OLYMPIA — Thurston County sheriff’s deputies are digging through mounds of refuse at a remote landfill as they search for the remains of an Olympia woman.
Sheriff’s Sgt. Carla Carter tells The Olympian newspaper that investigators believe 66-year-old James Stidd disposed of Gail Doyle’s body at a Thurston County transfer station and that the woman’s remains were later taken to a landfill outside of the county.
Stidd is being held in Thurston County Jail on investigation of second-degree murder and gun charges.
According to court documents, a warrant was issued for his arrest last week after detectives found blood splatter and strands of blond hair around a blood-covered hammer in Stidd’s garage. Doyle was last seen with Stidd at a tavern June 2.
Over the weekend, deputies said they believed they had found Doyle’s remains, but tests later determined they were bear remains.
Carter says deputies plan to sift through “every inch of material” until they find her.
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