DNA finally IDs Canadian man as killer in 1986 Washington state murder

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The two were blips in a small tragedy.

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Neither left much of a footprint in this world.

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One, however, came to the attention of cops on May 14, 1986, when the body of 35-year-old Carol A. Traicoff was found behind the Stanley Civic Center in Wenatchee, Washington, 238 km east of Seattle. The homeless woman had been murdered.

For 40 years, the case stayed cold — until now.

Killer ID’d by using DNA

A deceased Canadian named Henry B. Leland was identified as the killer using DNA. The Kamloops, B.C. man died in December 2007. Cops say Leyland had been homeless for many years and froze to death in a snowbank.

Ironically, there is a supportive housing building named after him in Kamloops.

The murder of Traicoff went cold fast “despite extensive investigative efforts” due to the double-whammy that the victim was homeless and, police suspected, so was her killer.

“We had no answers for 38 years, and here we are two years past that at the 40-year mark where we get to recognize and give that little bit of closure,” said Sgt. Det. Joe Eaton, with the Wenatchee Police Department.

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Leland’s only known living biological relative, a sister, spoke with detectives and cooperated, providing a DNA sample.

Investigators don’t believe there’s another suspect involved.

Seen together before the murder

Cops believe that Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time of the slaying. The motive remains unclear, investigators said.

“It would have been great if he was still alive and we could locate him and see if he would tell us the answers to that,” Eaton said, adding the pair had been seen together before the murder.

“It just sounds like they didn’t get along one day and it escalated to the point where she was attacked and through assault was killed.”

The Wenatchee Police Department said it investigated for two years – pursuing leads, conducting interviews, administering polygraph tests and working with FBI forensic analysis – but was unable to identify a suspect. In the intervening years, investigators would periodically review the file but no new information was obtained.

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Police worked with Ortham to solved

Police said that in January 2023, Det. Sgt. R. Weatherman began a new review and working with the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, he located the DNA of a man connected to the crime. In July 2024, they submitted the DNA to Ortham, a Texas genetic genealogy company.

In December 2024, a family lineage was identified with members on both sides of the Canada-U.S. frontier. That’s when Leland was identified as the killer.

“As this case is closed, we would also like to thank the victim’s family for never giving up and for remaining determined in their pursuit of justice for their loved one. She would have been 75 years old,” the police department wrote in a statement.

“Based on the investigation, it is believed that on or around May 14, 1986, Henry B. Leland killed Carol Traicoff. There is no current evidence to suggest another suspect and it is believed that Leland and Traicoff were alone at the time. This investigation is officially closed.”

bhunter@postmedia.com

@HunterTOSun

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