold case killer
Jun 21, 2012, 5:13 AM | Updated: 6:17 am
Pierce County detectives vow to bring an accused cold case
killer to justice, even though they have to find him first
because he’s been deported.
Using DNA evidence, Miguel Angel Urbano-Vasquez has been
charged with aggravated murder in the death of Sharon Van
Gilder in 2002. He’s also been linked to two other rapes
in Pierce County that occurred in the same year.
While he was recently deported to Mexico, Pierce County
Detective Ed Troyer says officials are confident he’ll be
back.
“This isn’t the first time he’s been deported. He’s come
and gone throughout the years and we expect him to be back
sometime, and we’re doing some other things to go get
him,” Troyer said.
Detectives interviewed Urbano-Vasquez about the rapes back
in 2003, but DNA evidence taken at the time wasn’t
analyzed.
Troyer said capturing Urbano-Vasquez is a priority because
he has likely committed similar crimes elsewhere in the
country.
“We have three right here in Tacoma-Pierce County and this
is a guy who lives transient,” Troyer said.
