Forty years ago, on May 14, 1986, the Wenatchee (Washington) Police Department responded to a report of a deceased individual behind the Stanley Center. The victim was identified as Carol Traicoff and was determined to have been murdered.
At the time, detectives pursued all available investigative leads; however, no suspect was positively identified. The crime scene was thoroughly processed, evidence was collected and submitted to the FBI for forensic analysis, and the surrounding area was canvassed for witnesses and additional information. Unfortunately, the forensic testing available at that time did not produce any leads sufficient enough to solve the case.
Over the following two years, investigators pursued numerous leads, conducted multiple interviews, and administered several polygraph examinations, but were still unable to identify a suspect. Since the initial investigation, numerous officers and detectives have reviewed the case, but little to no new information was developed and no arrests were made.
In January 2023, now-retired Detective Sergeant Weatherman, began reviewing the case and identified further investigation opportunities with the help of Washington State Patrol Crime Lab Forensic Scientist B. Wright.
Evidence, originally collected in 1986, was submitted for further examination with improved modern testing; these tests located DNA of an unknown male. Weatherman worked with the Department of Justice and the Washington State Attorney General's Office to locate funding for further forensic genetic genealogy testing.
In July 2024, the DNA was submitted to Othram through the WSP Crime Lab for further testing. In December 2024, genealogy results were provided that identified possible family lineage and showed a main geographical genealogy within the continental United States and Canada.
The DNA results were submitted to Canada for comparison in their equivalent system of CODIS. On February 24, 2025, the WSP Crime Lab reported that Henry B. Leland of Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada was identified as the suspect. Leland passed away in December 2007.
Hewitt conducted further investigation and identified Leland's sister, the only known living biological relative. She was contacted in Gold Bar, Washington, and assisted with the investigation. Leland's identity was further confirmed through comparison of her DNA.
Based on the investigation, it is believed that on or around May 14, 1986, Leland killed 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 now considered officially closed.
The Wenatchee Police Department would like to thank all the prior investigators for their work and diligence throughout the investigation. This investigation has spanned four decades, crossed the country, and into Canada. Without the help from the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Washington Attorney General's Office, and all the other assisting agencies this investigation would not have been resolved. Finally, we would like to thank Traicoff's family for not giving up and remaining determined to find Traicoff's killer. Traicoff would have been 75 years old.
Republished courtesy of Wenatchee Police Department