EVERETT — The call came from 400 miles away.
From his southwest Oregon home, he recognized his stepson Anthony Ferguson’s cell phone number. The voice on the other end of the line belonged to a stranger. He was chilled by what the man told him.
The man said he was calling from a bloody cell phone he found on the ground next to a truck at an Everett gas station. He said he saw two men carry another man away.
The stranger agreed to call 911 and turn the phone over to police. He never did.
Unnerved by the man’s cryptic call, Ferguson’s stepfather asked police to check on his stepson.
Officers found Ferguson at home in his Everett apartment. He was lying face down on his bed. His head was bloody. He’d been beaten to death.
The 2005 homicide remains unsolved. Ferguson, 41, is featured on the seven of clubs in the state’s first cold-case playing cards. The Snohomish County Sheriff”s Office have provided the cards to jail inmates in hopes of generating tips for unsolved homicides and missing person cases dating back to the 1970s. Inmates are offered a reward for key information. Cold-case cards have led to arrests in other states.
Investigators turned up few clues in Ferguson’s death, Everett police detective Deb Coleman said.
The apartment manager saw him March 25, 2005, the day before the stranger called his stepfather. Ferguson’s Toyota pickup truck was parked outside. He lived alone.
Police believe Ferguson was attacked inside his Rainier Avenue apartment. He likely knew the killer.
Coleman has a gut feeling about what happened. She hopes someone will finally step forward with the information she needs to prove who brutally beat Ferguson.
Then, Ferguson’s family can get another call from Everett — this time telling them a killer is behind bars.
About this series
Snohomish County sheriff’s detectives created the state’s first deck of cold-case playing cards. Each Sunday for a year, The Herald will publish a story about a case featured on one of the cards. The 52 cards can be viewed on The Herald’s Web site.
Anyone with information about unsolved homicides or missing persons cases is asked to call 800-222-TIPS (8477). Up to a $1,000 reward is offered. Tips about Anthony Ferguson’s homicide also can be left on the Everett police tip line at 425-257-8450.
Callers may remain anonymous, although tips have been more successful when callers speak with detectives, police said.
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