Citizen journalist Photog Steve recalls hunting down his latest stories

Steve Hickey, known as @PhotogSteve81 on multiple social media platforms, joined “Seattle’s Morning News” on KIRO Newsradio with Friday host Charlie Harger to discuss three compelling stories he’s been following this week. They covered the arrest and escape of an accused child predator, the latest developments on the woman whose body was found in a suitcase at a Seattle homeless camp and how gangs are taking advantage of juvenile laws to commit violent crimes.

Accused child predator flees the country

When asked about the international manhunt for an accused child predator, Steve delved into the troubling case of a local licensed therapist who worked closely with children.

“It turns out that the Internet Crimes Against Children task force identified this individual,” Steve explained.

Police allege “He specialized in childhood development and behavioral issues, but they discovered he had large amounts of child sexual abuse material on his computer.”

Steve noted that the therapist, known locally as “Bruce” Ling, was arrested but later released on bail.

“He was supposed to surrender his passport, but apparently, he had a second one,” he said. “He has ties to China and booked a flight back home, which triggered alerts with Homeland Security.”

Steve recounted the dramatic sequence of events that allowed Ling to flee the country, highlighting critical missteps along the way.

“After his arrest, he was supposed to surrender his passport, but apparently, he had a second one,” Steve explained. “He booked a flight back to China, which triggered alerts with Homeland Security. Detective Stevens from the King County Sheriff’s Department was notified and instructed authorities, ‘Do not let this man leave. Do not let him board a flight.’ She even notified the Port of Seattle Police, expecting they’d be the next to interact with him.”

Despite these precautions, Ling managed to board the plane.

“When he got to Sea-Tac Airport, he was flagged and pulled aside,” Steve said. “But the officer handling it said, ‘There isn’t a warrant in the system. I don’t believe we have what’s needed to hold him.’ Due to this misinterpretation, he was released and got on the plane, leaving the country. Now, it’s uncertain if he’ll ever return to face charges.”

Steve also touched on a particularly unsettling aspect of this type of case.

“Investigators are really worried when someone involved in child exploitation also works in child services,” he said. “It can be a dangerous mix. These individuals might misuse their positions to record conversations with kids who’ve gone through traumatic experiences. Then, disturbingly, they replay those recordings for their own gratification, sometimes even adding them to the pool of illegal material out there.”

He emphasized the severity of such actions.

“It’s not just about possessing illicit content anymore,” Steve pointed out. “They’re creating new harm by exploiting vulnerable children they’re supposed to be helping. It’s a deeply troubling cycle that’s incredibly hard to break.”

Woman found in suitcase at Seattle homeless camp

Charlie then turned the conversation to the unsettling discovery of a woman’s body in a suitcase at a local homeless camp

“Yes, this story didn’t get much attention initially,” Steve said. “A body was found in an area we know locally as ‘The Jungle,’ near the I-5 and I-90 interchange.”

Steve revealed that the victim was identified as 37-year-old Shannon Reeder.

“Her story is really tragic,” he shared. “Her mother was also a homicide victim back in the early 2000s. It seems life had been very hard for her.”

He described the circumstances of the discovery.

“They found her inside a suitcase, wrapped in purple trash bags the city distributes,” Steve explained. “It’s not clear if she was dismembered, but she was neatly placed in the suitcase and left under an elevated structure where some people have been building makeshift homes.”

When Charlie asked about potential suspects, Steve mentioned that someone was in custody on unrelated charges.

“They’re still gathering evidence to link him directly to Shannon’s death,” he said. “These crime scenes are challenging because there’s so much DNA and other evidence mixed in with all the trash.”

WSP: Dead body found in suitcase near I-5, I-90 interchange identified

Photog Steve explains gangs exploiting juvenile law

Switching gears, Charlie brought up the recent uptick in violent crimes involving juveniles in Washington.

“What’s happening is that gangs are exploiting the way we handle juvenile offenders,” Steve explained. “There was an effort to reduce juvenile incarceration for certain offenses, which sounds good on paper, but it had some unintended consequences.”

He continued, “Law enforcement can’t even interview or detain juveniles overnight in many cases. Gangs have figured this out and are recruiting minors to commit serious crimes because they know these kids will be back home the same night.”

Steve emphasized the severity of the crimes being committed.

“We’re not talking about petty theft,” he said. “These kids are stealing cars, driving them through buildings to rob places like marijuana shops, causing massive damage, endangering lives, and then leading police on high-speed chases.”

Charlie summed it up by saying, “So gangs are essentially using juveniles to do their dirty work because the consequences are minimal.”

“Exactly,” Steve agreed. “It’s a loophole they’re exploiting, and it’s contributing to the rise in violent crime we’re seeing in the state.”

Local crime: Seattle police arrest 1 adult, 3 teens in connection with nearly 80 violent crimes

Charlie Harger is the news director for MyNorthwest and KIRO Newsradio. Follow Charlie on X here and email him here

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