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<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge) Susanna Stodden (click to enlarge) Mary Cooper   ADVERTISEMENT   Memorial walk A walk around Seattle’s Green Lake in memory of Susanna Stodden and Mary Cooper is scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday. The mother and daughter were killed three years ago while hiking on the Pinnacle Lake Trail on Mount Pilchuck. The public is invited to join family and friends in walking around the lake. Bring a flashlight and meet at Green Lake Community Center, 7201 E. Green Lake Drive N., Seattle. Tips wanted The Snohomish County Sheriff's Office asks anyone who may have information about the killings of Susanna Stodden and Mary Cooper to call the sheriff's tip line at 425-388-3845. Tips also may be called in to Crime Stoppers of Puget Sound toll-free at 800-CRIME-13 (800-274-6313). The nonprofit organization The Mountaineers and friends of the Stodden family are offering a $26,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the crimes.   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Friday, July 10, 2009 Three years and no answers in slaying of hikers By Jackson Holtz, Herald Writer VERLOT -- He still can't believe they're gone. Three years since his wife and daughter were killed along a hiking trail near Pinnacle Lake, David Stodden finds them in his memory all the time. "I still think about Mary and Susanna every minute of my life," he said Wednesday. Outside in the garden where his wife used to tend the flowers and chat with neighbors, in the woods where his daughter used to teach, along hiking trails where the family enjoyed time together, he finds them, the Seattle man said. The mother and daughter were found by hikers three years ago Saturday. Mary Cooper, 56, and Susanna Stodden, 27, were fatally shot and left deep in the woods. No arrests have been made. "As always, our thoughts and prayers are with Mary's and Susanna's family and friends," Snohomish County sheriff's spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. "One day we hope to be able to provide them -- and the community -- with answers and justice." During the past three years, sheriff's officials have received numerous tips, but those tips have slowed down considerably, she said. "I'm kind of discouraged there's not more progress," David Stodden, 60, said. The mother and daughter were featured on the ace of hearts in a deck of playing cards distributed to prison inmates. The cards were used in an effort to draw out clues to old, unsolved killings, even though the June 2006 double homicide isn't considered a cold case, officials said. The file remains with one of the original detectives assigned to the case and is actively being pursued. "We remain hopeful that we'll get that one break in the case that will point us to the person or people who killed Mary and Susanna," Hover said. The surviving family members each are coping in their own way. "We're doing OK," David Stodden said. Elisa Stodden, 27, has sought solace through friendship and support. She works with middle school students, much like her mother did as an elementary school librarian. Her sister, Joanna Stodden, 24, quietly meditates. She holds the same teaching position Susanna once filled at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle. Next week, David Stodden said he'll attempt to summit Mount Rainier in a fundraiser for a school in Nepal. Susanna once taught in Kathmandu, he said. On Saturday, family members plan to join friends and loved ones for a candlelight walk around Green Lake, a ritual that began three years ago. Hover said she strongly urges anyone with information to call the sheriff's office. David Stodden holds hope that new details will come out that may lead to an arrest. "Who knows? Maybe someone will come forward," he said. Jackson Holtz: 425-339-3437, jholtz@heraldnet.com. READER COMMENTS Be the first to comment. You must be a registered user and verify your e-mail address to post comments to blogs or articles on HeraldNet. To register, click here. To read other terms and conditions, click here. Log out

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