OAK HARBOR – A two-month search for 15-year-old Elaine Sepulveda ended Friday with the discovery of her body and the arrest of her boyfriend.
Elizabeth Armstrong / The Herald
James L. Sanders, 18, allegedly confessed to his grandfather about killing Elaine. He was jailed Friday on suspicion of second-degree murder.
Investigators suspect Sanders murdered Elaine on Nov. 6, the day she was reported missing by her parents, because he believed she was pregnant with his child, Island County prosecutor Greg Banks said.
Elaine told several classmates she was pregnant. Sanders allegedly told one of those classmates, “It would be smart for Elaine to have an abortion,” according to Island County court documents.
Elaine apparently sneaked out of her house early Nov. 6 to meet Sanders to talk about the pregnancy. When she didn’t return, her parents immediately suspected foul play because she had left her identification, money and security blanket at home.
Elaine’s mother, Mary Jimenez, clung to her daughter’s pink and white blanket on Friday.
“Now we have Elaine home,” Jimenez said. “We can put her to rest properly. We know in our hearts she is with our lord Jesus Christ.”
Sanders’ grandfather broke the case early Friday with a call to Oak Harbor police. He told investigators his grandson had admitted killing Elaine, according to an affidavit filed in Island County Superior Court.
Sanders told his grandfather that he was trying to prevent Elaine from killing herself and had accidentally knocked her to the ground, court documents say. He claimed he tried to revive her, but when he couldn’t, buried her in his grandfather’s back yard, the affidavit says.
Sanders’ grandfather led officers to a compost pile where police found a body believed to be Elaine’s.
“It’s her, there’s no doubt,” Island County Coroner Robert Bishop said.
He is scheduled to perform an autopsy this morning to determine the cause of death.
The body was found curled in a fetal position, indicating Elaine may have been alive when she was buried, prosecutor Banks said.
Oak Harbor police suspected Sanders early in the investigation after Sanders’ mother reported finding a bag of Elaine’s clothing in his room Nov. 7. The clothes included a T-shirt, sweat shirt and tennis shoes she was wearing when she was last seen by her family Nov. 5, court documents say.
The clothes had dirt on them, and state crime lab tests detected blood on Elaine’s sweat shirt.
Sanders’ mother told police he claimed he found the clothes in a bag in the middle of the road, the affidavit says.
He insisted he was not having a sexual relationship with Elaine, although he admitted to police he had confronted her about rumors he was the father of her baby, court documents say.
Sanders, a senior at Oak Harbor High School, told police he’d given Elaine information about inducing a miscarriage or abortion.
He told officers “he thought if he helped her abort the baby, she would leave him alone,” court documents say.
He agreed to meet with her around 2 a.m. Nov. 6 at the First Baptist Church at SE Regatta Drive and SE Fourth Avenue in Oak Harbor. Sanders told police in November the last time he saw Elaine, she was walking toward her home.
Both teens lived within walking distance of the church, which is near the home of Sanders’ grandfather.
About 50 of Elaine’s friends and neighbors gathered at the church Friday night for a candlelight vigil.
“We feel the loss very deeply. I want her family to know my children cried for Elaine today, and so did I,” said Linda Cottrell of Oak Harbor.
Melissa Brown, 18, a senior at Oak Harbor High School, made posters at school for Elaine’s friends to sign.
“I don’t think she knew how many people liked her. She was a great person to be around,” said Brown, who was in Elaine’s drama class.
Elaine loved the class and dreamed of being an actress, Brown said.
“She was a very quiet person, but if she got to know you, she was always giggling,” Brown said.
When Elaine was reported missing, her family insisted she was not a runaway. Elaine’s mother, stepfather Juan Jimenez and sister Angela Sepulveda passed out thousands of fliers with Elaine’s photo.
“We couldn’t have brought Elaine home without the many thoughts and prayers of the people who helped us,” Mary Jimenez said.
Volunteers and police combed dense woods and underbrush near Elaine’s home. They searched beaches for any sign of the missing teen. The FBI interviewed her relatives in Texas.
Representatives from the Texas-based Laura Recovery Center and the Florida-based KlaasKids Foundation organized searches for Friday through Sunday. The search was expected to include the home of Sanders’ grandfather.
Police had searched the site and found no sign of the teen there, Oak Harbor Capt. Rick Wallace said.
Finding Elaine’s body is “a mixture of sadness and relief,” Wallace said. “Our first priority was to locate her. Now the more difficult part of the work begins.”
James Sanders was in court on Friday, where Island County Superior Court Judge Alan Hancock ordered him held on $500,000 bail.
Elaine’s family attended the hearing, sitting in the second row.
Reporter Diana Hefley: 425-339-3463 or hefley@ heraldnet.com.
Timeline
The search for Elaine Sepulveda:
Nov. 6: Elaine Sepulveda’s parents report her missing after the 15-year-old girl fails to return home.
Police are suspicious of her disappearance because she left her identification, clothes and money at home.
Nov. 14: A girl resembling Elaine is said to be seen at an Arlington fire station. Police later determine it was not Elaine.
Dec. 2: Police step up the search for Elaine, combing a heavily wooded area.
Dec. 10: Police search the 18-year-old man’s home, but officers will not say what was found.
Jan. 5: Elaine’s family plans a massive three-day search for Friday through Sunday.
Jan. 12: A $5,000 reward for Elaine’s safe return is offered.
Jan. 14: Oak Harbor police find a body believed to be Elaine’s and arrest an 18-year-old man in connection with her death.
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