In March 2003, the Gray’s Harbor Sheriff’s Office (Washington) investigated a kidnapping and rape that started on Church Road in McCleary. A 17-year-old female was abducted when she returned home to her residence in her vehicle. The suspect bound the female and loaded her into her own vehicle. The female was taken to an undisclosed location and was sexually assaulted. After sexually assaulting the female, the suspect drove her to a location near McCleary and left her in the vehicle.
The victim was able to free herself and she returned to her residence where the kidnapping and assault were reported to 911. The victim was taken to a hospital to be examined. Investigators collected evidence at the hospital and a DNA profile was eventually obtained for the suspect in the sexual assault.
Although an exhaustive investigation was conducted, investigators were not been able to identify a suspect. The suspect’s DNA profile was entered into the nationwide criminal database but it was not linked to a known person in the database.
In 2010, the Grays Harbor Prosecuting Attorney’s Office obtained a rape warrant for the DNA profile of the suspect.
In December 2020, Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office Chief Darrin Wallace obtained grant money to submit the DNA evidence to a private laboratory for testing. The genealogy testing revealed a short list of subjects that were linked to the DNA profile of the suspect.
Investigators learned that Paul Bieker lived in McCleary in 2003 at a residence not far from the victim. They also were able to identify more circumstantial evidence that linked Bieker to the crime.
Wallace and Det. Sgt. Logan surveilled Bieker and obtained his DNA from a discarded item. The item with Bieker’s DNA was submitted to the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab for comparison where it was determined that it was a match of the suspect in the 2003 sexual assault.
Bieker was arrested in June 2021. The statute of limitations on the kidnapping charge had expired. He was found guilty of rape in the first-degree last week.
Republished courtesy of Grays Horbor Sheriff's Office.