Suspected blood stains found in Cheryl DeBoer's car; husband ruled out as suspect in case



MOUNTLAKE TERRACE, Wash. -- Investigators found what they believe to be blood stains inside the car belonging to Cheryl DeBoer, the Mountlake Terrace woman whose body was discovered in a culvert last Sunday, police confirmed Tuesday night.

Police Commander Kevin Pickhard said investigators found the stains on the passenger seat of DeBoer's Subaru and also on the inside passenger door. They will undergo lab testing.

Her car was found on Feb. 8, the day DeBoer disappeared in Mountlake Terrace. Her car was parked on 58th Avenue West, near the transit center where she planned to meet a friend to commute to her job at Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center in Seattle.

Police said Cheryl sent her friend a text message saying she would be late and would take the bus instead -- but she never made it to work.  On Feb. 14, her body was discovered  in a culvert near 244th and Cedar Way, less than 2 miles from where her car was found.

On Tuesday, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner's Office officially confirmed  the body found in the Mountlake Terrace culvert Sunday is that of DeBoer. But the cause and manner of death were not released, "pending further investigation."

Police are not releasing how DeBoer died.



At the same time, detectives have ruled out her husband as a person of interest in the case,  Pickard said Tuesday night.

“Based on interviews our detectives did with him, we know he was not involved,” said Pickard.

Snohomish County Search and Rescue crews conducted a grid search Tuesday  in the area where her body was located at 244th and Cedar Way.

“They looked through the berry bushes, got in the water on their hands and knees and felt their way along to look for evidence,” said Pickard, adding that they did recover several items for processing by the crime lab but are not releasing exactly what those were.

Police are asking people who walk in the area around 23400 block of 58th Avenue West, where DeBoer’s car was found, and where she was located to look for anything that appears out of place and to contact them immediately if they see something.  They are also asking the public to contact them if they saw anyone suspicious in the area between Feb. 8 and Sunday, Feb. 14, when she was found.

Police know there is a lot of fear in the community and cautions everyone to be careful and aware of their surroundings.

Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound is offering a $1,000 reward to anyone who can help Mountlake Police identify and arrest a suspect.