The investigation into the disappearance of a Lynnwood woman ended Monday with the discovery of her body in a wooded area just north of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
King County Sheriff’s Office major crimes detectives are calling the death of Nicole Theresa Pietz, 32, suspicious. The Lynnwood woman was reported missing Jan. 29.
The cause of death was unknown on Tuesday, investigators said, pending an autopsy by the King County Medical Examiner’s Office. It is expected to be finished today.
“We are looking at a suspicious death because of the circumstances of how the body was found,” King County sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart said Tuesday.
A hiker found Pietz’s body about 1 p.m. Monday while walking in a wooded area a couple of blocks from a major intersection at S. 144th Street and Des Moines Memorial Drive in Burien, the sergeant said.
The hiker is not a suspect, and no one has been arrested in connection with the death, Urquhart said.
King County detectives are leading the investigation, and worked into the evening on Monday combing the area where Pietz’s body was found.
It appeared her body had been there several days, Urquhart said. He declined to provide any additional details about the scene.
Family and friends have been searching for Pietz since she was reported missing. An extensive Web site was set up, including a message board for family and friends to post their thoughts.
Tuesday, as the news spread, friends and co-workers offered their prayers to the family.
Pietz left her new Lynnwood condominium the day before she was reported missing and headed to King County, Urquhart said. Investigators are trying to determine whether Pietz arrived for her appointment.
She had planned to have dinner with friends later in the evening, but didn’t show up. Her husband called police about 3 p.m. Jan. 29 when she still wasn’t home, Snohomish County sheriff’s Sgt. Ty Trenary said.
Pietz, who worked for a cell phone company, was last seen driving a gray 2003 Volkswagen Jetta with Washington license plate 991 TEF. The car remained missing Tuesday, Trenary said.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@ heraldnet.com.
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