Latest news with #PacificLutheranUniversity
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Yahoo
Police seek tips after 1997 Jane Doe homicide victim is identified
Police are searching for a suspect in a 1997 Washington state homicide after a set of remains were identified with advanced forensic technology. The remains were found by a person walking through the woods in Wilkeson, Washington, south of Seattle, in October 1997, according to a news release from the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram. The remains were skeletal. Officials were able to determine that the remains were those of a 5-foot-5-inch woman between the ages of 20 and 50, but could not determine her identity. The deceased woman was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweatshirt with a Pacific Lutheran University logo, a basketball logo and the word "LUTES" on it. She was also wearing Size 7 blue jeans and Size 4 1/2 Reebok tennis shoes. Despite the description, no one ever came forward to identify the remains. The woman became known as Pierce County Jane Doe. Her details were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2009, but no connections were ever made. The case remained cold for decades. In October 2023, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence from the remains to Othram to see if advanced DNA testing could make an identification. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract, then used forensic genome sequencing to build a comprehensive genealogical profile, the company said. That profile was then used for genetic genealogy research. New investigative leads discovered during that research were provided to law enforcement, Othram said. Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and met with potential relatives of the Pierce County Jane Doe. Reference DNA samples were collected from possible relatives and compared to the DNA profile Othram had developed. The process eventually led investigators to identify the remains. Pierce County Jane Doe has been identified as Laurie Krage, the sheriff's office said in a statement. Othram said Krage was born in December 1959 and was "last known to be alive" in January 1996. She was married to a man named Ronald Martin, who died of natural causes in 2020, according to the sheriff's office. The case is now being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff's office said. Anyone with information has been asked to come forward. Krage often traveled through Pierce County, the sheriff's office said, and investigators are specifically interested in her and her late husband's movements between 1995 and 1997. Pierce County is about 45 miles from Seattle. Supreme Court pauses order mandating return of Maryland man deported to El Salvador Here's why the stock market ended the day in the red after morning gains EU announces retaliatory tariffs on $22 billion in U.S. products
CBS News
09-04-2025
- CBS News
Police seek tips after 1997 Jane Doe homicide victim in Washington state is identified with DNA testing
Police are searching for a suspect in a 1997 Washington state homicide after a set of remains were identified with advanced forensic technology. The remains were found by a person walking through the woods in Wilkeson, Washington, south of Seattle, in October 1997, according to a news release from the forensic genetic genealogy company Othram . The remains were skeletal. Officials were able to determine that the remains were those of a 5-foot-5-inch woman between the ages of 20 and 50, but could not determine her identity. The deceased woman was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweatshirt with a Pacific Lutheran University logo, a basketball logo and the word "LUTES" on it. She was also wearing Size 7 blue jeans and Size 4 1/2 Reebok tennis shoes. Despite the description, no one ever came forward to identify the remains. The woman became known as Pierce County Jane Doe. Her details were entered into the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System in 2009, but no connections were ever made. The case remained cold for decades. In October 2023, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence from the remains to Othram to see if advanced DNA testing could make an identification. Othram scientists developed a DNA extract, then used forensic genome sequencing to build a comprehensive genealogical profile, the company said. That profile was then used for genetic genealogy research. New investigative leads discovered during that research were provided to law enforcement, Othram said. Detectives conducted a follow-up investigation and met with potential relatives of the Pierce County Jane Doe. Reference DNA samples were collected from possible relatives and compared to the DNA profile Othram had developed. The process eventually led investigators to identify the remains. Pierce County Jane Doe has been identified as Laurie Krage, the sheriff's office said in a statement . Othram said Krage was born in December 1959 and was "last known to be alive" in January 1996. She was married to a man named Ronald Martin, who died of natural causes in 2020, according to the sheriff's office. The case is now being investigated as a homicide, the sheriff's office said. Anyone with information has been asked to come forward. Krage often traveled through Pierce County, the sheriff's office said, and investigators are specifically interested in her and her late husband's movements between 1995 and 1997. Pierce County is about 45 miles from Seattle.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Yahoo
DNA helps identify 1997 remains found in Pierce County, homicide investigation prompted
The skeletal remains of a woman found in Pierce County in 1997 have finally been identified thanks to a DNA match, and now, detectives say they have a homicide investigation on their hands. The bones were found in October 1997 by a person walking through the woods on Gale Creek Road in Wilkeson. Wilkeson is a small town with a population of about 500 between Buckley and Carbonado. At the time, it was determined that the remains were that of a woman who was about 5′5″ and was between the ages of 20 and 50. She was wearing a dark blue long-sleeved sweatshirt with a Pacific Lutheran University logo along with a basketball logo and the word 'LUTES.' She was also found with size 7 Union Bay blue jeans. She was also found with white Reebok tennis shoes with yellow & green trim, size 4 1/2. Despite best efforts by investigators, she was not able to be identified and she became a Jane Doe in Pierce County. In October 2023, the Pierce County Sheriff's Office submitted forensic evidence to a lab in The Woodlands, Texas to determine if advanced DNA testing could help identify the woman. Scientists successfully developed a DNA extract from the forensic evidence and then used Forensic-Grade Genome Sequencing to build a comprehensive genealogical profile for the unknown woman. Using this new information, a follow-up investigation was conducted, leading investigators to potential relatives of Pierce County Jane Doe. Reference DNA samples were collected from the potential relatives and compared to the DNA profile of the unknown woman. The Jane Doe was finally identified as Laurie Kay (Lester) Krage, born on Dec. 17, 1959. This case is now being investigated as a homicide and detectives are seeking any information from those that may have known Laurie Krage. They are also looking for any information on her late husband, Ronald Martin, who died in 2020 from natural causes. Detectives are seeking information about Laurie or Ronald Martin from 1995-1997. Laurie was last known to be alive in January of 1996.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Tacoma-area university being investigated for antisemitism as part of federal probe
Pacific Lutheran University is one of 60 higher-education institutions in the nation under investigation for alleged antisemitic discrimination and harassment, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The department announced Monday that its Office for Civil Rights had sent letters to five-dozen institutions, including the private Parkland-based university, to warn them of potential enforcement actions if they didn't fulfill federal obligations to protect Jewish students on campus. Those obligations, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, included enabling Jewish students to have uninterrupted access to campus facilities and educational opportunities, according to a department news release. Letters were addressed to universities currently under investigation for Title VI violations related to antisemitic harassment and discrimination, the department said. Last month, the department's Office for Civil Rights (OCR) launched probes into Columbia University; Northwestern University; Portland State University; University of California, Berkley; and University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Fifty-five other institutions, including Pacific Lutheran University, were 'under investigation or monitoring in response to complaints filed with the OCR,' the department said. 'The Department is deeply disappointed that Jewish students studying on elite U.S. campuses continue to fear for their safety amid the relentless antisemitic eruptions that have severely disrupted campus life for more than a year,' Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement. 'University leaders must do better.' Pacific Lutheran University spokesperson Chris Albert told The News Tribune on Tuesday that the school had received the letter and was reviewing it. 'We are aware of only one complaint to the Office of Civil Rights made by an individual in a virtual class about personal social media reposts by another individual,' Albert said in an email. 'We have been working cooperatively with OCR on this matter for more than a year and are awaiting further guidance.' Albert added that the university prioritized the care and well-being of its students, faculty and staff as it immediately conducted an internal review upon receiving the complaint. The university has fully complied with the OCR's investigation, he said. The investigations come as the Trump administration cracks down on alleged anti-Jewish prejudice in the wake of pro-Palestinian protests across college campuses that followed the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel by the terrorist group Hamas. About 1,200 people were killed in the assault and 250 abducted, while more than 48,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's subsequent military offensive, according to news reports. President Donald Trump targeted antisemitism through an executive order in January, citing an increase in prejudice against Jewish people, particularly students, and calling for additional measures to combat it. Last week, the Trump administration canceled $400 million in federal funding to Columbia University, which has been investigating students critical of Israel, over alleged antisemitism on its campus, the Associated Press reported. Trump's push to cut federal funding from colleges for allowing what he has described as 'illegal' protests has alarmed civil rights groups who view his threats as an assault on free speech and assembly, according to Reuters. On Saturday, a Columbia University student who helped organize protests was arrested by federal immigration authorities, but his deportation was blocked on Monday by a federal judge, multiple news outlets reported. Neither Pacific Lutheran University nor the Education Department responded to The News Tribune's request for a copy of the letter sent to the university. University of Washington-Seattle, Eastern Washington University and Whitman College were among the other schools in Washington state that received letters from the department.
