It will be the first Christmas since his wife and daughter were found shot on a Snohomish County hiking trail.
David Stodden on Monday said he will be spending much of the holiday season in Hawaii with family, clearing his head and taking a break from it all.
When he returns, he plans to sit down with homicide detectives and take a lie-detector test.
Five months after the killings, Stodden had hoped detectives would have some answers for him. Instead, during a recent meeting, he was shocked and disappointed when they asked him to submit to a polygraph exam.
“I didn’t do anything wrong except my wife and daughter were brutally murdered,” he said. “I want to cooperate, and I have no reason not to.”
Detectives have made no arrests and have released little information.
They would not confirm whether they have asked Stodden to take the test.
Still, a polygraph test can be a powerful investigative tool, experts said. Introducing it to the case now can serve many purposes.
Police may want to rule out Stodden as a suspect. Or detectives might have run short of other avenues to investigate, experts said.
On July 11, Mary Cooper, 56, and Susanna Stodden, 27, both of Seattle, were found shot in the head. They were about three miles from the start of the Pinnacle Lake Trail on Mount Pilchuck.
Detectives have been working hard to solve the case, sheriff’s Sgt. Ty Trenary said.
“We want to keep this in the forefront of people’s minds, but we also don’t want to compromise the investigation,” Trenary said. “I don’t blame Mr. Stodden for being frustrated. This man has endured a horrible tragedy.”
Investigators have been protective of the information released to the public. Criminal experts say investigators often divulge few details because they don’t want to share something only the killer knows.
Detectives continue to comb through the hundreds of tips received so far, Trenary said.
In October, investigators asked FBI profilers to review the case. Detectives are still waiting for the profilers’ feedback, Trenary said.
Now it appears they want whatever information Stodden might offer by taking a polygraph exam.
Typically, the tests are used when there isn’t a lot of physical evidence, said William Iacono, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and a nationally known expert on polygraph tests.
The remote crime scene, a 45-minute hike up a steep trail, likely produced little physical evidence that can be used to directly identify a suspect, experts have said.
A polygraph often is used as part of an interrogation in hopes of generating new leads, even though the results generally are not evidence that can be introduced during a criminal trial, Iacono said.
Polygraphs measure blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, sweating and other physiological responses connected to stress.
Still, the tests are not always accurate and, in general, are biased against the innocent, he said.
“If I were the defense attorney for this guy, I’d advise him not to take it, because it’s biased against truthful people,” he said.
Nobody – including David Stodden – has been publicly identified as a suspect in the trail homicides.
Iacono said polygraphs can hurt the innocent. Sometimes, when confronted with an important or threatening accusation, the person’s nervous system responds, even if he or she is telling the truth.
“A polygraph can measure these subtle changes, and it can be measured even with truthful denial,” he said.
Robert J. Drdak, a former FBI agent with 18 years of experience administering polygraph tests, said it’s unfortunate to make victims’ loved ones take the test, but it is a good way to rule them out.
“It may be just a simple matter of just checking the box and eliminating the suspects,” he said.
During an interview Monday in a Seattle coffee shop, Stodden blinked back tears as he talked about his slain wife and daughter. He said he is disappointed that over the months detectives haven’t come to know him better and moved on with their investigation.
Still, he is hopeful someone will come forward with more information.
Detectives want more help from the public, too, Trenary said. He asked anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office.
“Even if it’s something they don’t think is significant,” he said. “We’d rather them call us and at least give us an opportunity to look at it.”
Stodden has been spending time tending his wife’s flowerbeds, fixing up his daughter’s bicycle and remembering how the two women lived.
He remembers Susanna’s optimism and Mary’s bright smile.
“I think about that a little bit every day, and I do something to help someone out and smile a bit more,” he said. “I know we have a choice. I could be sitting around being depressed, but that doesn’t do much good.”
Tips wanted
The Snohomish County Sheriffs Office asks anyone who was in the Pinnacle Lake, Bear Lake, Ashland Lake or Boardman Lake areas July 11 or shortly before to call the sheriffs 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.
Donations can be made to the Mary Cooper and Susanna Stodden Reward Fund c/o Mountaineers Books at any Bank of America branch.
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