MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Volunteers searching for a missing Mountlake Terrace mother discovered a woman’s body in a culvert Sunday afternoon.
Officials at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle said that the deceased woman has been identified as their missing employee, Cheryl DeBoer.
Police on Sunday hadn’t confirmed the woman’s identity. DeBoer, 54, was reported missing Feb. 8 after she failed to show up for work.
“The investigation continues and that’s about all I can say right now,” Mountlake Terrace police Cmdr. Kevin Pickard said Sunday afternoon.
The Snohomish County medical examiner is expected to confirm the woman’s identity and determine her cause of death.
Han Nachtrieb, vice president of human resources at Fred Hutchinson, released a statement Sunday night, confirming that DeBoer’s body had been found, and employees had been notified.
“It is with deep regret and sorrow that we’ve recently had confirmation that Cheryl DeBoer, missing since February 8, has been found. Her remains were located this afternoon near the King/Snohomish (counties) border,” the statement said. “Cheryl has been in the hearts and minds of her many friends and co-workers, and we are deeply saddened by this tragic news. Our condolences go out to her family, her many friends, and all those who are grieving.”
Since her disappearance, DeBoer’s relatives, friends and co-workers have converged on Mountlake Terrace, searching for any signs of DeBoer. They’ve handed out fliers and scoured nearby parks, trails and neighborhoods.
The search widened on Sunday. One of the volunteer search parties located the body Sunday in a culvert on city-owned property near the corner of 244th Street SW and Cedar Way, Pickard said. The discovery was made about 12:30 p.m.
Police closed down roads to further investigate. Detectives were expected to work into the night. Technicians with the Washington State Patrol crime lab also were on scene to collect and process evidence. Investigators planned to use a Fire District 1 ladder truck so they could photograph the location from above.
The area is about two miles southeast of the park-and-ride lot near where DeBoer’s car was found the day she went missing.
DeBoer sent a text message to a friend around 7 a.m. Feb. 8, saying that she forgot her work badge at home. She had worked for 15 years at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. DeBoer told her friend to go on without her, but the friend said she would wait.
DeBoer never showed up, and her friend tried but couldn’t reach her. Her husband called police later that day when he received word from his wife’s employer that she hadn’t shown up.
DeBoer’s car was found parked in the 23400 block of 58th Avenue SW, near the lot. Police impounded the vehicle. Evidence indicated that DeBoer was in the area of her car at the time of her disappearance.
Her cell phone hasn’t been used, and there hasn’t been any activity on her bank account, Pickard said.
Police have called her disappearance suspicious.
Anyone with information about DeBoer is asked to contact Detective Heidi Froisland or Detective Sgt. Mike Haynes at 425-670-8260.
Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463, hefley@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @dianahefley
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