Photo of Jennifer Brinkman, and Police Chief Erik Scairpon speaking at the press conference on Tuesday. Credit: Marysville WA Police
On Monday, Marysville Police Department detectives arrested a 52-year-old man in connection with the 1998 murder of then-19-year-old Jennifer Brinkman.
The suspect has been living and working in the east Puget Sound area since before the homicide took place.
This arrest is the culmination of countless hours of investigation by multiple detectives over the past 24+ years. The arrested suspect was one of several individuals detectives focused on through the years, and ultimately, the advancement of scientific DNA technology, including genetic genealogy, led to his arrest.
In late March 1998, the father of Jennifer Brinkman had returned home from a vacation to California and discovered her deceased in the home. Brinkman, who was originally planning on going on the trip made the decision to stay behind and remain at the family home, located in the 1900 block of Grove St.
Autopsy results would indicate Brinkman had been struck in the neck with an axe. The axe was left at the scene of the murder.
Brinkman was known to spend a lot of time walking around Marysville, particularly the area from her house to State Ave. She was extremely friendly and would easily strike up a conversation with strangers. Jennifer was also spending a considerable amount of time on telephone dating and chat lines, as well as, local library computers. Police believe this is how she originally came to know the suspect.
“Solving this case has been at the top of the priority list of the Marysville Police Department for the past 24+ years,” said Police Chief Erik Scairpon. “We never gave up, or put this on a shelf. It was continuously being investigated, with the belief that we would one day be able to bring some level of closure for the family and justice for Jennifer.”
The suspect was booked into the Snohomish County Jail for 1st Degree Murder.
We would like to thank several agencies for their support and assistance in this case, including the Washington State Patrol Crime Lab, Renton Police Department, Seattle Police Department, and Redmond Police Department. We would also like to thank Parabon NanoLabs for the work related to the DNA of this case.